very illegality of the power, at present, `prevents its abuses, by affording fo eafy a remedy against them.

I pretend not, by this reafoning, to exclude all poffibility of contriving a register for feamen, which might mann the navy, without being dangerous to liberty. I only observe, that no fatisfactory fcheme of that nature has yet been propofed. Rather than adopt any project hitherto invented, we continue a practice feemingly the most abfurd and unaccountable. Authority, in times of full internal peace and concord, is armed against law; a continued and open ufurpation in the crown is permitted, amidst the greatest jealoufy and watchfulness in the people; nay proceeding from thofe very principles: liberty, in a country of the higheft liberty, is left entirely to its own defence, without any countenance or protection: the wild ftate of nature is renewed, in one of the most civilized focieties of mankind and great violences and diforders, amongst the people, the most humane and the best natured, are committed with impunity; while the one party pleads obedience to the fupreme magiftrate, the other the permifion of fundamental laws."

Our author, in his tenth difcourfe, which is the longest of all, as well as the moft curious, treats of the populoufnefs of ancient nations; but we muft refer the account of this and the following ones to fome future article.

R

ART. III. A Continuation of the Experiments on Substances refifting putrefaction; by John Pringle, M. D. F. R. S. From the Philofophical Tranfactions, No. 496. Publifh'd laft Month.

TH

HE very ingenious Dr. Pringle having in his former paper, (fee Review for October laft) mention'd the comparative force of certain faits, and other fubftances refifting putrefaction, he now proceeds to a more particular account of thofe experiments, with tome others, fince made on that fubject.

1. Three pieces of the lean of fresh beef, each weighing two drachms, were put feparately into wide-mouth'd phials. Two ounces of ciftern-water were added to each; in one were diffolved 30 grains of fea-falt; in another 60; but the third contained nothing but flesh and water. Thefe bottles were little more than half-full; and, being corked, were placed in a lamp-furnace, regulated by a thermome ter, and kept about the degree of human heat.

About

About ten or twelve hours after, the contents of the phial without falt had a faint fmell; and in three or four hours more were putrid *. In an hour or two longer the flesh with the leaft falt was tainted; but that which had moft, remained fweet above 30 hours after infufion. This experiment was often repeated with the fame refult, making allowance for variations of the degree of heat.

The ufe of this experiment was for making ftandards, whereby to judge of the feptic or anticeptic ftrength of bodies. Thus, if water with any ingredient preferved flesh better than without it, or better than with the additions of the falt, that ingredient might be faid to refift putrefaction more than water alone, or with 30 or 60 grains of fea-falt. But if, on the other hand, water, with any addition, promoted corruption more than when pure, the substance added was to be reckoned a feptic, or haftener of putrefaction.

The following experiments, were therefore all made in the fame degree of heat with the quantity of flesh, water, and air, as above fpecified; together with fuch feptic or antifeptic fubftances, as fhall be afterwards mention'd, and were all compared with the ftandards. But whereas the leaft quantity of salt preserved flesh little longer than plain water, I fhall always compare the feveral antifeptic bodies with the greateft quantity of falt; fo that whenever any fubftance is faid to oppose putrefaction more than the ftandard, I mean, more than 60 grains of fea-falt.

2. I began with examining other falts, and compared them in the fame quantity with the standard; which being of all the weakeft, I fhall fuppofe it equal to unity, and exprefs the proportional ftrength of the reft in higher numbers in the following table.

A Table of the comparative Powers of Salts in refifting Putrefaction.

*It is to be obferved, that thefe pieces were all entire; but when they are beat to the confiftence of a pap, with the fame quantity of water, the putrefaction then begins in lefs than half the time mentioned here.

Sal

In this table I have mark'd the proportions by integral numbers; it being hard, and perhaps unneceflary, to bring this matter to more exactnefs, only to fome I have added the fign+, to fhew, that those falts are ftronger than the number in the table by fome Fraction; unlefs in the three laft, where the fame fign imports that the falt may be ftronger by fome Units*. The tartar vitriolated is rated at 2; tho' more than 30 grains of it was taken to equal the ftandard: But perceiving all of it was not diffolved, an allowance was made accordingly. On the other hand, as part of the Hart's-horn flies off, its real force must be greater than what appears by the table. The falt of amber is likewise volatile; and as three grains of it were found more preservative than 60 grains of fea-falt; it may therefore be much more than 20 times ftronger. This is indeed an acid falt; but as the acid part of it is inconfiderable, this high antifeptic power must be owing to fome other principle. The Spiritus Mindereri was made of common vinegar and falt of hartfhorn; the faline mixture of falt of wormwood faturated with lemon-juice. The alcaline part in either of these mixtures with water only would have refifted with a power of 4+; fo that the acid added render'd these falts lefs antifeptic; viz. the Spiritus Mindereri by a half, and the faline mixture by a third part: which was a circumftance very unexpected.

