Extract of a Letter from Signor Camillo Paderni, to Dr. Mead, concerning the Antiquities Dug up from the Antient Herculaneum, Dated from Naples, Nov. 18, 1752. Translated from the Italian

If into a spoonful of common distilled water is dropp'd one drop of oil of tartar per deliquium, and then added ten drops of a strong solution of corrosive sublimate, the mixture will immediately become turbid and brown, and with a few drops of the solution of silver, it will be precipitated, and turn milky. It is a volatile alkali therefore, and not a fixed one, that is contained in this water. The solution of silver will not discover a volatile alkali contained in water, but very plainly a fixed one. A solution of sugar of lead will not discover a small quantity of marine salt or spirit, till we add more. A solution of sublimate will manifest both a volatile and fixed alkali. IX. Extract of a Letter from Signor Camillo Paderni, to Dr. Mead, concerning the Antiquities dug up from the antient Herculaneum, dated from Naples, Nov. 18, 1752. Translated from the Italian. Read Feb. 8, 1753. THE things, of which I have the charge, are many, and extraordinary; consisting of Metals; that is, bronzes, silver and gold of all kinds, of excellent workmanship. Beautiful cameo's and intaglio's. Glass of all sorts. Various Various productions of the earth; such as, grain, beans, figs, dates, nuts, pistachio's, almonds, rice, bread. Colours for painting. Medicines in pills, and other forms, with their marks. A phial of oil. Gold lace, perfectly well preserved, and extremely curious, on account of its being made with maffy gold, spun out, without any silk, or other yarn. Soap, bran, and a variety of other things, which it were tedious here to enumerate; but there will be a relation of the whole published, which I shall immediately send to you; as I hope you have received the book of Monseigneur Bajardi, already sent, altho' of little significance*. It is not a month ago, that there have been found many volumes of papirus, but turn'd to a sort of charcoal, so brittle, that, being touched, it falls readily into ashes. Nevertheless, by his majesty's orders, I have made many trials to open them, but all to no purpose; excepting some words §, which I have picked out intire, where there are divers bits, by which it appears in what manner the whole was written. The form of the characters, made with a very black tincture, that overcomes the darkness of the charcoal, I shall here, to oblige you, imitate --- * The words in the original letter are, "Come spero che avera ricevuto il libro de Mons. Bajardi inviatogli a benche non serva." § I suspect an inaccuracy here in the original, and that he meant, "excepting some bits, which I have pick'd out intire, where there are several words, &c." in two short lines; my fidelity to the king not permitting me to send you any more. N·ALTERIVS·DVLC DEM·CVRIS·CRVDE This is the size and shape of the characters. In this bit there are eight lines. There are other bits with many other words; which are all preserved in order for their publication. There have been found likewise very lately three beautiful statues of marble, and one of them excellent: Six heads of bronze, of which there is one, that gives hopes of finding the statue it belongs to. It is a young Hercules, of a kind of work, that has no fellow in the way of metal, having the hair finished in a surprising manner. Likewise several little figures of metal; a sistrum very neat and well preserved; and there is not a day passes, in which they do not bring to me some curiosities newly found. X A Translation and Explanation of some Articles of the Book intitled, Theorie de la Figure de la Terre; by Mons. Clairaut, of the Royal Academy of Sciences at Paris, and F. R. S. Read Feb. 15, 1753. Mr. Short, in his account of Father Frisius's Disquisitio mathematica in causam physicam figuræ et magnitudinis telluris nostræ, having reported that philosopher's sentiments