CORRESPONDENCE ON THE DISSOLUTION OF METAL BODY
To Mr. Metz Magain
Gentleman and friend,
Your invitation to me to fill both the pleasure of your friendship and regret not being able to go near you. There is far from Amboise to Metz. My age makes me sensitive to the hazards of the inn, to the hardships of care. And then I can leave the field in the hands of my people at this time when my absence would be felt. Believe me, I'd rather enjoy your hospitality so nice & tight to continue our conversations as we did three years ago.
Your correspondence shows me that you have well understood the dissolution of the metal body and the construction of the egg. But you ask me why you failed in the onset of the signs, despite the correctness of your operations. Unable to explain it verbally I entrust you with this letter I pray you instantly without waiting to keep secret.
Your agent solvent is devoid of virtue. Although you use it properly, its weakness does not allow him to lead the metallic substance. It dissolves well but do not feed it disbanded.
Remember a few general principles that will help you understand what you have to do.
Ignis & Azoth tibi sufficiunt, Has told. These are the two agents in this animation. All your attention should be focused on the Azoth. If you read Arnauld de Villeneuve you'll be convinced ..
For over half a century that has brought order in chemistry, Lavoisier's gentlemen, Guytton Morveau, balsam, agreed on a precise nomenclature, but gave a bit random names formerly known.
But it is Mr. Lavoisier himself was firmly held in the name of nitrogen that part of the air called skunk, and it cons for these fellows. The name nitrogen was therefore adopted. Mr. Lavoisier's was much more educated in the science of Hermes as did his successors thought. Those who understand both the ideas of chemistry easily distinguished in his writings. The nitrogen in the air, Be sure, is nitrogen philosophers. It is found only in the body that have been living at the time of decomposition, it finally resolved into ammonia. Mr. Boussingault recently did a remarkable analysis demonstrating that mist and dew contain the acid of nitre. It is true that this learned chemist had no other intention than to prove that the plant nitrogen from the air and rain, without noticing that the benefit derives mineral soil as well. And discovered that its confirmed the Emerald Tablet which teaches us that the Sun and Moon are the father and mother, the wind carries in her womb, and that the earth is its nurse. Astral seed of the sun and the moon dissolves in the dew when it condenses. It behooves us then to put in the ground where it is fed.
Here in detail how you should operate.
You will supply at least two pounds of gypsum rid of foreign soil and stones. You crushed into fragments by 3 ¼ inch lines, but not powder.
It must be calcined at a traffic light in a basin by moving constantly to rid it of its raw water. It turns white, opaque and friable. This is the pure land where you sow the seed of gold soli-lunar.
You will have the layer thickness of two fingers in dishes or bowls glazed earthenware that is not porous. The operation should be done in early spring, taking into account country-specific climate. Each morning, you water the pots with fresh urine to soak the soil slightly white, but without drowning. They should be placed on display in the open. The upper terrace of your house where the windows of your practice of physics, is quite suitable.
Start at the first quarter of the moon, when the sun has set. Go terrines at sunrise. They have received the moonlight, then at the end of the night, the dew is still steeped in the moonlight.
At noon, the sun set the land until the decline of his power to dry the material. If you see the earth dry, give it new moderately urine. Repeat this sequence of operations each night until the last quarter.
Throughout the morning we must leave the earth in mind digest without evaporating it wrongfully, and not as dry in the afternoon.
This takes about 16 days. The remainder of the month, that is to say between the last quarter, new moon, and the first quarter, the moon is not visible at night. You'll spend that time with another kind of operation. The contents of each pot will be heated gently open, heat similar to that of boiling water, stirring constantly with a spatula. Then, one or two hours before the end of the night, exposing the morning dew, and 12:00 to 3:00 is dried in the sun, and so on until the first quarter following.
This cycle of operations will be resumed throughout the summer, from March to October you can make seven or eight similar cycles. Beware of rain and it does not necessarily ruin the material but it will delay much by forcing you to slowly dry out, you lose the benefit of time and exhibits.
