That Mercury should be found entire and in globules in the Spirit of Nitre, which very easily dissolves that metallic substance, will not be surprizing to those who reflect that, in the present case, the Acid is saturated with Lead, with which it has a greater affinity than with Mercury; as appears by M. Geoffroy's Table of Affinities, where, in the column that hath the Nitrous Acid at top, Lead is placed above Mercury. Agreeably to this, if Lead be presented to a solution of Mercury in Spirit of Nitre, the Lead will be dissolved, and as the dissolution thereof advances the Mercury will precipitate. Hence it appears that, in order to find any Mercury in the spontaneous precipitate of Lead dissolved by the Nitrous Acid, it is necessary that the Acid be entirely saturated with Lead; or else that portion of the Acid which remains unsaturated will dissolve the Mercury. With regard to the white powder that renders the solution milky, and afterwards precipitates, it is nothing but a portion of the Lead, which, not being intimately united with the Acid, falls in part of its own accord. It is a sort of calx of Lead, which being exposed to the fire becomes partly glass, and partly Lead, because it still retains some of its phlogiston. CHAP. VII. _Of_ MERCURY. PROCESS I. _To extract Mercury from its Ore, or to revivify it from Cinabar._ Pulverize the Cinabar from which you would extract the Mercury; with this powder mix an equal part of clean iron filings; put the mixture into a retort of glass or iron, leaving at least one third part thereof empty. Set the retort thus prepared in a sand-bath, so that its body may be quite buried in the sand, and its neck decline considerably downwards: fit on a receiver half filled with water, and let the nose of the retort enter about half an inch into the water. Heat the vessels so as to make the retort moderately red. The Mercury will rise in vapours, which will condense into little drops, and fall into the water in the receiver. When you see that nothing more comes over with this degree of heat, increase it, in order to raise what Mercury may still be left. When all the Mercury is thus brought over, take off the receiver, pour out the water contained in it, and collect the Mercury. _OBSERVATIONS._ Mercury is never mineralized in the bowels of the earth by any thing but Sulphur; with which it forms a compound of a brownish red colour, known by the name of _Cinabar_.