3. Next I proceeded to try refins and gums, and began

Five grains of Borax was the fmalleft quantity compared with fea-falt; but holding out fo much longer, I fufpect three grains would have been fufficient; in which cafe the force of this falt was to be estimated at 20: A fingular inftance of the ftrength of a falt not acid. One grain of Alum was weaker than 60 grains of fea-falt; but two grains were ftronger. The power therefore of alum lies between 30 and 60: but, as I could judge by the experiment, nearer the first number.

with myrrh. As part of this substance diffolves in water, eight grains were made into an emulfion; but most of it fubfiding, I could not reckon on a folution of more than one or two grains; which nevertheless preferving the flesh longer than the ftandard, we may account the foluble part of myrrh perhaps about 30 times ftronger than fea-falt.

Aloes, Afa fetida, and the Terra Japonica, diffolved in the fame manner as myrrh, like it fubfided, and with the fame antifeptic force. But gum ammoniac and Sagapenum fhewed little of this virtue. Whether it was that they oppofed putrefaction lefs, or that all the antifeptic principle fell with the groffer parts to the bottom. Three grains of opium diffolved in water did not fubfide, and refifted putrefaction better than the falt. But I obferved that more air than ufual was generated, and the flesh became tenderer than with any of the ftronger antifeptics.

Of all the refinous fubftances camphire refifted moft: two grains diffolved in one drop of fpirit of wine, five grains of fugar, and two ounces of water exceeded the ftandard: tho', during the infusion, most of the camphire flew off, fwam a-top, or ftuck to the phial. Suppofe only the half loft, the remainder is at leaft 60 times ftronger than falt; but if, as I imagine, the water fufpended not above a tenth part, then camphire will be 300 times more antifeptic than fea-falt. That nothing might be afcribed to the minute portion of the fpirit, ufed in this experiment, I made another folution of camphire in a drop or two of oil, and found this mixture lefs perfect, but ftill beyond the ftandard.

4. I made ftrong infufions of camomile flowers, and of Virginian fuake-root; and finding them both greatly beyond the ftandard, I gradually leffened the quantity of thefe materials, till I found five grains of either impart a virtue to water fuperior to 60 grains of falt. Now as we cannot suppose these weak infufions contained half a grain of the embalming part of thefe vegetables, it follows, that this 'must be at least 120 times more antifeptic than common falt.

I also made a strong decoction of the Bark, and infused a piece of flesh in two ounces of it ftrained; which flesh never corrupted, tho' it remained two or three days in the furnace, after the ftandard was putrid. In this time the decoction became gradually limpid, whilft the groffer parts fubfided By which it appears, that a moft minute portion

of

of the bark intimately mixed with water (perhaps lefs than of the fnake-root, or camomile flowers) is poffeffed of a very extraordinary antifeptic force.

Befides thefe, pepper, ginger, faffron, contrayerva-root, and galls, in the quantity of 5 grains each, as alfo 10 grains of dried fage, of Rhubarb, and the root of wild Valerian*, feparately infufed, exceeded 60 grains of falt. Mint, angelica, ground-ivy, Senna, green tea, red rofes, common wormwood, muftard, and horfe-radish, were likewife infused, but in larger quantities, and proved more antifeptic than the ftandard. And as none of these can be fuppofed to yield in the water above a grain or two of the embalming principle, we may look upon them all as very powerful refifters of putrefaction. Farther, I made a trial with a decoction of white poppy-heads, and another with the expreffed juice of lettuce, and found them both above the standard.

By these specimens we may now fee how extenfive antifeptics are; fince, befides falts, fermented fpirits, fpices and acids, commonly known to have this property, many refins, aftringents, and refrigerants, are of the number; and even those plants called anti-acids, and supposed hafteners of putrefaction; of which clafs horfe-radifh is particularly antifeptic. And indeed after thefe trials, I expected to find all diffolvable fubftances endowed with fome degree of this quality; till, upon further experiments, I perceived fome made no refiftance, and others promoted corruption. But before I enter upon that part of my fubject, it will be proper to relate fome other experiments more nearly connected with the preceding.

5. Having feen how much more antifeptic thefe infufions. were then fea-falt, I then tried whether plants would part with this virtue without infufion. For this purpose, having three small and thin flices of the lean of beef, I rubbed one with the powder of the bark, another with fnake-root, and a third with camomile flowers. It was in the heat of fummer, yet, after keeping thefe pieces for feveral days, I found the flesh with the bark but little tainted, and the other two quite fweet. The fubftance of all the three was

Tho' the experiment was only made with ten grains of the powder of this root, yet, confidering how long that quantity refifted putrefaction, we may reckon the Valerian among the ftrongest antifeptics,