Then comes the winter work. You now have the seed of the father, the sun and mother moon, which were laid in the belly of the wind & fell in the Foodland. Gather all your land in a large well-sealed container for 6 weeks at a gentle heat for 40 to 45 degrees of the thermometer of Reaumur. The spirit will set into the body by itself. Ignite then land in a basin in the open, stirring constantly to remove the stinking minds. Employ a fire spared but enough to burn bright. When no longer smoke, proceed with the extraction of salt.
You need to do a good supply of Dew distilled once to get rid of dust, insects and debris that accompany it.
The earth will be washed out with this sweet dew temperature, the solution filtered, evaporated to wrap up warm, crystalline & dried. The residue to wash again that nothing is lost.
This salt is very impure, calcination at the moderate fire blackens. Leaching followed by a second filter paper on Joseph and recrystallization will make it more clear. By repeating this 3 or 4 times after purification you will have a very white salt nitre which darkens further calcination.
This will be the purity of philosophical nitre, as is the purity of the dissolution of the body when you make the second job that you know well, so I could judge from our conversations on the day of our walk along the Moselle .
This alone can give the nitre azoth soli-lunar metal body which has been in private foster leaving the mine. Alone transcend the subtle under the sun and moon which has been impregnated during its making. Ordinary saltpetre which is manufactured in nitrières contains the truth a tiny fraction but to a degree so low that the nose can achieve after him lead the nascent metal.
If you think you will see that in the artificial nitrières are employed rubble from the demolition of old barns, impregnated with the urine of cattle, including nitrogen fed nitrogen from the air to which the plaster is exposed during two or three years before washing. The rain and sun operate at random from the weather, there is very little setting under the astral. While our practice is simply following the nature élaoigne adverse circumstances and take advantage of favorable.
I hope that next year you'll have done a good dissolution of metal in your body helping you to these details.
Something else. The material I have seen in your lab from the Vosges. It is not bad, but its default is to contain many particles of quartz scattered, which makes grinding difficult. The one I use is from Huelgoat in Britain. It's perfect because it occurs as large crystals bright square just outside the contaminated land. After washing it can be ground so finely that we could paint. If you want I'll send you. The character that you will immediately judge the character of this mineral is its weight. Weighed in water, it should lose that 13 percent of its weight if it loses more than it is earthy. It still contains small amounts of silver & gold in the process of growth. These metals are still in the mine in seminal wake up in the bath nitrous sweet if he even hosted & animating. You know the sleight of hand which allows for the dissolution. Do not rush the issue. You understand and apply the valuable lessons of the chapter's Praeludium Prosimetricum Chymica Vanus we talked so long last year. Despite its apparent darkness it contains deep views.
And to confirm you in the clear understanding of your business, ponder the words while looking in the second paragraph of the Memorial, which closes the book, which reads: Nam dum Rex is in sua principia reductus, sulphurque anima sive in solis Promptu, debet per familiarem istum Philosophicum-Spiritum Others amiabiliter Absque strepitu seu adustione in oleum resolv etc..
Let me suggest the following precautions: Exposure of pots containing white clay absorbent preferably be made on the terrace accessible only by your office, which obviate the curiosity or the awkwardness of your home. At this height the dew is less abundant than on the field, but sufficient to impregnate the earth with his mind.
Instead, it would be expedient to collect the amount of pre Dew necessary purification of salt. This collection is tedious but easy & rustic. I noticed that he laid a lot in the little valley where the mill. If you follow the dissolutions and washes the earth with accuracy, you just eight pints of dew at all, without additional strain.
You have time to think about all this by March-April. If any difficulty arises in your mind by then, let me know your uncertainty and try to raise doubts.
I conclude, Sir and Friend, begging you to present my respects to Mrs Magain & assure you of my devotion.
October 2, 1862
A.L. Gerber
Arabic and greek, not for me yet... there is just enough with latin and german for the moment !
