OCR Text |
Show TH TH TH a Flame, whichis raifed out of various Mate- oufly reverberated from the Clouds to us; but Fortis do not operate upon foft Matter, the dull, heavy, green Colour of thefe Leaves, if there are no Clouds, the Air flows through the open Spaces to our Ears, more freely and evenly ; and it frequently /ightens in fuch Weather without Thunder, becaufe the In- Particles of which are branched, as they do will be very ufeful in adding to the Luftre of thofe which are of a morelively Green, and makea fine Variety. The ftrip’d Sort is preferved by fome who sials, will either laft longer, or be extinguifh’d fooner, according as they are compos’d. : Oil mix’d with Bitumen or Sulphur will flame longer than if mix’d with Nitre. c From what hasbeen faid, it willbe no dif- flammation confifts only offulphureous Partificult Matter to conceive how Thunder is pro- cles; and, on the contrary, it often thunders in cloudy Weather without any Lightning duc’d: For the Experiment fhews, that Flame which throws off the Air with great Violence, appearing vifibly, becaufe it is intercepted by fometimes occafions a great Crack. And it the Clouds. a moderate Heat; there is no need to have Rain generally attends Thunder and Lightning, either at the fame Time orfoonafter; and it frequently rains fafter after a Clap of Thunder: So that Rain feems to be the Effect Recourfe to any thing elfe to explain the of Thunder. being an eafy Matter for heterogeneous Particles to mix in great Quantities in the upper Region of the Air, and to be fet on Fire by Caufe of Thunder. As for the Noife of Thunder, we may be fatisfied by all Experiments, that it cannot be As for Thunderbolts: When it thunders and lightens there fometimes falls a Thunderbolt, This Thunderbolt is a mott rapid Flame, tha’ any otherwife produc’d, than by a fwift and darts out of the Clouds to the Ground, and vehement Explofion of the Air, which is fore’d every Way; and the Motion of it being con- tinued to our Ears, ftrikes the Tympaaa [Drums} of them, and this caufes the Senfation we call Sound. As to the Noifé of Thunder, it is obfervable, that it founds as if it paffed through Arches, and was broken varioufly. The Reafon of it is, becaufe the Flame is kindled among the Clouds, that hang over one another, and the agitated Air flies between them. Thus it may be obferved. that when a Gun is difcharged at a good Diftance, the Inequalities ofthe Ground, do caufe it to found to us with fe- veral repeated broken Reports. It is alfo plain, that the Flame is the Caufe ftrikes through every thing that is in its Way: Andit is obierv’d to have the following peculiar Phenomena. 1. That it oftner ftrikes upon high Places than low; as upon Mountains, Towers, Steeples, Trees, &c. 2. That it fometimes burns Peoples Cloaths, without hurting their Bodies. g. That it fometimes breaks their Bones, and at the fame time does not hurt their Fleth or their Garments. 4. That it has melted or broken a Sword in a Scabbard, without hurting the Scabbard; and on the contrary, has {ometimes burnt the Scabbard all over, and at the fame time done no Harmto the Sword. Fromthefe Confiderations we may conclude, of Thunder, becaufe moft commonly the Flafh is feen before the Crack is heard. ‘There is that a Thunderbolt is an Exhalation, which is not fuch a Diftance indeed between the Firing kindled of a fudden, and is copious enough of the Exhalation and the Concuffion of the to be hurried down tous by Winds. Thunderbolts are moft commonly darted Air, as there is between the feeing of the Flafhand the hearing of the Ibunder. But the aflope, through the Air; and this may be Reafon of it is, that we fee any thing, asit occafioned by the Winds, which feldom or were, in an Inftant: but Sounds are convey’d never blow downright. And it is probable to our Ears by a fucceffive Motion ofthe Air, that the Flame is beaten down by the Wind, and therefore more Time is requir’d to hear than and reaches the Ground before the Matterof it is quite fpent. to fee. Andthis may be the Reafon, that for the By what has been faid before it appears, that Lightning is an inflamed Exbalation, com- moit part they ftrike upon high Places; for pos'd of Sulphur and Nitre, or fome fuch Mat- as they fall obliquely thro’ the Air, they often ter, or a Mixture of several Sorts together. in their Way meet with Mountains, Towers, The Inflammation is fometimes with a Noife, as in cloudy Weather, and fometimes with- out, as in clear; which caufes fome .Variety in it. Sometimes it lightens without Noife, which is when the Exhalation confifts of Matter €c. and the Reafon that the Forceoftheir Flame is very different, is probably from the Difference of the Exhalations which form the Ldwiderbolt, the Bodies from which they are colle€ted being fulphureous, bituminous, oF fa- kindled. If it confifts only of fulphurcous line; and from thence it may be, that 1 fometimes burns Garments at the fame Time that it pafles over the Bodies without doing Particles, which are a fofter Sort, them any Harm. fofter than ordinary, which is not fo foon they are not fo apt to fire all at once, nor give the Air fuch a Concuffion, as fhall caufe us to hear the Noife of it: But if there be many Particles of Nitre and Tartar mingled with the Sulphur, the former being harder, caufe the whole Exhalation to burft at once with fuch Impetuofity as to rend the Air, and to make a valt Noife. _ The Noife of Thunder is more diverfify’d in cloudy Weather, becaufe the Air is