THE Americans having cut their Canes above the first Joint and freed them from their Leaves make 'em in Bundles, and carry them to the Mill, which is compos'd of three Rollers of an equal Size, and equally arm'd with Plates of Iron, where the Canes are to pass thro' them. The Roller in the middle is raised much higher than the rest, to the end that the two Poles, which are affixed cross-ways at the Top; and likewise the Beasts which are yoked to them, may turn about freely, without being hindred by the Machine. The great Roller in the middle is surrounded with a Cog, full of Teeth, which bite upon the Sides of the two other Rollers adjoining to it, which makes them turn about, grind and bruise the Canes, which pass quite round the great Roller and come out dry, and squeez'd from all their Juice. If by Accident the Indians, or whoever feeds the Mill with Canes, shou'd happen to have his Fingers catch'd in the Mill, they must immediately cut off his Arm, -left the whole Body shou'd be drawn in and ground to Pieces: Therefore as soon as they see any one have his Finger or Hand catch'd, the Person standing by cuts off his Arm with a Hanger, and sends Word presently to have him cured. The Juice falling into a Vessel which is below the Mill, and being drawn off, runs by a little Channel into the first Boiler, which holds about two Hogsheads, where it is heated by a small Fire, and set a boiling, in order to make a very thick Scum arise: The West-Indians keep this Scum to feed their Cattle with. This Liquor being well scum'd is put into a second Boiler, where it is set to work again, by throwing on, from time to time, hot Water, in which they have beat up some Eggs; having been thus purified, they pass this Sugar thro' Strainers; and after it has done running put it into a third Boiler, which is of Brass or Copper, and then again upon another refining into a fourth Boiler; and when it begins to cool, and you find it rises to a grain, pass your Scimmer, or wooden Spathula underneath it, from the right to the left to see what Quality your Graining is of: The Sugar being thus ready, and while it remains hot, cast it into the Moulds, or Earthen-Pots, with Holes in their Bottoms, yet shut: At the End of twenty-four Hours, which is the ordinary Time the Sugar takes to incorporate, the Negroes carry the Pots into their Ware-Houses; and after they have opened the Holes, and pierced the Sugar, they set the Moulds upon little Pots or Jars, in order to receive the Syrup or Molosses which runs from it. And when the Syrup is run from the Sugar in the Moulds; you may afterwards cut it with a Knife; which being so done from the Pots is call'd the greyish Muscavado Sugar; which as such is very little in Use, but is the Basis and Foundation of all the other Sugars sold among us.
Of Cassonade, or Powder Sugar.
The Cassonade, or Sugar of the Leeward-Islands, is made from the Grey Muscavado run again; and after it has been clarify'd, strain'd and bak'd, is cast into the Moulds, and so prepared for Use, as we have been speaking before: After which they divide the Loaves, when taken out of the Moulds, into three Sorts, the Top, the Middle and the Bottom, which they dry separately according to their Fineness: The finest Powder Sugar is that of Brasil, which is extreamly white, dry, and well grained, of a violet Taste and Flavour. The Cassonade, or Powder-Sugar, is much in use among the Confectioners; above all that of Brasil, by reason that it is less subject to candy, upon which Account the Confectioners value it the more.
The Sugar, which we improperly call Sugar of seven Pound Weight, because it as often weighs ten or twelve, is made of the Grey Muscavado form'd into Loaves, as we have described before. The Sugar of seven Pounds is distinguish'd into three Sorts; to wit, the white, the second, and the last, which is of a brown Colour at the Top of the Loaf; the whiter the Sugar is, the better stov'd, grain'd and dry'd, the more it is esteem'd. The less the Moulds are, that is, the less the Loaf is made, and the whiter it is, so much the dearer: The Use of which is to make choice Syrups, white Confects, and preserve Abricots, and the like, or make Presents of.
Of Sugar-Royal, and Demy-Royal.
The Sugar call'd Royal, from its extraordinary Whiteness, is from the small white Sugar, or Powder-Sugar, of Brasil, melted and cast into a Loaf as the former. This Sugar-Royal is extremely white throughout the whole, that is to say, as fine at the Top as the Bottom, of a clear, compact, shining Grain, notwithstanding easy to break, which is the general Observation of Sugars, that they are well bak'd, and of a kindly Sort. We sell besides, another Sort we call Demy-Royal, which is a small Sugar-Loaf, very white, and wrap'd in a blue Paper which comes from Holland.
