A Letter, not Long Since Written to the Publisher by an Experienced Person Residing at Amsterdam, Containing a True Description of Nova Zembla, Together with an Intimation of the Advantage of Its Shape and Position

And the Prince of Latin Poets, Virgil, saw amongst his Heroes in his flowry Elysium, the Valiant for their Countrey, the Eloquent, and the Inventors of Arts for humane Accomodations, and those who purchased lasting Honor by real merit: These, he saw there crown'd with Garlands as white as snow: \[ \begin{align*} \text{Heic manus, ob patriam pugnando vulnera passi;} \\ \text{Quique pii Vates, & Phæbo digna locuti;} \\ \text{Inventas aut qui vitam excoluere per Artes,} \\ \text{Quique sui memores alios fecere merendo;} \\ \text{Omnibus his niveâ cinguntur tempora vittâ.} \end{align*} \] Æneid. 6. v. 660. These old Eloges do justly belong to our Noble Friends and worthy Correspondents, who do spend so much of their Lives, and Labors, (and some their Treasures also,) to oblige even the ungrateful, and their yet unborn Posterity. Now I go on cheerfully and with a resolved mind, beginning with A Letter, not long since written to the Publisher by an Experienced person residing at Amsterdam, containing a true Description of Nova Zembla, together with an intimation of the advantage of its shape and position. SIR, Herewith send you what I have received out of Muscovy, which is a New Mapp of Nova Zembla and Weigats, as it hath been discover'd by the express order of the Czar; and drawn by a Painter, called Panclapoeftki, who sent it me from Mosco for a present: By which it appears, That Nova Zembla is not an Island, as hitherto it hath been believed to be; and that the Mare glaciale is not a Sea, but a Sinus or Bay, the waters whereof are sweet. Which is the same with what the Tartars do also assure us, who have tasted those waters in the very midst of the Sinus. The Samojeds as well as the Tartars do unanimously affirm, that passing on the back of Nova Zembla, at a considerable distance from the shore, Navigators may well pass as far as Japan. And 'tis a great fault in the English and Dutch, that seeking to get to Japan on the South-side of Nova Zembla, they have almost always passed the Weigats. The letter O in the great River River Oby marks the place of a Cataract or Fall of Waters. The letter K denotes the conjunction of Zembla with the Continent. The River marked L runs towards China, called Kitaie: which is not everywhere navigable, by reason of the rocks and other inconveniences that obstruct the passing of vessels. Weigats itself is very difficult to pass, because of the great quantity of Ice, continually falling into it out of the river Oby, whereby that straight passage is stopp'd up. The Samajeds go every year a fishing upon the said sweet Sea and that on Nova Zembla's side*. * See the Fig. annexed. A way of extracting a Volatil Salt and Spirit out of Vegetables; intimated in Numb. 100. p. 7002; Experimented, and imparted by the Learned and Intelligent Dr. Daniel Coxe, Fellow of the R. Society. Take, in warm weather, a considerable quantity of the Leaves of any Vegetable, stripp'd or pulled from the greater stalks; lay it on a heap, pressing it pretty close together: They will soon become very hot, especially in the middle, and after a few days resolve into a pappy substance (excepting the outward leaves,) which being made into pellets, and put into a Glass-retort, and distilled, will yield, besides a great quantity of liquor, much thick black Oyl of a balsamick consistence. The liquor being separated from the Oyl, and distilled in a tall Glass-body, a Volatil Spirit sublimes, which, after one, two or three rectifications, becomes perfectly Urinous, not to be distinguish't, by smell or taste, from well-rectified Spirit of Harts-horn, Blood, Urine, or Sal Armoniac. I never made tryal of any Herb, which, thus ordered, did not yield the mentioned substances; although I have examin'd many by this method of procedure; which seem'd very different from each other as well in sensible qualities, as those vulgarly called occult; such as Rue, Sage, both Celondines, Carduus benedictus, Tobacco, stinking Orach, garden Scurvy grass, the lesser Spurge, Baum, Mint, Tanly, Camomil, Monks Rhubarb, several Docks, and even Common Grass, with many others, which it were altogether unnecessary to enumerate; besides Flowers of Elder, Pæony, Cowslips, Clove Gilliflowers, &c. with several sorts