Among the little remembered writings of that remarkable man H. F. Talbot, there is an optical note in which he describes the behaviour of fused nitre (nitrate of potash) as observed under the polarizing microscope. The experiments are interesting and easily repeated by any one who has access to a suitable instrument, by preference one in which the nicols can be made to revolve together so as to maintain a dark field in the absence of any interposed crystal.

“Put a drop of a solution of nitre on a small plate of glass, and evaporate it to dryness over a spirit-lamp; then invert the glass, and hold it with the salt downwards and in contact with the flame. By this means the nitre may be brought into a state of fusion, and it will spread itself in a thin transparent film over the surface of the glass.

“Removed from the lamp it immediately solidifies, and the film in cooling cracks irregularly. As soon as the glass is cool enough, let it be placed beneath the microscope (the polariness being crossed, and the field of view consequently dark).”

I have found it better to use several drops spread over a part of the glass. And instead of inverting the plate in order to melt the nitre, I prefer to employ the flame from a mouth blow-pipe, caused to play upon the already heated salt. The blow-pipe may also be used to clean the glass in the first instance, after a preliminary heating over the flame to diminish the risk of fracture. Further security is afforded by keeping down the width of the strip, for which half an inch suffices.