But as a nourishment, the inferiority of rice to falep, is not only from its conveying lefs nourishment, in double the bulk, but also from the great confumption of fuel, and more efpecially of water, in the long boiling, neceffary to render it fit for ufe; whereas falep will form a pafte with cold water, and is not too falt when mixed even with fea-water. Salep, when mixed with cold water, requires only ten times its weight of water, to form it into a paste or cake, and, if mixed with more, a feparation of the redundant water will enfue. This pafte, with the addition of a little vinegar, will ferve to allay both hunger and thirst, and will keep good for feveral days. When the falep is mixed with cold fea-water, it should not be allowed above fix

times its weight of water; and this quantity is juft fufficient to render it palatable, it being of itfelf a very infipid powder.

From what has been faid, may justly be deduced the following pro pofals:

As the calamity of famine at fea may fometimes proceed from the avarice of the mafters of merchant fhips, who, from a lucrative view, have taken on board too small a quantity of provifions; if the mafters were obliged, by the articles of agreement with their men, to pay a ftipulated allowance of money for any deficiency that might happen in their provifions during the voyage, as is done in the royal navy, would it not tend greatly to prevent the frequency of this diftrefs?

As two pounds of falep, with an equal quantity of portable foup, will afford a wholefome diet to one perfon for a month, would it not be expedient for every fhip to carry to fea a quantity of these articles, in proportion to the number of the men, left from unavoidable accidents the other provifions might be exhaufted during the voyage?

As falep and portable foup contain the greatest quantity of vegetable and animal nourishment, that can be reduced into so small a bulk, would not these articles be extremely beneficial, when through fire, fhipwreck, or other accidents, the crew are obliged to have recourse to their boats ?*

As

pound

Received October 10, 1767.

A letter from Edward Wortley Montagu, Efq. F. R. S. to William Watson, M. D. F. R. S. containing fome new Obfervations on what is called Pompey's Pillar, in Egypt.

SIR,

Here fend you a

would have mentioned it: I therefore determined to examine it narrowly. I perceived too that the pedestal was of a bad and weak masonry, compofed of fmall and great ftones of different forts, and abfolutely unable to fuftain fo great a weight; I therefore eafily concluded fuch pedestal not originally belonging to the pillar. I attempted to get out a ftone, which I did.

1767. I believe will appear extraordinary, as every traveller that has been at Alexandria has mentioned the famous pillar of oriental granite, which, is about a mile without the walls of that city, as erected, either by Pompey, or to the honour of Pompey. As I differ in opinion from them all, and think this famous pillar was erected to the honour of Vefpafian, you certainly will expect to hear on what foundation I found fo extraordinary a conjecture, as fo new a one may appear to you.

the pedestal to be hollow. After fome time, I mean during the courfe of many days, I made an opening wide enough to enter it; when within it, you will judge how much, I was furprized to find this prodigious mafs of granite ftood, as on a. pivot, on a reverfed obelifk, as I then believed it was, only five feet fquare. Curious to know the length of the obelisk, I began to move the. earth on one of its fides; but my furprize encreafed much when I found, after moving a few inches of the foil, that the obelisk was not. entire, this pivot being only four feet and one inch thick. It is feated on a rock; the ftone is of an extreme hardness, and almost a petri. fication, or rather conglutination, of many different ftones, but all vitrefcent. I never met with any ftone of this kind any where, exe cept with one finall piece on the plains of the Mommies: I broke a piece of it, which Lord Bute has: a fmall piece too of the pillar was fent, that gentlemen may be convinced it is of red granite, and not a compofition,as fome have imagined.

This

This part of the obelisk is covered with hieroglyphicks, which are reverfed, a plain proof the pillar was not erected whilft they were held facred characters.

Convinced, therefore, that it was not of the antiquity one would fuppofe it, from being called of Pompey, I vifited it feveral times to fee if it might not be poffible to find out fomething that would give room for a reasonable conjecture in honour of whom, or at what time, it was erected. From the infcription I could discover nothing: it is on the weft face of the base ; but so much injured by time, and I may fay too by malice, for the marks of an inftrument are plainly discovered effacing it, that one can but imperfectly make out fome Greek characters, so imperfectly indeed, that no one word can be found.

