The works of the highly experienced and famous chymist, John Rudolph Glauber

by Johann Rudolf Glauber

Now if any shall object and say; Thou affirmest that Nitre is to be found in all places of the World, but especially in Wood and Stones; but yet, that there are many places which have neither Wood or Stones, & have only a Marshy Moorish Soil, which brings forth Grass only: By what means can Nitre be there, or in what things, or what places should it be sought for, thinkest thou there?

I answer; I have already, in what hath been said afore, confirmed, that Nitre may be drawn in large quantity even out of Grass; but verily there’s no such need here of so doing, to rob the beasts of their food, and to use the Grass about Nitre-making: For the Cheese and Butter that come from the Grass, will easily yield more than the Nitre that’s made thereof, would; God deals not so unjustly or unwisely with the Creatures as to give his blessings with a liberal hand to one, and take the same away from another: No, no; The Treasure of his Riches is inexhaustible, and he gives his Creatures largely to partake of them; nor doth that axiome (or maxime) which is so very usual in this perverse World, prevail at all with him, viz. The fall of one is the rise of another; but his will is, that all should have their necessaries abundantly supplyed, that every one should have enough, and that every thing should come to perfection. Therefore it is not at all necessary, that Nitre should be extracted out of the Food which the Beasts live on, because it may easily be extracted out of other Subjects which bring not any profit to Man or Beast, and this in great quantity too. For in such plain low Countries and moist watery grounds, where you shall not meet with either Mountains or Vallies, or Stones, or Wood: The most gracious God hath, like a provident and wise housholder provided for the inhabitants, giving them a certain kind of earth inlaid with many Roots and Fibers that grow therein, which the Dutch call Torf, we Turfs, the which they use instead of Woods, to boil with, and about other necessary uses; so that they may easily be without the wood, which is yearly brought them in such vast quantity out of other Countries. Now these same Turfs contain in them the like Essential Salt as Wood does which Nitre is extracted out of.

As concerning Stones, they do not in those places shew themselves to sight (as lying deep) if you except such as are burnt (or Bricks) and which are brought hither to build houses withal, yet God hath bestowed on them a matter sufficiently apt to make Lime withal, so that they may be without, even Stones themselves. The Shell-fishes of all Sorts (serve to this work), and sometimes the raging of the Sea, drives the Fishes shells ashore by heaps, and like little hills, the which being carryed by the Inhabitants into the Cities and Villages, they put them in the Lime-Kilns, and reduce them by a strong fire into good Lime, and that by means of the Turfy fireing we mentioned but now; so that I do not see any reason why, in these Countries that are destitute of Wood and Stones, there should be found less Salt-petre than in others, in which huge quantities both of Wood and Stone are found. Nay, rather I affirm, that there is more there, than is in almost any Country of Europe; for do but compare the price of Turf and Wood, the Wood is dearer, the other cheaper; besides the Wood is harder to press out, and this yields its juice more easily.

So then, from all the foregoing demonstrations I absolutely conclude, that there is not any place in the whole World, wherein great quantities of Salt-petre may not be made.

And if I should say, that there is not to be found in the whole world any places in which Nitre may be easier and plentifullier made than in the low Countries of Germany, as Brabant, Holland, Zealand, Flanders, Frieseland, the Groningen Fields, the County of Emdane, and all those Countries which run as far as the German and Baltick Sea, in this their moorish kind of ground; verily I should not speak untruth, but if need were, I could witness it of a certainty.

But lest my Writings should remain too obscure and unknown to such as are unskilled, and that such may not overmuch torment their Brains by unnecessary Pleadings how this may be effected, I judge it altogether necessary openly to confess the Truth before every one, and say, That Nitre or Salt-petre, were but its true use known, is justly and worthily to be accounted of as the greatest Treasure of the whole world, as being a thing by the help of which, good Health, Honours, and Riches may be purchased; and this we shall confirm in the three following parts. If then that this be granted, then this also will be yielded too, that the Subject-matter out of which it is extracted, is not to be despised, but to be highly valued; and therefore ought Wood and Turf to have their due Honour given them, concerning which, I have by many Arguments affirmed, that the one of them is every where in the upper Germany in great plenty, and the other in the low Countries of Germany, (nor doth these at all come short of the others) and that both may and ought to yield Nitre. Besides, not only the bare Turf is hereto useful, but likewise the hitherto thrown-away ashes, which are every where cast out as unprofitable.

NB. They are not useful in washing, as wood-ashes, with which the Laundresses make Lyes, and being they are not, they are thrown away as good for nought. But yet there is in them a great quantity of a certain salt, which being inverted by Art, passeth into Nitre; therefore through meer ignorance is there cast away, together with those Turfy ashes, a vast quantity of unripe Salt-petre, from whence a mighty profit might redound to those Countries, but being improvidently thrown away, is meerly lost. But yet I would not have any imagine, that the Salt which is made of the Lee of Turf-ashes, is presently Salt-petre; no, for ’tis needful that the subtilty of Art be first thereto used, afore such a Salt be brought to that pass, as to burn like Salt-petre: But yet care is to be taken, that that Art become not common, for then so Noble a thing, and so profitable to our Countries, will be known by Enemies as well as Friends; which to prevent, it must be warily handled, and the principal work here requisite is this, viz. That it may not be published so imprudently, as to render the ungrateful and unworthy partakers of the same, as well as the thankful and worthy ones.

By these things here spoken may every one see and gather, that God is no respecter of Kingdoms and Principalities, and provides for some better than for other some; all Men are His Creatures and Heirs of all His Goods, if so be they be but willing, and do not stubbornly oppose and slight the Divine Grace, and do not wantonly cast it away and neglect it: Concerning which we shall speak more in the following part, touching the Concentration of Minerals.

This we must yet farther add, viz. That common Salt-Nitre is in all Coasts, in all Tracts or Continents, and in all Countries; yea, even in all those places in which there’s neither Wood, nor Stones, nor Leaves, nor Grass, nor Earth, nor any bottom of Earth: As for example; Near Greenland, where the Sea is said to have no bottom, where the Whales are caught, and which do greatly inrich the Merchants with their fat or oil: Did they but know, that the remaining Flesh and Bones were even yet of great use, and knew they but how to turn them into Salt-petre, they would preferr it far before their Fat, for the sake of which, so much labour and trouble is undertaken; for in the flesh of one Whale only (which as it is, is not at all profitable to any man) I dare say, that there may be found 20, 30, 40, 50, yea, sometimes 100 Centenaries, or hundreds weight of Salt-petre. And so likewise the Intrails of the dried Stock-fish that are caught in Island and Norway, should I affirm, that they would even almost excel the Fish it self in value, I should not be deceived. I find no difficulty that might hinder me from affirming this to be agreeable to the Truth.

Do not the Salt-petre-men preferr the Nitrous Earth that’s found in old burying places (if they can have it) far beyond other Nitrous Earths? And this among others, that most excellent Examiner of Metals, Lazarus Ercker, in his Book of examining of Metals, affirms, and gives this Earth the chiefest place. Nor is it to be wondered at, that of late in Poland, towards Muscovy, where formerly great Battels have been, and many thousands of men slain, and by reason of the multitude of them, have (after the Battel) been thrown into deep Caverns of Mountains for the easier burying them) there hath been a great quantity of Salt-petre extracted out of the Earth. Were there not gain and profit to be gotten, those men that are imployed in the extracting and boiling it, would not lay out so much Money on unprofitable Ashes of Carcases.