[25 Oct 1710. Afternoon visit to the coffee shop]

In the afternoon we visited some bookshops and intended to wait on a mathematician called Rohly, but we did not find him at home. In the evening we had much conversation at the coffee-house. Herr Karger spoke of the famous Joh. Joachim Becher, who had planned and laid out the waterworks here, being, however, wretchedly paid for it. Generally he was highly respected and had earned a great deal of money; but he had been such a rake that he had died quite poor and his daughter was even now in service as a maid at the house of a schoolmaster in London. When the conversation turned on books and the libraries here, Herr Karger assured us that there were several connoisseurs who collected with so little wit that he had seen with his own eyes how a noble lord, taking a piece of string from his pocket, had measured off a row of books (most of the books in the shops here being tied together in bundles) and bargained for them by the yard or ell, without glancing at their titles or contents. Baron von Nimptsch told us that the author of The True Born Englishman and the RevieuwReview of London had been pilloried because these works were such bitter satires against England. We also heard that Herr Hautsch of Nürnberg could make steel red-hot in his forge. First he forges a piece of good steel a finger thick, square and with pointed end. He lets it get red-hot in the coals and lie there until they have burnt out and become cold. Then he gives rapid blows with the hammer at all the four corners as if he wished to weld it towards the point, and thus it becomes red-hot. But, as I said, the steel must be constantly turned and the blows follow each other with great swiftness. We also learnt the following experiments and pieces of artifice: If one dissolves a grain of phosphori in two ounces of spiritus vini rectificatiff. and lets fall only two drops of this solution into a glass containing a thimbleful of spring water, a brightly gleaming vapour will result, which remains for a long time if the glass is immediately sealed with cucumber. Again, if one takes a ducat or plate of silver and places on it a piece of good glass and allows the ducat or silver to become red-hot over coals, fine plana convexa vitra will be formed. Moreover, if one distils oleum vitrioli and nitrum and mixes this spiritum with oleo caryophyllorum or cinnamomi, a bright flame will result. If no more than a few drops of the olei caryophyllorum are let fall on cotton-wool and it is placed in the distilled solution described above, it will catch fire all the better. To prepare phosphorum so that it may be used without harm and not burn, take an ounce of liquid aloes in a vessel and place this in hot water (this prevents it being set on fire); add to it half a fifth of phosphori, stir energetically and then everything can be smeared with it without danger of burning, and this without lessening the effect of the phosphorus. Again: if one buys pulverised emerald mineral or stone from the apothecary and, mixing or rubbing it with gum, paints or smears anything with it, this will gleam strongly; but it must only be painted on copper or sheet-iron, and a lamp should be held below during the process, so that the metal may be warm. It has an excellent effect, gleaming most elegantly, and it does not wear off. At last Herr Benedetti came and showed us the following handsome gold medals. One, on which was Caesaris Caput velatum with the superscription: Caesar Cos. Ter.; on the reverse: Scrupulum; with the inscription: A Hirtius Pr. (i.e Praetor); this he valued at fifteen guineas. A Caput August laureatum. Inscription: Caesar Augustus Divi F. Pate Patriae. Reverse: Cajus & Lucius cum clypeis. Inscription Princ. Juvent. below C. L. Caesar. Finally Herr Karp showed us yet another rare book entitled: A Centuns of the, names and Scantlings of such inventions as at present &c., by Worcester, London 1663, in duod. In it were described all kinds of excellent inventions and machines invented by this man Worcester. [*]

EDWARD SOMERSET, second Marquis of Worcester (1610-1667), the general, politician and inventor, who was sharply criticized by Robert Hooke.

Baron von Nimptsch protested, moreover that the Duke of Buckingham had in his possession several other sketches of all kinds of machines invented by till above-mentioned author, which he had himself drawn but never published.

[Visit with Hans Sloane]