The Dutch formerly brought us Sugars of eighteen and twenty Pounds, wrap'd in Paper, made of Palm-Leaves; for which Reason it was call'd Palm-Sugar; which was a white fat Sugar of a good Sort, and a Violet Taste. We have, besides, another Sugar from the Maderas, but we shall say nothing of that, because we have it from several other Islands much better.
Of Brown Sugar.
This brown Sugar is one Sort of the Muscavado; which they turn to Powder-Sugar, and is made of the Syrup of the Seven-Pound Sugar, after the same Manner as the others are made. The Use of the brown-Sugar was formerly very considerable, in that it serv'd to put in Clysters, instead of Crystal Mineral. At present several Apothecaries, very improperly, imploy it to make many of their Syrups with, which must be very disgustful to the Body, by reason of its nauseous Taste, and its near Alliance to the Molosses themselves, which some call the Syrup of Sugar, and which is of no manner of Use in Physick; great Quantities of it are used in Holland to temper with their Snuff, and to sell to poor People instead of Sugar; I have been assured that Molosses are better for distilling their Rum than the Muscavado Sugar.
Of white and red Sugar-Candy.
The white Sugar-Candy, is made of the white Lisbon Sugar, and white Sugar melted together, and boiled to a Candy thus. Dissolve your Sugar in pure Water, then boil it to the Consistency of a Syrup, which pour into Pots or Vessels, wherein little Sticks have been laid in order; let it be put into a cool, quiet Place, four or five Days without stirring; so will the Crystal, or Sugar-Candy, stick close to the Sticks. Chuse your Sugar white, dry, clear and transparent. The very finest Candy we have comes from Holland, and it is sold for Four-Pence or Five-Pence a Pound dearer than that of Tours, Orleans, Paris, and other Places. The red Sugar-Candy is made the same Way with the white, except that this is made with Brown Muscavado. Both Sorts are better for Rheumes, Coughs, Colds, Catarrhs, Asthma's, Wheezings, &c. than common Sugar; because being harder, they take longer Time to melt in the Mouth; and withal keep the Throat and Stomach moister than Sugar does. Put into the Eyes in fine Powder, they take away their Dimness, and heal them being Blood-shot, as they cleanse old Sores, being strew'd gently upon them.
Of Barley Sugar, white and Amber-colour'd, Sugar of Roses, Pastiles of Portugal, &c.
Barley-Sugar is made either of white Sugar or brown: The first Sort, which is often call'd Sugar-Penids, is boil'd till the Sugar becomes brittle, and will easily break after it be cold. When it is boil'd to a height, cast it upon a Marble, that is first lubricated with Oil of sweet Almonds; and afterwards work it to a Paste, in any Figure you fancy. The other Sort, improperly call'd Barley-Sugar, is made of your Cassonade, or coarse Powder-Sugar, clarify'd and boil'd to a Toughness that will work with your Hands to any Shape; and is commonly made up in little twisted Sticks. This Kind of Sugar is more difficult to make than the other, because of hitting the exact Proportion of boiling it to such a Height that they may work it as they please. Sugar of Roses, is made of white Sugar clarify'd, and boil'd to the Consistence of Tablets, or little Cakes, in Rose-water, and so cast into what Form you like best. The Pastiles, or Portugal Lozenges, are made the same Way, of the finest Sugar that can be had, to which is added some Ambergrise, or any other Perfume, most grateful to the Maker's Fancy.
Of Sugar-Plums.
There are infinite Variety of Flowers, Seeds, Berries, Kernels, Plums, and the like, which are, by the Confectioners, cover'd with Sugar, and carry the Name of Sugar-Plums, which would be endless to set down, and are too frivolous for a Work of this Nature: The most common of the Shops are Carraway-Confects, Coriander, and Nonpareille, which is nothing but Orrice-Powder cover'd with Sugar; and what is much in Vogue at Paris is your green Anise: Besides these, we have Almond Confects, Chocolate, Coffee, Barberries, Pistachia Nuts, &c. Orange Chips and Flowers, Lemon-peel, Cinnamon, Cloves, and many other Roots, Barks, Fruits, Flowers, &c. too numerous to speak of, together with Pastes, liquid Confections, and the like; many of which are useful in the Apothecaries Shops, as green Ginger, Oranges, Jelly of Barberries, &c.
Of Spirit and Oil of Sugar.
