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Iuly the 8th 1691. Sr. I Hoskins vicepresident.

mr. Houghton shewed a paper of mr. Cellers wherein he had indeauoured to estimate
the expense of Euery man in /London which taken/ England taken one in an other ^ /amounted to almost 24ll per anum each head/ and Related some of his Obserua
tions and Reflections concerning Such an estimate which he only Related by Discourse [the Re
sults of wch. was


Then the minutes of the preceding meeting were read, wherevpon a question was Debated
whether metall that are found Oft times in minerall bodys . . . . formed in Regular shapes
as Lead Oare of a Cubicall forme which also breakes into cubicall particles Siluer Oare like
wise has been obserued to be sometimes formd in the same mater, and the Pure siluer some
times is obserued to be shot in Regular branchings like the figures of frozen vrine or like the
figure of Sal ammoniack wth and some svch other instances, which seemed to proue that
when ^ /they/ first acquired those formes, they were of the nature of those metalls Dissolued in
Saline menstruums which vpon the Euaporation of the menstruum will shoot into Regular
figures. or of the nature of the Regular Martis And some sorts of Lead which vpon their
cooling after fusion will naturally shoot into Certain Regular figures. besides it was alledgd
that Gold was many times found formed in such shot or roundish particles that seemd to proue
they had been once melted & cooled in those shapes. It was further noted that chrystall was
vsually found of the same figure with that of niter, & soe seemd a petrifyed niter.
mr. Aubery said that there was a sort of Spur found in Wiltshire which seemd to be made of
some such nitrous petrifaction. He also affirmed that with some of this spur there had been made
a very fine white Glasse. The same also further Related that he had been informed that
in the Reigne of Henry the 7th. a tinner of Cornwall vpon some Discontent or misdemea
=nor Leauing his country and Going to Liue in Germany & Hungary had there Discouered
the tin oare and taught the way of Refining or melting it which has been there wrought
euer since.
Sr. Io: Hoskins Related that he had been informed by Sr. Robert Redding that there had
been of Late years Discouered in the north ^ /west/ parts of Ireland Great quantitys of the
Cynders of Iron which are supposed to haue been Long since made by the Romans or some
others who had vsed the same methods of melting the metall out of them, these being
much of the same quality wth. the cynders found in England, namely that they are found to
contein much iron still in them and Doe much help and promote the fusion of the
new oar and make it yeald the metall with much more ease & in greater plenty than the
new oar is found to doe without their help.
mr. Euelyn tooke notice that the cynders of Iron when exposed to the air & Raines haue
been obserued to Dissolue & turne to Dust or powder, but it was alledged that this ob
seruation was true only of the New Cynders which haue passed a much stronger and -
more violent fire heightned by the violent blast of the Great Bellows now vsed in the
iron works but that the old Cynder were obserued to be much more tuff & Lasting because
they had not been soe perfectly vitrifyed . . . the vse of Bellows hauing not been there -
known, but since Discouered, by which meanes the quantity of iron still Remaining in
there did tuffend and consolidate the whole Remaining masse.
mr Hooke Shewd the Experiment of the Rising of the Ioddow of water cast vp by the pressure
of the water in a contiguous Cestern. by which it plainly appeard that the the part of the
water which first issued out of the orifice, and had noe other Resistance to its ascent then
its own Gravity & the impediment of the air, did Rise as high (as to sense) as the Plain
of the Superficies of the water in the contiguous cestern, but As the stream continued And
besides the foresaid Impediments the Recoyle of the preceding parts hindered the impetus of
the Subsequent. the top of the Ieddo was obserued to be very considerably Lower than the mid
surface & the stream of the Ieddo was obserued to be much bigger in Diameter or bulk
neer the top than neer the bottom where it issued out of the pipe: soe that with in the compass
of this cylinder /conicall Ieddo/ it was Iudged there was conteind a quantity of water equall to a Cylinder
of water of the full height of the water in the Cesterne and of the Diameter of the aperture
at which it issued.

Ref: CELL/RS/HF_629  © Centre for Editing Lives and Letters