In the afternoon Herr Campe took us to call on Dr Hans Sloane, who received us with vast politeness; in a very different manner from that coxcomb, Dr Woodward. He immediately addressed us in French, which was most amazing for an Englishman; for they would rather appear dumb than converse with a foreigner in any other language than their own, even if they should be quite capable of doing so. He took us into a room of moderate size, which was quite full. Above are three or four rows of books, while all the lower part is furnished with cabinets and natural curiosities. Not only is a large quantity here, but they are for the most part extraordinarily curious and valuable things. He has here the whole Charleton collection and many objects which Dr Sloane brought from India himself, while he is daily increasing them in England for vast sums of money. He assured us that the Venetian Ambassador had offered him fifteen thousand pounds sterling for this collection, but that he had refused. A great quantity of all manner of animals are to be seen here, some in spiritu vini and others preserved by drying. A prodigious variety of strange fishes, a large collection of ores, lapidibus figuratis, and an especially remarkable collection of lapidibus pretiosis, among them being several of uncommon size and value. He also had a handsome collection of all kinds of insects, which are kept in the same fashion as those we saw at Herr Dandrige's house, except that here, instead of glass, moonstone or Muscovy glass is used, which is much more delicate and light but more costly. Dr Sloane also showed us a cabinet of shells, which, though not at all numerous, consisted entirely of choice specimens. A Cochlea terristris was especially remarkable; not so much for its elegance as for its curious breeding from an egg, such as we had seen in no other collection. Dr Sloane showed us both a whole egg and various shells that were not yet full grown and so were still partly surrounded by the crusta testacea. The shell entirely resembles an egg shell, and, on holding the egg against the light, one could see the concham lying concealed within it. The eggs are not large, being rather smaller than doves' eggs. Another cabinet was full of marinis, among which the collection of corals was especially charming, for they were not only of unusual size but also quality. Not only all kinds of red, black and white corals are to be found here, but also those half white, half red, red inside and white outside, etc. Next we saw a cabinet full of all manner of butterflies; not so handsome as those of Vincent in Amsterdam. Then we saw all kinds of Indian and other strange costumes, weapons, etc. Also a sort of cloth that is said to grow on a tree. Moreover some antlers well-nigh as large as those we saw at Windsor. Dr Sloane showed us further a small cabinet with about four hundred varieties of most handsome agates, of which most were figured. He considered them all to be natural, but this is extremely doubtful. Next a cabinet of all manner of vessels and objets d'art of agate and other costly stones and materials. We also saw a cabinet containing great quantities of Numismatibus ex omni metallo and a tolerable number of cut antique stones, but time was lacking to observe them all with care. Next a remarkable cabinet of all kinds of stuffed animals, especially birds, and also several nests of vastly curious structure. Among other things he pointed out to us the nests that are eaten as a delicacy. It is said that the material is formed in the sea like the succino and used by the birds to build their nests. But, judging from its taste, appearance and feeling, I took it for a gum or resin, though many persons, indeed, consider succinum to be this. After we had seen everything in all the rooms round about, as far as time permitted, Dr Sloane invited us into another room, where we sat down at a table and drank coffee while he showed us all manner of curious books. Namely, various large volumes containing nothing but paintings from life of all sorts of exotic beasts, birds, plants, flowers, shells, etc. A notable one with all kinds of national costumes. These paintings were done by the best artists and collected sheet by sheet from all parts of the world at a phenomenal cost, often by Dr Sloane himself on the long journeys he has taken. The book with excellent illuminations by Mad. Merian of insects and plants was among them, but it was by no means equal to the other. Finally he showed us some manuscripts, but they were for the most part modern and on medical subjects. The best was a description of the West Indian coasts in the Portuguese tongue, accompanied by elegant paintings. It was a pity that we had so few hours to look through this large collection and these handsome articles, since the gentleman had no time on account of his extensive practice. They say that he could earn a guinea an hour. We thought, indeed, that he did us a very great honour by sparing us the time between half past two and seven o'clock. Being a much-travelled man he is vastly amiable, in especial to Germans and such persons as have some knowledge of his treasures. I presented him with a Lohenstein hystero lythibus, such as he had never seen before, and it was especially welcome; on this account he showed us more courtesy than to other persons. We then went to Thomas Smith's, who makes human eyes of coloured glass, with which he provides those who have lost them in war or by any other misfortune. He had a large quantity of them of all manner of colours and sizes. My brother purchased a couple which were exact replicas of his own, to have them used in a wax model of himself. He paid fifteen shillings for them, although the usual price is a guinea. The father of this man's wife is said to be the original inventor of them. When we had reached home we again went across to the Paris coffee-house, both in order to take leave of our good friends, in especial Baron von Nimptsch and Dr Karger, and also to hear the famous smith in Listerfield, called Honnyman, whom we had summoned thither. This smith can change his voice in so many fashions that one could imagine that a whole company were conversing. In especial he can imitate a female answering him from a distance; and this he did so naturally that a stranger who knew nothing about it ran up the stairs to look for the female who was calling for help. When he turns to the fireplace or speaks outside the door, it is all wonderfully natural, though also vastly agreeable to listen to.