The times., 1897-09-12
ARGENTAURUM.

The transmutauion of silver into gold by
Prof Emmens seems to lie an accomplished
fact. He recently submitted to the mint
about q 900 worth of the metal, W hich he
calls argentauruln silver gold, and ii was
accepted as pure gold. On the first an
noIHceIcent OF tie discovery year ago
Prof. Enmens said he could produce gold
from silver in his laboratory at a clear
profit cf 20 per cent, and that doubtless the
cos. Of production could be much reduced.
Has the production OF gold from other
metals by transmutation ever before been
accomplish ed? Nicholas Flannel, an al.
chemist, horn about 1880. ia France
wrote III his last testament, 1899, q S fol
lows:
1 come now to projection. The first
time | made protection was upon mercury,
pound and half whereof, or tnered bouts,
/ turned into pure silver, better than that
OF the mine, as proved by ASA wing IL my
self and also causing Others 10 eFsay IL Tor
me several times. This was done in the
year 1882, January II, about neon, being
Monday, IN my own house, Ielnelle TINS
wifei only present
Again, following exactly the directions
in my look literally and word by word
I made projection of the redStone on the
Ike quantity, Pernele only being present,
aud ia the same house, which WAS done IN
the same year of our Lord, namely 1882,
April 20. at 3 in the afternoon. This mer-
curry 1 truly transmitted into almost as
much gold, much better, indeed. than
common gold, more soft also, ana more
pliable.
speak it in all truth. l have made il
thIee times with the help Of Pernelle,
who understood il as well a. myself, be-
cause she assisted me in ny operations.
And without doubt If she would have done
IL alone, she would have brought II TO
the same or. full as great perfection as
! was much concerned for a long time
lest PeTuelle, by reason of extreme 10y,
should not hide her felicity, which /
measured bymy and lest she shouldlet
fail some words am ong her relations con-
ceTuiug the great treasure We possessed.
Before the time wherein wrCte this
discourse which was at the latter end
of the year Of our Lord 1913, after the
death Of my faithful companion, whose
loss | cannot but lament all the days Of
myIife, she and had already founded, and
endowed with revenues, four teen b os-
pitfalls, three chapels and seven churches III
the CITY OF Paris, which we built from the
ground, ana enriched with great gifts and
revenues, with many reparatlons in their
church yards. We have also done at BOu-
loEne about S much as We have done at
Paris, not to speak of the charitable acts
which we both did to particularly poor
people, principally TO widows and orphans,
whose names, should l divulge, with the
larEenesso fcharity and the wayand manner
OF doing it, as my reward would then
be only n this world. SO neither could
II be pleasing TO the per TO "hom we
did it.
BE- a VIII. dated November %, 1416,
FIameI bequeathed all his property 10 the
church and the poor. Three years later
he died, aged about eighty-nine years.
In the cemetery or the holy Innocent,
as late as 1742, stood an arch built ly
Flannel In two inches without the arch,
and ca the cemetery side were statues of
St. James and st. John. Below the latter
was the figure of Flannel, himself, reading
a book, with gothic IN. F." TO mark
his name. and upon one Of the pillars of
Lhe crarnel- house were the same initials,
with an inscription that the charneI was
built and given to the church in the year
1899.
The fleure of Flannel, kneeling at the feet
of st. James, and of his wife at the feet Of
81. john. were represented on the door OF
the church of st. Jacques La Bouchere.
And a. the portal of Genevieve Of Arden
was a statue of Flannel, kneeling toward
st. James. with Gothic IN. F. and the
date, 1902.
Lastly, in the street OF the cemetery of
st Nicholas of the Fields there was the
wall of an unfinished hospital, with fig
ures engraven on the stone, ana the Initials
OF Flannel.
oiher alchemists have claimed the like
discovery. W. H. BURR.