295

march the 6th. 1678/9

mr Henshaw the vice Prest In the chair

The minutes of Feb the 27. being Read Gaue -
occasion of Discoursing further concerning the
nature of salt Peter. vpon wch. occasion It was
mr. Henshaws opinion that common niter con
teined noe alcalisate salt till it were actually
produced in the same by heat. And that the
heat alone wth.out actuall burning or Inflam
mation would produce the same quantity of
alcalizate salt as would be produced from it
by the burning it wth. charcole sulphur or the
Like.
mr. Hooke conceiued that niter from its manner of
production might be supposed to consist of two
kinds of salts vnited together into one composi
=tum, the one a very volatill & aeriall salt
rarifyed Dissolued & flying in the air the
other an earthy fixed and alcalizate salt
mixed wth. the earth by the vnion of wch. wth
one another they become strictly ioyned into one
body wch. composes a vitriolate salt . -

Obiections were made against the suppositions
that the sea Receiud its saltnesse from the parts
of the Earth contiguous to it, that there was
known but one Lake in the world that yealded salt
water, though tis probable that were that the
cause there might /would/ be many more Lakes found
to contein salt water

Ref: CELL/RS/HF_297  © Centre for Editing Lives and Letters