This Spirit is made by the Assistance of Spirit of Sal Armoniack, and Chymical Glasses, Furnaces, &c. and becomes an acrid Spirit; which after Rectification, is a powerful Aperitive, and proper for many Diseases, as the Gravel, Dropsy, and Dysentery. The Dose is as much as is sufficient to make an agreeable Acidity in any convenient Liquor proper to the Distemper. As the Oil of Sugar that remains after Rectification, is a black stinking Oil, I shall direct you to another Sort, which, strictly speaking, is not an Oil, but rather a Liquor of Sugar, or an Oil per Deliquium. This is made by putting your Sugar into a hard Egg, and setting it in a cold Place, to run into a Liquor, the same Way that Oil of Myrrh is made; and is us'd to beautify the Face, or inwardly to remove Pains in the Stomach.
Sugar, in Latin Saccharum, or Succharum, Zaccarum, or Zuccharum, is an essential Salt, of a Kind of Reed call'd Arundo Saccharifera, or the Sugar-Cane, which grows plentifully in many Parts of the Indies, as in Brasil, and other Places. This Plant bears on each Joint a Cane of five or six Foot high, adorn'd with long, straight, green Leaves, and carries on its Top a Silver-colour'd Flower, like a Plume of Feathers.
The Juice of the Canes is made by pressing them thro' the Rowlers of a Mill, from whence there runs a great Quantity of sweet pleasant Juice, which being put into Boilers, the watry Part is, by the Force of the Fire, evaporated, till it comes to a Consistency; after which they cast it into a Mixture made of certain Ingredients, fit to cleanse and prepare it for graining. All the Time it is boiling, with large Copper Scummers they take off the Scum, which constantly rises in great Quantities, until it be fit to empty into Coolers, viz. till it arrives to its just Body: From the Coolers, it is again shifted into Earthern Pots, with Holes in their Bottoms, and other Pots they call Drips, under them, for receiving the Molosses; which, in about a Months Time, will be separated from that which afterwards is called Muscavado Sugar, being of a pale yellowish Colour: This is then knock'd out of the Pots, and put into Casks, or Hogsheads, for Transportation.
The first Kind of Molosses is either boil'd up again to draw from it a Sort of duskish, pale-grey Sugar, call'd Paneels, or sent in Casks for England. From this Sugar there drips a second Sort of Molosses, which, with the Scum that arises in all the Boilings, together with the Washings of the Boilers, Coolers, Pots, and other Instruments, is preserved in great Cisterns, where it ferments; from which they distil that famous Spirit call'd Rum, a noble Liquor, not at all inferior in Strength to French Brandy, nor yet in Goodness or medical Virtues, the Flavour or Palatableness being set aside, having an Empyreuma, from a foetid Oil it acquires in the Distillation.
The next Thing to be considered is, the Refining of Sugar, to wit, the Muscavado Sugar; which is thus: They put it into refining Coppers, mix'd with Lime-Water, where as it boils over a gentle Fire, much Scum will arise, which is taken off constantly till it comes to a sufficient Consistency for mixing it with the whites of Eggs well beaten up in order to clarify it; this being done, it is boiled up to a proper Height for refin'd Sugar, and so turn'd off into Coolers, from whence it is put into such draining-Pots as aforemention'd, with their Drips: When those Pots have stood draining or dripping eight or ten Days, then Clay, properly temper'd, is put upon the Pots, which is renew'd as often as Occasion requires: This forces down all the Molosses, so that in seven or eight Weeks Time these Sugars will be fit for Casking.
These Molosses, thus proceeding from refin'd Sugar, are boil'd up again, and all the former Work repeated; from whence comes another Sort of white Sugar, call'd Bastard White: From this Sugar there drips a second Sort of Molosses, fit for nothing but the Still to make Rum of; it is also to be observ'd, that little or nothing is wasted in the refining, but you have it some Way or another, for as much as the refin'd Sugar wants of its first Weight, you have it in the Scum and the Molosses, or Recrement running from it. After this Elaboration of Sugar for refining it is over, they put up in Casks or Hogsheads that which is call'd Powder-Sugar, or make into Loaves what they call Loaf-Sugar; both of which is esteem'd in Goodness, according to the Number of Times they have been refin'd.