vari- Sometimesit penetrates the foft Flefh i lefsly, as to that, and yet breaks the har Bones; as Gold and other Metals are diffoly d by Aqua Regia and Aqua Fortis, and in es mean time the Paper fhall not be hurt DY them. And for the fame Reafon it 1s, that a Sword may be melted in a Scabbard, and M4 the Scabbard remain entire; and fo it WON be if they were both laid together in Agia 4%! Fortis: Becaufe the acute Parts of the Fortts Fett upon harder Bodies, into the Pores of which they infinuate themfelves, and diffolve the Contexture. Again 5 Thunderbolts are more common in Summer and Autumn than they are in Winter and the Spring ; for which, three Reafons may are curious in collecting fuch Varieties, but thereis little Beauty in it. Thefe Trees may be propagated by laying down their tender Branches in the Spring of be given. i 1. That the Cold is fo great in the upper the Year, obferving to flit em at a Joint (as Region of the Air in Winter and Spring, that 1s commonly practis’d for Carnations) as alfo it will not permit the Exhalations to take to water ’em in dry Weather, and keep ’em conftantly clear from Weeds: If thefe Things be duly obferved, the Layers will be rooted Fire. 2. That the Exhalations are fewer in thofe Seafons, becaufe they are kept from afcending by the-Cold 5 for they cannot rife in any Quantity without a confiderable Heat. ‘The Air is fo fill’d with Vapours and Clouds in the Winter and Spring, that all Exhalations are dilated, and therefore are not capable of being inflamed. : Alfo fome Places are more obnoxious to by the Spring following, at which Time they may be taken off, and tran{planted into a Nurfery in Rows three Feet afunder, andthe Plants eighteen Inches Diftance in the Rows; obferving to Jay a little Mulch uponthe Surface of the Ground about their Roots, to prevent the Wind fromdrying it, andin dry Weather they fhould be often refrefh’d with Water, and they are fuch until they have taken Root, after which they as fend forth Plenty of Exhalations for that Purpofe, and where they are not eafily difpers’d by the Winds; and thence in hotter and the Ground dug every Spring between the Rows, that their Roots may extend them- Thunderbolts than others, Countries, where the Sun exhales out of the Farth all that can be exhaled, Thunderbolts are more frequent than they are in Climates that are colder: So that in thofe Places that are encompafs’d with high Mountains, where the Wind has not Accefs to blow fo freely, the Exhalations are kept together, and Thunderbolts are more common; but in fpacious Plains, which are, as it were, {wept by the Winds, thefe Exhalations are fhatter’d and blown about. THURIFEROUS, fignifies bearing or producing Frankincenfe. THUYA, [fo call’d of %, to perfume with Smoak; becaufe this Plant hath a penetrating Smell.) The Arbor Vite, vulgé. The Charaéters are; Leaves are ever-green, fquamous, ana @d, having mall, oblong, Squamous 7: :, growing upon the Backfides, ; 70), ob which in the Seeds are contained. The Species are 5 1. Tuuya; Theophrafti. Arbor Vite, or Tree ofLife. 2. Tuuya; y C.B.P. The { beopbrafti, folio variegato. The ftrip’d Arbor Vite, or Tree of Life. The firft Sort was formerly in greater Efteem than at prefent in the Engli/h Gar- muft be conftantly kept clear from Weeds, felves on every Side. In this Nurfery they may remain five or fix Years, and maythen be tranfplanted where they are to remain for good. The beft Seafon to remove thefe Trees is about the Beginning of April, juft before they fhoot. : Thefe Trees may alfo be propagated by Slips, which fhould be planted on a moiit Soil in April, and if fhaded in very hot, dry Weather, moft of ’em will take Root, after which they muft be treated as hath been directed for the Layers. The Leaves of this Tree being bruifed between the Fingers, emit a ftrong Scent, fomewhat like Ointment; and I have been inform’d, that fome Perfons do make an Ointment thereof, which is efteem’d excellent for frefh Wounds. The Woodofthis Tree is greatly efteem’d by the Turners, for making Bowls, Boxes, &c. But as the Tree is flow of Growth, and feldomarrives to any great Magnitude in this Country, (rarely growing above twenty Feet high), foit is not worth cultivateing for its Timber. THYMELA, [this Plant is fo call’d of Suux, Thyme, and éaaia, an Olive-tree, be- caufe its Leaves are narrow as the Thyme, and thick as thofe of the Olive-iree.| Spurge Laurel, ov Mefereon. The Charaéfers are ; The Flower confifts of one Leaf, is for the dens; it is commonly rais’d in the Nurferies near London, where their Heads are fheered into a conical Figure; but fince that low moft part Funnel-foap’d, and cut into four SegTafte of Gardening, in crowding vaft Quan- ments, from whofe Center rifes the Pointal, which tities of clipp’d Plants into Gardens, is juftly afterwards becomes an oval Lruit which is in is dry, in each exploded, thefe Trees do not mect with fo Jome full of Juice, but in others Seed. is contained one oblong good Reception as formerly: But notwith- of which The Species ares ) itanding this, there may be fome of them 1. ToymMeLa@A; Laurifolia, fempervirens, planted in Gardens to great Advantage, if Mas. they are placedin Wilderneffes, or Clumps of jeu Laureola Tourn. The Spurge, or ever-ereen Trees, where thefe fhouldbe plant- Dwarf Laurel. 2. TuymeL@a; Laurifolia, sempervirens, ed with other Sorts which are nearly of the Theftrip’d Spurge Laurel. fame Growth; and in fuch Plantations the foliis variegatis. 2. THYMELZAS |