[ 21 ] peat it as often as you please, and your Salt-petre will lose nothing but its filth: and I think this method preferable to that hazardous one of fluxing the Salt-petre with a vehement fire. I have met with several gentlemen who object to the foregoing method on account of the large proportion of alkaline lye made use of. Supposing that the Salt-petre thus produced, may contain so much of the alkaline salt as to render it unfit for the important purpose for which it is designed. Therefore least this opinion should so far prevail as to prevent people from entering fully into the practice of this successful method, let it be observed, that Nitre (properly so called) is a spirituous fluid matter, and never will become solid till it is fixed to and blended with some solid substance, which must serve it as a basis and become the cause of its solidity; and when it is imbibed by the above earths, it adheres to and becomes intimately blended with certain particles which are called its terrene basis; and the only secret in making Salt-petre from these earths consists in separating from the Nitre this terrene basis, and in furnishing it with a vegetable alkaline basis, and thus is formed that neutral salt, called Salt-petre, This preparation and addition is performed by mixing the two lyes as abovementioned, upon mixing the two lyes as abovementioned, upon which mixing, the Nitre (having a greater fondness for the alkaline salts than for its former earthy basis) instantaneously forsakes its terrene basis, and units with the alkaline salts, and this earthy matter (being thus forsaken of the nitre) subsides to the bottom of the vessel, in form of a light earthysubstance;
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