When Sugar has been but once refin'd, it is a little fat or oily: Now to refine it farther, it is dissolv'd again in Lime-Water, and boil'd as before directed, taking off the Scum all the while, &c. The Sweetness Sugar has, is thought to proceed from an essential, acid Salt, mixed with some oily Particles of which it consists; for if by Distillation, we separate the oily Parts from the saline, neither of them will be sweet, but the saline will be acid, and the Oil insipid upon the Tongue, because it makes little or no Impression upon the Nerve of Tasting; but when the acid is entirely mix'd with it, the Edges or Points of the Acid penetrate the Pores of the gustatory Nerve, and, by opening them, carry in the oily Particles, and make them also penetrate and irritate the Nerve, whereby the Sweetness of the Taste is produc'd.
The Powder-Sugar, or that which is less refin'd, makes a sweeter Impression upon the Tongue than the Loaf-Sugar, or that which is more refin'd, because it contains more oily or fat Particles, whereby it remains the longer upon the Taste: This makes some prefer the coarser before the finer, for Use and Sweetening. Sugar was first known or produc'd in the East-Indies, afterwards in Barbary and the African Islands, as the Maderas, Canaries, &c. then in the West-Indies, as Jamaica, Barbadoes, Nevis, Antegoa, Montserrat, as also in the Spanish Indies; lastly, in Europe, as Spain and Portugal, but not in that Plenty as it is produc'd in the West-Indies. If you make choice of it from the Place, that from the Maderas was formerly accounted the best; that from the Canaries next, and that from St. Thomas's last; but now our fine Jamaica and Barbadoes Sugar is inferior to none; and next to them is reckon'd the Lisbon Sugar, which is the faster, and not so white. If you chuse it for Colour, the whitest is the best; then the next to white, is that of the Cream-Colour, or pale Yellow; and lastly, the red. If you chuse it from the making, the treble refin'd is the best, and that which is form'd into the Loaf, the whitest of which will look like the driven Snow.
It is good for the Breast and Lungs, to smooth their Roughness, take away Asthma's, Hoarseness, ease Coughing, and to attenuate and cut tough Flegm, afflicting the Fibres of those Parts: It is very profitable for the Kidneys and Bladder, and in all the Cases aforemention'd; but is reputed bad for such as are troubled with Vapours and Hysterick fits, and therefore such Persons ought to avoid the Use of it. Refin'd Sugar is the sharper, and better to attenuate, cut, and cleanse; but the unrefin'd, to levigate and lenify, and so the better for the Lungs; but being constantly us'd, rots and decays the Teeth, and makes the Gums scorbutick. There are many Preparations, besides Confects and Sweet-Meats, made of Sugar; the chief of which are, first, Sugar of Roses: 2dly, Sugar of Violets; 3dly, Tincture and Liquor, acid Spirit and Oil, Sugar Penids, Essence of Sugar and the like.
BOOK the Third.
Of WOODS.
I. Of Wood of Aloes.
OF all the Woods sold in the Shops, we have none more precious, more valuable and rare, than the true Wood of Aloes, or Xyloaloes: upon which Account it is very little known, and every one is liable to mistake the Wood, which makes it easy to be counterfeited; so that it is a difficult Matter to know it positively, it being describ'd so differently by different Authors: And I cannot think any more mistaken than those who write like Mr. de Furetiere, who says that Aloes is a large Tree that grows in the Indies ten Foot high, that the Trunk is of the Thickness of a Man's Thigh, on the Head of which is placed a vast Heap of thick indented Leaves, large at the Bottom, which narrow themselves to a Point, and are four Foot long. The Flower is red intermix'd with Yellow, and double like a Julyflower; it is supported by the little Branches which arise from the Trunk, with the Leaves, among which they are hid: From the said Flower comes a Fruit, round like a large Weight, white and red: They take the Juice from the Leaves, by slitting them with a Knife; and they gather them with the Calabasses or Gourds, which, when dry'd in the Sun, are prepar'd to make Rosin of. This Wood is spotted, scented, and bitter. The Lark is so curious, that it resembles a Skin that is of a changeable Colour.
