Several Experiments about Giving Variety of Tinctures to Water, etc Communicated to the Royal Society by the Right Honourable, Sir Rob. Southwell, V. P. R. S.

VI. Several Experiments about giving Variety of Tinctures to Water, &c. Communicated to the Royal Society by the Right Honourable, Sir Rob. Southwell, V. P. R. S. For Red, Tinctura Rosarum Six Spoonfuls. For a higher Red, Syrupus Florum Punicorum, One Spoonful; either of these to be mixed with Five of ordinary Water. For Violet, One Spoonful of Syrup of Violets to Five Spoonfuls of Water. Then to change the Rose Colour into High Green, Rx Oleum Tartari per deliquium, wash herewith the inside of the Glass, leaving a few Drops at the bottom, and then pour in the said Rose Tincture, and it will change. To make the High Red Black. Dissolve half the Bigness of a Walnut of Sal Armoniack in a Glass of Water, pour all out but Three or Four Drops in the Bottom, if the said Red be put hereinto, it turns as Black as ink. To make the Violet Red. Wash the Glass with the Spirit of Vitriol in manner aforesaid, and pour therein your Violet Water. To make Red Wine Yellow as Sack. Steep in White Wine, Brazil Wood 24 Hours, or else in ordinary Water, till it looketh Red, and pour in the same time into a Glass, washed with Vinegar, it grows presently Yellow. To make this Yellow White. ℞ Styrax Calamita and Benjamin half an Ounce of each, Pulverize it and steep it in Four Ounces of Aqua Vitæ, of which a few Drops will turn the Liquor White. Note, This maketh the Lac Virginis for the common Wash. Washing with clear Water, to make the Hands and Face Black. Beat Galls into very fine Powder, and strew it very Well and roll it up and down into a Towel, then into a Basin of Water, throw some Roman Vitriol, which will soon dissolve, and after the Party hath wash’d therein, it being clear and without smell, as soon as they wipe into the Towel all the Skin grows Black. But in some Days, washing it with Soap, it will come off. To renew the Lustre of Chrystal. Boyl your Chrystal in Fair Water, for a quarter of an Hour, and to a Proportion of Six Quarts of Water, add one Quart of Brandy Wine, letting the same continue to boil half an Hour more; then take it out, and with the same Liquor rub it all over throughout, with a Brush; and then dry it with a clean warm Napkin, kn, rubbing it in every part, and it will regain its former Lustre. To make the Hair grow. Take the Roots of Burdock, or what they call Cuckold-Burs, which stick on the Cloths, of the largest Size in December; Boyl them in French Whitewine Eight Fingers high, till half be consumed: Wash the Head herewith, being warm'd at Night, and it makes the Hair come out, in case the Roots be good. An Other. Make a Lye of the Ashes of Vines, and wash the Head therewith, being Warm. To hinder the Hairs from falling. Put of the said Vine-Ashes, in Red Wine of France, and then filter all, and with that Liquor wash the Head warm. Memorandum, The Powder of Hermodactiles used in the Hair, as common Powder, does the same thing. Pour faire du feu bleu. Faites vous faire des Mesches auprès d'un cordier, qui ne soit pas trop fortement tordues. Fondez du soufre dans un pot à feu de charbons, trempez les mesches dedans trois ou quatre fois selon que vous les aimerez d'avoir grosses. Pour en representer donc une Figure, on l'ebauche sur des planches, puis on y attache en suivant ces traces, les mesches avec des cloux, & les rend un peu rabotées. en les battant avec un marteau, afin que la matière suivante y tienne tant mieux. Cela fait, prenez de l'eau de vie forte, meslez y de la poudre à canon en farine, tant que tout soit en consistance d'une bouill & frottez en lez meches avec un pinieceau, & espardez encor dessus, de la poudre en farine. Ainsi on laisse le tout secher & il sera préparé à l'usage. VII. An Account of a very large Eel, lately caught at Maldon in Essex; with some Considerations about the Generation of Eels, by Mr. Dale. To meet with Accounts and Descriptions of very large Congers or Sea-Eales, is not a thing rare or uncommon, among the Writers of Natural History, and, among the rest, the Learned and most Ingenious Mr. John Ray, my very good Friend and Neighbour, in his Ichthyographia, pag. 11. describes it to be a very large Fish, in these Words, Piscis est longissimus, quatuor vel quinque Cubitorum longitudinem non raro attingens, & formoris humani craisitiem equans. Consonant to which, Aldrovandus Lib. de Pisc. P. 134. saith, Sape in quatuor aut quinque Cubitorum longitudinem excrescit; and for Weight, Salvianus writes, Non majores se vidisse quam triginta librarum: Near to which Weight, Mr. Daniel, an Apothecary of Colchester, lately told me of one (if I mis-remember not) that amounted to 27 or 28 Pounds. But if we may believe what Eudoxus writes, some are of a prodigious Magnitude; for he in