At length, obferving that the cement, or mortar, which clofes the fmall feparation of the fhaft from the bafe, was quite deftroyed in one part, I was curious to fee if any thing was made use of within, to faften or tie the shaft of the base; I faw there was; being defirous to know if it was lead, and if fo, if it was not of that pure, and of which we still meet with fome few medals, I endeavoured with a pretty large hanger to cut off a small piece of the grapple; there was a great number of lizards which had taken fhelter there, and which ran out on my introducing the hanger. I then difcovered a dark spot, at the diftance of more than a foot, within the circumference of the pillar; which by ftriking it with the hanger, I found was fomething ftuck faft to the bafe; after ftriking it feveral times, I detached it from its place, and it proved a medal of Vefpafian,

in fine order.

ΑΥΤ. ΚΑΙΣ. ΣΙ BA. OVE】П .... The reverse is, Victoria gradiens; Dextra fpicass finif. palmam.

This medal was fhewn to the Rayal Society.

The reverfed hieroglyphicks are a proof that this amazing monument was not erected before Pompey's time; and as there is no mention of it in Strabo, or any one of the ancient writers that I have met with, it seems plain it was not known before the time of Vespafian. This medal could not by any accident, I think, have been introduced above a foot within the circumference of the shaft; therefore I fuppofe it was placed there when the pillar was erected, which from thence I conclude to have been done to the honour of that emperor; and perhaps on his reftoring the cripple to the ufe of his limbs.

If you think this paper worth it, you will please to communicate it to the Royal Society, and that of the Antiquaries.

The pillar is exactly fhewn, with the pivot it ftands upon, with a reference to the spot the medal was found upon, in the view of it that I have fent to England.

I beg you will affure the Society of my refpect, and how happy I fhall be to execute any of their commands.

And I hope you will reft per. fuaded of the true confideration with which

Of the Chymiftry of the Ancients. From an elaborate and ingenious work lately published, entitled, An Inquiry into the Origin of the Dif coveries attributed to the Moderns. By the Rev. Mr. Dutens.

If we will be guided the there F we will be guided by the greatneeds no deep research to demonftrate the antiquity of chymiftry. Its name feems to declare its origin. It is agreed almost by all, that it was first cultivated in Egypt, the country of Cham, of whom it is fuppofed primarily to have taken its name Xia, Chemia, five Chemia, the Science of Cham*. But without entering here into a philological difcuffion, I fhall content myself with confidering whether the ancients were chymifts, and to what degree; and hope to make it appear, that they not only knew all of that art that we do, but had fuch infight in it as we have not at prefent. The firft inftance that occurs, for afcertaining the antiquity of the fcience, is of a very remote date. Nobody, I think, will difallow that Tubal-Cain, and those who with him found out the way of working in brafs and iron, muft have been able chymifts. In reality it was impoffible to work upon these metals, without firft knowing the art of digging them out of the mine, of excavating them, and of refining and feparating them from the ore; all which are chymical operations, and must have been at firft invented by those who excelled in the art, however afterwards they might be put in practice by the meaneft arti

zans. Those who are engaged in the working of copper-mines, for inftance, and know that the metal itself muft pafs above a dozen times through the fire, before it can acquire its proper colour and ductility, will eafily enter into this fentiment. It appears to me needlefs to bring together here all the paffages of heathen hiftorians, which fpeak of Vulcan in the fame manner as the facred author does of Tubal-Cain; and to fhew the reader from the resemblance, and as it were identity of names, that all of them relate to one and the fame perfon. That would be to digrefs too far. It is enough to obferve, that thofe authors reprefent Vulcan as fkilled in operating upon iron, copper, gold, filver, and all the other bodies capable of fuftaining the action of fire.

I likewife pafs over whatever carries in it the air of fable; fuch as the ftory of the golden fleece; the golden apples that grew in the gardens of the Hefperides; the reports of Manethon and Jofephus with relation of Seth's pillars, whence deductions have been made in favour of the tranflation of metals. I come to facts more real and established; and, for the fake of chronology, fhall ftill adhere to the facred text in contemplating an action of Mofes, who, having broken the golden calf, reduced it into powder, to be mingled with water, and given to the Ifraelites to drink; in one word, rendered the gold potable; an operation fo difficult, that it is entirely impracticable to most of the chymifts of our days, and owned by

art.

Boer