There are several Sorts of it, but the best is the Agallochum of India, which comes from Calecut. The finest is the black Kind, of a changeable Colour, full, heavy, solid, and thick, which cannot be whitened, and is difficult to set on Fire. I do not know whether Mr. Furetiere, in his Description before, does not confound the Plant which produces the Aloes, with the Tree which affords us the true Wood of Aloes. There are others which pretend to affirm, we cannot have the true Wood of Aloes, and that it grows not in this terrestial Paradise, it having been swept away by the Deluge: And others will not allow it us, because it is not produc'd among us, except in Deserts, and upon inaccessible Mountains; not only from their Height, but because of the wild Beasts that inhabit among them, as the Lion, the Tiger, the Panther, and the like; besides a thousand other idle Stories, that are told about this Wood: To confute all which, I shall only tell you, that the Embassadors from the Kingdom of Siam, brought of this true Wood to present to the King of France now reigning, as well wrought as unwrought; among the rest, a Bason, with its Salver, proper to wash the Hands in, made at Siam, after the Mode of that Country. This Bason, tho' of Wood, is more esteem'd than if it had been of massy Gold, because made of the Tree of the true Aloes Wood growing at Bantam and in China, and which is of the Size and Shape of the Olive-Tree, having Leaves something after the same Sort; after which grows a little round Fruit, like our Cherry. They bring a Quantity of it from Surat, but the most resinous of it is most valu'd, and it is distinguish'd into larger and lesser Pieces.
It is observable, that the Trunk of this Tree is of three Colours, which are no other than different Parts taken from the Thickness of the same Substance: The first Wood, which lies immediately under the Bark, is of a black Colour, solid, heavy, and almost like black Ebony; and by Reason of its Colour, the Portuguese call it Eagle-Wood. The Second, which is a light veiny Wood, like rotten Wood, and of a tann'd Colour, is what we call Columback, or the true Wood of Aloes. The third Sort, which is the Heart, is a precious Wood of Tamback, or Calamback; but the great Scarcity, and high Price of it, is the Reason why I shall say no more of it, having never seen any of it.
We ought to chuse the Columback-Wood of a shining Dye, as green without as a Leek, and of a light yellow within, bitter in Taste, especially when it is held some Time in the Mouth, from whence it takes the Name of Aloes-Wood, because it has a Bitterness like that of the Aloes, but is lighter and more porous, like rotten Wood; and when put into the Fire, will burn like Wax and yield a sweet Smell.
This Wood of Aloes, when dried, is of no other Use in Physick, than that it is a strong Aromatick: As to the Eagle-Wood, it is of no Use in France, and it serves the Indians only to make their small Wares with; besides, it is too scarce in France to make any Thing of it, which is quite contrary to the Notion of those who have writ of it, and say, that it is very common. As to the Columback-Wood, or true Aloes, we have Quantities enough of other Kinds brought to us, which bear the same Name; but as it is impossible for me to discover all the Differences, I shall satisfy myself to inform you, that you ought to reject all others whatsoever, that are not the supposed Wood we have been speaking of, which is entirely different from others, both in Shape and Figure, in that the pretended Wood of Aloes is in great heavy Pieces, as well red as green, and likewise of several other Colours, which make it easier to know the Difference, in that the true Columback is commonly in flat light Pieces. Some People will have it that the Lignum Vitae, which is at Fountainbleau, and in the Royal Garden at Paris, is the Tree that yields the Aloes-Wood; but I have prov'd it otherwise, in letting the Wood lie in the Ground three Years; at the End of which I have taken it out, and after having expos'd it to the Air some Time, the strong Smell and Taste it had in Life, has been quite lost, and it has become extreamly light, of an insipid Taste, and white without and within.
Aloes, Agallochum, Xyloaloes, or Wood of Aloes, is brought from Bantam in the East-Indies where they call it Columback. It comes to us in Chips, and is of a most fragrant Smell, and darkish Colour; the knotty resinous and blackish Sort, which is many Times full of black Resin like Aloes, is reckon'd the best; or that which is of blackish Purple, with Ash-colour'd Veins, of a bitter Taste and heavy: The chief Sign of its Goodness is, that the Chips being put into Water will swim, and when burning on Fire-Coals, they will sweat or fry, afford a sweet Scent, and leave Bubbles behind them, not easily vanishing. It is hot and dry, cephalick, neurotick, stomachick, cardiac, alexipharmick, strengthens the Brain, Heart, Nerves, Spirits and whole Body; is excellent against Faintings and Swoonings, and kills Worms by its Bitterness; Dose in Powder, half a Dram to a Dram. The Chymical Oil is likewise us'd like that of Rhodium, and sometimes internally to the same Purposes as the Wood.
Of Aspalathum or Rose-Wood.
