A 



JOURNAL 



OF 



NATURAL PHILOSOPHY, CHEMISTRY, 



AND 



THE ARTS. 



J U N £, 1805. 



ARTICLE L 



Experiments on the Gafes obtained by the dejinidiive Difiillatioh 

 of Woodr, Peat, Pit-Coaly Oil, Wax, ^c, with a Vieiv to the 

 Theory of their Combuftion, when employed as Sources of 

 artificial Light; aud including Ohfervations on Hydro- 

 Carburets in general, and the 'Carbonic Oxide: By Mr, 

 William Henry. (Conununicated by the Author.) 



JL HE gas obtained by the deftrudive diftillatlon of plt-coal, Procefs of Mf. 

 has become an objed of confiderable intereft and importance, ."^'^"'i ^°\ *^" 



-' ,. ' ' mmata by ga» 



in confequence of its fuccefsful application (by Mr. Murdoch, from coiJ. 



of Soho, near Birmingham*) to the purpofe of affording h'ght. 



•Having conftrucled an Argand's lamp laft winter, with the 



▼iew of effeding the combuftion of the gas on Mr. Murdoch's 



plan, I made previous trials with pure hydrogen gas, with 



carburetled hydrogen obtained by paffing water over ignited 



charcoal, and with the carbonic oxide ; but found that each Neither hidro* 



of them burned with fo trifling a prodi'^ion of light, as to be' 2^" "^i; "^''°"»<^ 



Oxide sive 3nv 



altogether unfit for th6 purpofe of illumination; while the light notable light; 

 evolved by the gas from coal was little, if at all, inferior to ^^'^ '^^^^ e^^ from 



coal is nsarly 

 equal to oU* 

 * See the ftatement of l^lX' M's claim to the difcovery in the 



poflfcript. 



Vol. XI.— June, 18.05. JF thai; 



k 



