A Way of Preserving Ice and Snow by Chaffe

the Kitchin, would, as often as she was bid to bring her Salt, or could else come at it, fill her Pockets therewith, and eat it, as other children doe Sugar: whence she was so dried up, and grown so stiff, that she could not stirre her limbs, and was thereby starved to death. That Learned and Observing Doctor John Beal, upon the perusal of the aforementioned Numb, 6. was pleased to communicate this Note To your Observation of Milk in Veines, I can add a Phenomenon of some resemblance to it, which I received above 20. years agoe from Thomas Day, an Apothecary in Cambridge; vid. That himself let a man blood in the arme, by order of Doctor Eade, a Physitian there. The mans blood was white as Milk, as it run out of his arme, it had a little dilute redness, but immediately, as it fell into the Vessel, it was presently white; and it continued like drops of Milk on the pavement, where ever it fell. The conjecture which the said Physician had of the cause of this appearance, was, that the Patient had much fed on Fish; affirming withall, that he had soon been a Leper, if not prevented by Physick. A way of preserving Ice and Snow by Chaffe. The Ingenious Mr. William Ball did communicate the relation hereof, as he had received it from his Brother, now residing at Livorre, as follows: The Snow, or Ice-houses are here commonly built on the side of a steep hill, being only a deep hole in the ground, by which meanes, they easily make a passage out from the bottom of it, to carry away all the water, which, if it should remain stagnating therein, would melt the Ice and Snow: but they thatch it with straw, in the shape of a Saucepan-cover, that the rain may not come at it. The sides (supposing it dry) they line not with any thing, as is done in St. James's Park, by reason of the moistness of the ground. This Pit they fill full of Snow or Ice (taking care that the Ice be made of the purest water, because they put it into their wine) overspreading first the bottom very well with chaffe; by which I mean not any part of the straw, but what remains upon the winnowing of the Corns; and I think, they here use Barley-chaffe. This done, they further, as they put in the Ice, or the Snow, (which latter they ram down,) line it thick by the sides with such Chaffe, and afterwards cover it well with the same; and in half a year's lying so, 'tis found not to want above an eight part of what it weighed, when first put in. When ever they take it out into the Aire, they wrap it in this Chaffe, and it keeps to admiration. The use of it in England would not be so much for cooling of drinks, as 'tis here generally used; but for cooling of fruit, sweet-meats &c. So far this Author. The other usual way both in Italy and other Countries, to conserve Snow and Ice with Straw or Reed, is set down so punctually by Mr. Boyle in his Experimental History of Cold, pag. 408. 409. that nothing is to be added. It seems Pliny could not pass by these Conservatories, and the cooling of drinks with Ice, without passing this severe, though elegant and witty, Animadversion upon them: Hi Nives, illi glaciem potant, pandique montium in voluptatem gulae vertunt: Servatur algor estibus, excogitaturque ut alienis mensibus nix algeat, lib. 19. cap. 4. But the Epigrammatist sports with it thus: Non potare nivem, sed aquam potare rigentem De nive, commenta est ingeniosa sitis. Martial, 14. Ep. 117. Directions for Sea-men, bound for far Voyages. It being the Design of the R. Society, for the better attaining the End of their Institution, to study Nature rather than Books, and from the Observations, made of the Phænomena and Effects she presents, to compose such a Hist-