^^ Afi Acc^mit of tbt: 



■ All thfefe experiments concluded hiiti to a complete an nTv 

 fis of nilroti's aind, an acid enly to be decompofed, but diffi^uh 

 to be'e^tticatctt; and which, hott'ever^ is of great importance^ 

 as it" ig a component pan of feltpetre, and at the fame time 

 of gunpowder. 



In the year 17^^, Lavoifier Endeavoured to bring the whale 

 ftL'ries of his e^iperimcnts into fyftematic order, and thence tc^ 

 compofe an element<iry vvork on chemillry. Two editions of 

 this \vovk x\>efe fold bff \n the author's hfetime, and he had 

 begun lb prepare a new and improved one^ in which new 

 hght would have fjeen thrown on the whole fcience of 

 chemiftry. He Iiite^nded alfo to give a eolleclion of all his 

 Ellays in fix voluni'es, but of thefe three only weVe pubHfhed. 



It would be difficult to determine what influence Lavoifier's 

 clifcoveries have had, or may in future have, on the practice 

 of the arts; but, if we confider the entire revolution cffe6tied in 

 that of dyeing by the new chemiftry, we lliall find reafon to 

 entertain. the bell hopes refpefting the reft. Almoft ail the 

 phajYiomcna in this art may now be traced, back to burning 

 and conibuftion, tii has been fufHciently proved by Ber- 

 tiiollet in his important work on dyeing. This art, therefore, 

 ^hich f()i-merly depended on mere pra<^c6, is now founded 

 upon a very firnple and well-grounded theory. 



The art of mining, of affaying and fuling metals, of pre- 

 paring ftecl, of bleaching linen and wax; in a word, almoft 

 all the chemical afts, under the diredion- of the new theory 

 ha'vc been rapidly improved and brought near to perfeftion. 



By applying thefe difcoveri'es to the phsenomena of breath- 

 ing, Lavoifier hasfhown that this vital funftion is areal com- 

 Buftion of carbon and hydrogen, by which carbonic acid and 

 water are produced. The effect of this conibuftion is animal 

 heat, the degree of which he was fo fortunate as to afcertain 

 by calculation, Hii experiments on this fubjc6i: condu<Sled 

 iiiin to means for determining (he remarkable relation which 

 exifts between accelerated refpiration, the circulation of the 

 blood, and perfpiralion, and between the ditferent powers, 

 and the application made of them by nature. He had la- 

 boured^'alfo for a long time on a particular vvork on the fub- 

 ic6t of di^cftion.' 



The 



