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FOSSILS

j^sATURALLY and essentiallysimple, not soluble in water ; inflammable.

Series the second.

Simple, inflammable Foflils, in a liquid form .

Of this Series there are two Classes.

The flrfl is of those of a thinner conflflence, and pellucid. 'The Gelæ&psila.;The second is of those of a thicker conflflence and opake, The Gelæopachia.Each of these clajfes contains only one known Genus .

Simple inflammable Foflils.

SERIES II.

Class I. Genus F

N A P H T H Æ.

Fluid mineral bodies of a thin conflflence, bright and pellucid, o f a strong smell , veryr eadily inflammable, and when pure burning away without leaving any residuum.

i. Naphtha flavefcens , quæ Naphtha antiquorum .

Yello'wijh Naphtha , the Naphtha of the antiejits.

T HIS 18 a very pure and clear mineral fluid, of a much thinner consistence than.

any of the express’d oils of vegetables, but something thicker than the finer ofthe distill’d ones; of a very bright hue, perfectly clear and pellucid, and of a paleyellow, with some very faint cast of brownish among it. It is indeed exactly of thec °lour of the more common, brownish, yellow Amber us’d by the Apothecaries ; itJs of a very brisk and penetrating smell, something like that of the chymical oil ofAmber, but not so strong or offensive.

It will not mix either with spirit of wine, Aqua fortis or water.

It is very inflammable, readily catching fire, and burning with a brisk and vivid^tattle, which may be re-kindled after its going out; and if this be repeated ; when pureh burns wholly away, without leaving the least remainder.

, It is found in considerable quantities floating on the waters of certain springs, prin-Cl pally breaking out at the sides of hills in Persia, Tartary, and some parts of theetn pire of China ; where if a lighted candle be brought near the surface it takes fire,-a nd overspreads the surface of the water for a great extent with a strong white flame,-a nd emits a very disagreeable smell.

This genuine Naphtha is very rare in Europe, it is not knoWn to be any whereRurally produc’d here, and what we fee of it is generally sophisticated. I received*P_me months since about six ounces of it, a present from my very much esteem’dx lend Mr. Theobald; whose love to natural knowledge induc’d him to spare me, jdi great pleasure that quantity,- in order to try what it wou’d yield on distillation ;

drawn over in a small retort afforded a somewhat clearer and thinner liquor of* ' ie same kind with what it was in its native state but less eolonr’d, less strongly scented

and