/)i.~so}TffJ~g ,'t'mbcr (trot (.o] ctL 1"~7

month or two after they are bottled, it will be necessary i.o turn the bottles a little round once or twice in a week, to prevent the fermen- tation that will arise on some fruits from formin~ into a crust, by which proper attention the fruit will be kept moist with the water, and no mould will take place. I t will also be proper to turn the bot- tles a little round, occasionally, afterwards. This ,nanner of preserv- ing fruit will be found particulat'ly useful on shipboard for sea stores, a ( t h e fruit is not likely to be injured by the motion of the ship when the bottles are laid down on their sides, att,l the corks kept ,n.ist by the liquor, but on the contra,'y will kee l) welt even ia hot climat,es.

The following sorts of fruit, as samples, were sent lbv examination, and approved of by the Society of A,'ts, viz. apricots, rhubarb (peeled and cut into square pieces,) gooseberries~ currants, raspbevcies, cher- ries, plums, Orleans plums, egg plums, damsons, Siberian crabs, and green gages. [Ibid.

~Expedilious method of dissoleb~ .,qmber .~ul Coital S i n , - - A f t e r numerous trials I have at length succeeded ia making

a saturated solution of amber and copa[ in spirits of wine and oil of turpentine, without the addition of any foreign substances. I have tried the methods described by Tingry, Varley, &c., but with com- mon turpentine they will not succeed. Tingry 's requires no less a period that six months. The plan I pursue is as follows--take a piece of glass tube about four inchES long, one-half inch in diameter, and one-tenth inch thick; close up one end and then introduce a few sinai[ pieces of amber or copal, and fill the tube about half full of alcohol, specific gravity -790 (I have not tried a weaker spirit;) close now the upper end with the blow-pipe, and hold it, by means of a wire twisted round it, over a clear fire. The spirit will presently disappear, and the tube be filled with a ,lense vapour ; it may then be removed from the fire, when the vapours will be seen to condense all at once into a oolourless fluid, which will turn yellow as it cools. When copal is operated upon it appears quite opaque when the tube is lull of va- pour, but recovers its transparency as it cools. Vtben the tubes are opened there is no escape of elastic fluid, and if the solutions are pour- ed on a plate of warm glass they will flow into beautiful transparent varnishes. The amber will, no doubt, form an excellent varnish for electrical purposes. When oil of turpentine is used, it appears to ex- pand so as nearly to fill the tube; when poured out it was nearly co- lourless, and dried almost as fast as spirit varnish. I need scarcely add, that the hand should be protected by a gh)ve, and the face with a plate of" glass, or a board with a hole in the centre. To make var- nish in the large way, a Papin's digester should be used, and the heat may be regulated by laying the amber, or copal, on the covet': when they melt, the heat may be judged high Enough, as copal applied to the outside of the tube readily melted after it had been removed from the fire some time. G. DAKIN.

VOL. X I I . ~ N o . 2 . ~ A c ( . u s ' r , 1833. 18