of them as well Women as Men to work in his Plantations,) whether their Children come Black into the world; he anſwer'd, That they did not, but were brought forth of almoſt the like Reddiſh Colour with our European Children; and having further enquir'd, how long it was before theſe Infants appear'd Black, be reply'd, that 'twas not wont to be many daies. And agreeable to this account I find that, given us in a freſhly publiſh'd French Book written by a Jeſuit, that had good opportunity
of Knowing the Truth of what he Delivers, for being one of the Miſſionaries of his Order into the Southern America upon the Laudable Deſign of Converting Infidels to Chriſtianity, he Baptiz'd ſeveral Infants, which when newly Born, were much of the ſame Colour with European Babes, but within about a Week began to appear of the Hue of their Parents. But more Pregnant is the Teſtimony of our Countrey-man Andrew Battel, who being ſent Priſoner by the Portugalls to Angola, liv'd there, and in the adjoyning Regions, partly as a Priſoner, partly as a Pilot, and partly as a Souldier, near 18. years, and he mentioning the African Kingdom of Longo, peopl'd with Blacks, has this paſſage:[a]12] The Children in this Countrey are Born White, and change their Colour in two dayes to a Perfect Black. As for Example, The Portugalls which dwell in the Kingdome of Longo have ſometimes Children by the Negroe-women, and many times the Fathers are deceived, thinking, when the Child is Born, that it is theirs, and within two dayes it proves the Son or Daughter of a Negroe, which the Portugalls greatly grieve at; And the ſame perſon has elſewhere a Relation, which, if he have made no uſe at all of the
liberty of a Traveller, is very well worth our Notice, ſince this, together with that we have formerly mention'd of Seminal Impreſſions, ſhews a poſſibility, that a Race of Negroes might be begun, though none of the Sons of Adam, for many Precedent Generations were of that Complexion. For I ſee not why it ſhould not be at leaſt as poſſible, that White Parents may ſometimes have Black Children, as that African Negroes ſhould ſometimes have laſtingly White ones, eſpecially ſince concurrent cauſes may eaſily more befriend the Productions of the Former kind, than under the ſcorching Heat of Africa thoſe of the Latter. And I remember on the occaſion of what he delivers, that of the White Raven formerly mention'd, the Poſſeſſor affirm'd to me, that in the Neſt out of which he was taken White, they found with him but one other Young one, and that he was of as Jetty a Black as any common Raven. But let us hear our Author himſelf[a]13]; Here are (ſayes he, ſpeaking of the formerly mention'd Regions) Born in this Countrey White Children, which is very rare among them, for their Parents are Negroes; And when any of them are Born, they are preſented to the King, and are call'd Dondos; theſe are as White as any
White Men. Theſe are the Kings Witches, and are brought up in Witchcraft, and alwayes wait on the King: There is no man that dare meddle with theſe Dondos, if they go to the Market they may take what they lift, for all Men ſtand in awe of them. The King of Longo hath four of them. And yet this Countrey in our Globes is plac'd almoſt in the midſt of the Torrid Zone (four or five Degrees Southward of the Line.) And our Author elſewhere tells us of the Inhabitants, that they are ſo fond of their Blackneſs, that they will not ſuffer any that is not of that Colour (as the Portugalls that come to Trade thither) to be ſo much as Buri'd in their Land, of which he annexes a particular example,[a]14] that may be ſeen in his Voyage preſerv'd by our Induſtrious Countreyman Mr. Purchas. But it is high time for me to diſmiſs Obſervations, and go on with Experiments.
EXPERIMENT XII.
The way, Pyrophilus, of producing Whiteneſs by Chymical Præcipitations is very well worth our obſerving, for thereby Bodyes of very Differing Colours as well as Natures, though diſſolv'd in Several Liquors,
are all brought into Calces or Powders that are White. Thus we find that not only Crabs-eyes, that are of themſelves White, and Pearls that are almoſt ſo, but Coral and Minium that are Red, being diſſolv'd in Spirit of Vinegar, may be uniformly Præcipitated by Oyl of Tartar into White Powders. Thus Silver and Tin ſeparately diſſolv'd in Aqua Fortis, will the one Præcipitate it ſelf, and the other be Præcipitated by common Salt-water into a White Calx, and ſo will Crude Lead and Quickſilver firſt diſſolv'd likewiſe in Aqua Fortis. The like Calx will be afforded as I have try'd by a Solution of that ſhining Mineral Tinglaſs diſſolv'd in Aqua Fortis, and Præcipitated out of it; and divers of theſe Calces may be made at leaſt as Fair and White, if not better Colour'd, if inſtead of Oyl of Tartar they were Præcipitated with Oyl of Vitriol, or with another Liquor I could Name. Nay, that Black Mineral Antimony it ſelf, being reduc'd by and with the Salts that concurr to the Compoſition of common Sublimate, into that Cleer though Unctuous Liquor that Chymiſts commonly call Rectifi'd Butter of Antimony, will by the bare affuſion of ſtore of Fair Water be ſtruck down into that Snow-white Powder, which when the adhering Saltneſs is well waſh'd
off, Chymiſts are pleas'd to call Mercurius Vitæ, though the like Powder may be made of Antimony, without the addition of any Mercury at all. And this Lacteſcence if I may ſo call it, does alſo commonly enſue when Spirit of Wine, being Impregnated with thoſe parts of Gums or other Vegetable Concretions, that are ſuppos'd to abound with Sulphureous Corpuſcles, fair Water is ſuddenly pour'd upon the Tincture or Solution. And I remember that very lately I did, for Tryal ſake, on a Tincture of Benjamin drawn with Spirit of Wine, and brought to be as Red as Blood, pour ſome fair Water, which preſently mingling with the Liquor, immediately turn'd the whole Mixture White. But if ſuch Seeming Milks be ſuffer'd to ſtand unſtirr'd for a convenient while, they are wont to let fall to the bottome a Reſinous Subſtance, which the Spirit of Wine Diluted and Weakned by the Water pour'd into it
, was unable to ſupport any longer. And ſomething of Kin to this change of Colour in Vegetables is that, which Chymiſts are wont to obſerve upon the pouring of Acid Spirits upon the Red Solution of Sulphur, diſſolv'd in an Infuſion of Pot-aſhes, or in ſome other ſharp Lixivium, the Præcipitated Sulphur before it ſubſides, immediately turning the Red Liquor
into a White one. And other Examples might be added of this way of producing Whiteneſs in Bodyes by Præcipitating them out of the Liquors wherein they have been Diſſolv'd; but I think it may be more uſefull to admoniſh you, Pyrophilus, that this obſervation admits of Reſtrictions, and is not ſo Univerſal, as by this time perhaps you have begun to think it; For though moſt Præcipitated Bodyes are White, yet I know ſome that are not; For Gold Diſſolv'd in Aqua Regis, whether you Præcipitate it with Oyl of Tartar, or with Spirit of Sal Armoniack, will not afford a White but a Yellow Calx. Mercury alſo though reduc'd into Sublimate, and Præcipitated with Liquors abounding with Volatile Salts, as the Spirits drawn from Urine, Harts-horn, and other Animal ſubſtances, yet will afford, as we Noted in our firſt Experiment about Whiteneſs and Blackneſs, a White Præcipitate, yet with