;

ing their Urine, which is commonly a good Omen; for thefe Remedies operate only in Proportion to the Time that the Urine, which is impregnated by them, remains in the Bladder. The Urines of those, who are under the Course of the Remedies, have a very ftrong Smell of a Volatile Ammoniac Salt. Commonly they paffed, from the Beginning, with their Urine, a ropy Matter, and a white Sediment; which, being laid by and dried, is converted into a yellow Powder and this Powder, being depofited on hot Coals, exhales a fœtid animal Smell. Several Patients voided nothing else but fuch a Sediment; others paffed fmall chryftalized Blades; others ftony Scales, convex on one Side, and concave on the other; others Fragments of Stone, which could not be broke between the Fingers, and wherein one might reckon feveral Coats; fome paffed whole Stones, fuch as are fometimes voided after the Nephritic-Colicks; and others, who had been fubject to the frequent voiding of very round and reddish Sands, paffed none of that Kind, while they took the Remedies. Of all these Patients few only had their Urine tinged with Blood.

Such are the general Effects of the Remedies. There happened fome more particular Effects to those who were in fome

particular Circumstances. For Inftance,

H 4

two

two Patients were by thefe Remedies cured of a Swelling in their Legs, which had lafted for a great while; and one of the Children voided Worms.

An effential thing is to be taken Notice of; that not one of the Patients ever loft his Appetite by them, nor were they an Impediment to Digestion, or any other Function of Nature.

They are commonly binding, and fometimes the reverfe; but Experience fhews that the first Effect is to be imputed to the Powders, and the fecond to the Decoction; by Means of this Difcovery, the one may be corrected by the other. "In fhort, fays "Mr. Morant, I may affirm that I never

cr

perceived any Inconveniency arifing from "the Use of them, except to those who "were known to have purulent Urines; "either with the Stone, or without it. In "the former Cafe, the Pains were generally increased by the Remedies."

Our Author gives the Name of Dispute about Words to this much debated Queftion,-Whether thefe Remedies have the Faculty of diffolving the Stone.-No Matter, fays he, whether it be diffolved or not, if they have the Faculty of deterging the Surface of the Stone, of breaking its Contexture and Ligaments, and forwarding the Dif charge of it in fmall Pieces, they are a

good

good Remedy to cure the Stone; and with fuch Lithontripticks ought we to look for Diffolvents. However, he thinks they have the two Faculties; and, to prove it, relates feveral Experiments he has made on Stones taken out of human Bladders; but the Account of these Experiments would draw this Abstract to too great a Length. I may perhaps attempt it another Time. And I put an End to this by one Remark made by our Author, and proved by his Experiments; viz. that Mrs. Stephens's Remedies do not cure Children of the Stone, but at the fame Time he judges they may be of Service to pre

vent it.

ARTICLE VII.

Experiments and Obfervations on the Strength of Timber, by Mr. Buffon.

M making ufeful Difcoveries, concern

R. Buffon, being wholly employed in

ing Trees and Timber, has collected a Series of Experiments, that have enabled him to

form

(a) See Vol. II. Part II. of this Journal, pag. 141.

form a Table of the Strength of Timber, which he intends to publish hereafter; and he has given an Account of the Manner in which he executed his Project.

He chofe in a Wood of his own, one hundred Oaks, found and vigorous, and as near one another as they poffibly could be found, in order to have Timber the Product of the fame Soil; for the Trees of different Countries and different Soils vary also in the Resistance they make. These Oaks were alfo of the fame Kind, that common Kind which brings forth large Acorns one by one, or two by two, on the fame Branch. The fmalleft of them had about two Feet and a half Circumference, and the largest five Feet. This Mr. Buffon did in Compliance to the common Method of Carpenters; for when they want a Piece five or fix Inches fquare, they never chufe to take it out of fo fmall a Tree as one that has but one Foot Circumference, the Waste would be too great, as they could make no Use of the Remainder, and they but too seldom make use of Pieces, where there remains a great deal of the outermoft (b) Ring of the Timber next the Bark; without mention

ing the great Use they make of Joyfts fawed

out of a large Tree, which are extreamly

(b) Called in French, Aubier.

bad,

bad, and the Ufe of them ought to be forbidden. The Sequel of this Memoir will fhew that the round Wood is the only fit for Service.

As the Refiftance of Timber varies in Proportion to its being more or less dry, and that this Degree of drying is not eafily afcertained, because of two Trees cut down at the fame Time, one drieth fooner than the other; to avoid this Inconveniency our Author chofe green Wood. He had his Trees cut down one by one, as he wanted them. The fame Day a Tree was cut down, they carried it to the Place where it was to be broke; the next Day it was fquared by Carpenters, and worked by Joiners, to give it the exact Dimenfions; and the Day after it was put to the Trial.

Here is the Defcription our Author gives of the Machine he made use of for the greatest Number of his Experiments. He got two ftrong Treftles feven Inches fquare, three Feet high, and three feet long, ftrengthened in the Middle by a good Piece of Timber ftanding upright; and on these Trestles the two Ends of the Piece defigned to be broke, were laid.

He had alfo feveral fquare Rings of round Iron. The largest had nine Inches ternal Breadth, and the Iron it was made with was seven or eight Inches in Circumference;

the