Ig2 METHOD O** dBVlAtING THE 



fubmllted to too feyere a fcrutiny ; and no judge can be more 

 rigid or more competent than the very perfon who was the 

 firft to doubt my former experiments. Bat it is neceffary to 

 be obferved by whoever (hall think them worth the trouble of 

 verifying, that even thefe experiments are liable to fail unlefs 

 proper precautions are ufed : that I have never operated upon 

 lefs than one hundred grains ; and that the reCults, which I 

 have ftated, however fimple they may appear, have been th«K 

 conftant labour of fome weeks, ' 



POSTSCRIPT. 



Dr. WoKafton's SInc9 this paper was written Dr. Wollafton has publifiied 

 palladium m ^^j^g experiments upon platina. He has found that palladium 



crude platina . ... V, . • *^ 



proves nothing} IS contained in yery fmall quantities in crude platina. This fact 

 and it may have vvas mentioned to me more than a year ago by Dr. Wollafton. 



been the produdl _ , , , - ,. • • . x « i. i 



of the amalga- ^ "^ve not yet leen a copy ot his paper j but I [hall merely 

 mating process, obferve here that, whatever be the quantity of palladium found 

 in a natural (late, no conclufion can be drawn as to its being 

 fimple or compound. Nothing is more probable than that 

 nature may have formed this alloy, and formed it much better* 

 than we can do. At all events, the amalgamation to which 

 platina is lubmitled before it reaches Europe, is fufficient to 

 account for a fmall portion of palladium. 



VI. 



Method of obviating the Necejfity of Lifting Ships, % Mr. 

 Robert Sefpjngs, of Chathain Yard^, 



Great Taving and A He method here to be defcribed of fufpending, inftead of 

 advantage of fuf- lijjjj^^ Oiips, for the purpofe of clearing them from their 



pending inftead /^ Jt \ ^ ^. , ,. i i -i 



of lifting ftijps. blocks ; affords a very great lavmg to the public ; and abridges 

 two-thirds of the time formerly ufed in this operation. From 

 the faving of time another very important advantage is deriv- 

 ed, namely, that of enabling large (hips to be docked, fuf- 

 pended, and undocked, the fame fpring tides. "Without 

 enumerating the inconveniencies arifing, and, perhaps*, in- 

 juries, which thips are liable to fuftain, from the former 



* From the Tranfaftions of the Society of Arts, who voted him 

 the gold medal, 1804. 



praftice 