THIS Aspalathum is a Wood, which was no otherwise known to the Ancients, but for the true Aloes-Wood, and might be taken for the same, at present, if we had not been inform'd otherwise, from the Accounts and Relations of other Persons, upon which we have made Enquiries into the Bottom of the Matter; and it is not without some Diligence we have clear'd up the Truth, upon which I may venture to say, I understand what we sell for Aspalathum. There are three Sorts of Wood bear this Name. The first is a blackish Wood, which I believe to be the true Eagle-Wood. The second is a Wood something bitter throughout, heavy, oily, full of Veins of different Colours; and all mixed together make it a reddish Wood; it is cover'd with a grey Bark, thick and very rugged. As to the Figure of the said Tree, the Leaves, Flowers, Fruit, and Country where it grows, I know no farther than what I have said, whether this be the false or true Aspalathum; but it is what is most receiv'd for such, by those who are suppos'd to know it the best, and which we sell for the same.
The third Aspalathum-Wood is known, and common among us, when the two before-mention'd are unknown and scarce. This third Sort is that we call Rhodium, or Rose-Wood, because it has a Smell altogether resembling that of Roses. The Rose-Wood is of the Colour of the Leaf, which is brought from several Parts of the Levant, but chiefly from the Isles of Rhodes and Cyprus, from whence it takes the Name of Rose or Cyprus-Wood.
This which we call Rose-Wood of Guadaloupa, is properly that which the Inhabitants of Martinico call Cyprus-Wood. It is very certain that there are two Sorts of Rose-Wood which we confound together by that Name, without making use of that of Cyprus; for the two Trees so exactly resemble one another in Height, Size, Bark, Leaves, Flowers, and Smell, that most Part of the Inhabitants mistake one for the other: I have, notwithstanding, seen some curious People of Guadaloupa, which have call'd this Wood, which the Inhabitants of Martinico call Rose-Wood, Marble-Wood; because the Heart of the Wood is stain'd like Marble, with white, black, and yellow, which is the only Distinction I could observe. This Tree grows very high and straight; with long Leaves like the Chesnut, but more pliant, hairy, and whiter; it bears large Clusters of small white Flowers, and after them little smooth black Seeds; the Bark of the Wood is whitish, and almost like the young Oak: 'Tis troublesome to bear the Smell, because it is so sweet, that the Rose cannot compare with it. This Wood loses its Smell in time, but it recovers it again upon being fresh cut, or strongly rub'd one Piece against another. It is likewise very good to build withal.
This Wood is us'd to make Beads of, and is of some small Use in Physick, by reason of its fine Smell, which is serviceable to the Distillers to make Rose-Water, or at least to give their Rose-Water a good Scent. The Surgeons and Barbers use it in Decoctions and Tinctures for their several Purposes. Some People employ this instead of Citron Sanders, and after it is reduc'd to Powder, mix it up in Pastiles for burning. The Dutch draw a white Oil from it very odoriferous, which they transport abroad for Oil of Rhodium, and which we sell upon several Occasions, as to the Perfumers and others. 'Tis observable, that this Oil, when new, is like Oil of Olive; but after some Time, turns of a dark red. By Distillation it yields a red Spirit, and a black foetid Oil, which is proper for curing of Scabs and Tetters.
There are several Sorts of the Aspalathum that are not distinguishable, but by the Curious, as the Aloes-Wood, that's call'd the Eagle; and the Lignum Rhodium, which is so call'd, not that it bears Roses, or is a Rose-Tree, but from the Flavour and Fragrancy of the Wood, and the odoriferous Oil it yields. This is brought from the Levant, and some from the Canaries; the best is the fattest, or most oily, of a deep yellow Colour, inclining to red, strong-scented, if broken, and of a compact heavy Substance. This Wood contains two profitable Bodies, the one spirituous and watery, the other oily and sulphureous; both which are very subtile and volatile. To make the Oil, chuse the weightiest and best scented Wood rasp'd finely, of which take four Pounds; Salt-Peter one Pound; infuse them in Rain-Water eight or ten Days, and draw off the Oil in proper Vessels. There is at the same Time a Water drawn from thence, which may be used as Rose-Water for Perfumers, and for any Vehicle where proper. The Oil, which is clear, fair, yellowish, and of a fragrant Smell, is used inwardly against Obstructions in the Kidneys or Bladder, freeing them from Sand, Gravel and slimy Matter, that load and stop up the Passages. You may make it into an Eleosaccharum with refined Sugar, and then dissolve it in its own Water, or any proper Diuretick; and so it is used with good Success in Gargles, and to cleanse and cure Ulcers in the Mouth, or other Parts of the Body. It is cephalick, neurotick, cardiack, antispasmodick and arthritick, and may be given from three Drops to ten or twelve. This Oil, besides all its internal Uses, is accounted one of the strongest vegetable Perfumes, and holds its Odour the longest.