SAL AMMONIAC, the old name of mutate of ammonia, a native salt, composed of ammonia, or volatile alkali, and muriatic acid, was generated in those large inns or caravanseras where the crowd of pilgrims coming from the temple of Jupiter Ammon used to lodge; who, in those parts, travelling upon camels, and those creatures when in Cyrene, a province of Egypt, where that celebrated temple stood, urining in the stables, or (say some) in the parched sands, out of this urine, which is remarkably strong, arose a kind of salt, denominated sometimes (from the temple) Ammoniac, and sometimes (from the country) Cyreniac. Since the cessation of these pilgrimages, no more of this salt is produced there; and, from this deficiency,
Ammonian scieney, some susped there never was any such thing: But this suspicion is removed, by the large quantities of a salt, nearly of the same nature, thrown out by Mount Ettna.
The modern sal ammoniac is entirely fictitious. See CHEMISTRY Index.