Analyfis of the Air. ipy 



the neck of the retort : And which upon 

 raiting the receiver, flowed down into the 

 bottom of the retort, and there made a frefli 

 ebullition, which had ceafed, when all the 

 Mercury was diftilled from the bottom of 

 the retort. When all was cool, I found about 

 two drams of Mercury in the retort, and loft 

 in the whole 43 grains, but there was not 

 the kail moiiture in the receiver. 



Whence it is to be fufpeded that Mr. Boyle 

 and others were deceived by fome unheeded 

 circumftance, when they thought they ob- 

 tained a water from Mercury in the diftilla- 

 tion of it j which he fays he did once, but 

 could not make the like Experiment after- 

 tcrwards fucceed. Boyle Vol. III. p: 4I 6 , 



I remember that about 20 years flnce I 

 was concerned with feveral others, in mak- 

 ing this Experiment at the claboratory in. 

 Trinity College Cambridge, when imagining 

 there would be a very great expanfion , we 

 luted a German earthen retort, to 3 or 4 

 large Alodals, and a capacious receiver 5 as 

 Mr. mifon did in his courfe of Chymiitry 

 Four pounds of Mercury was poured by ifr 

 tic and little into the red hod retort, thro* 

 a tobacco-pipe pu rpo fely affixed to it. The 



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