GERMINATION OF SEEITS. 215 



through the channel of your widely circulated Journal to 

 the eyes of the philosophic world; and if they shall he 

 found of sufficient consequence to clear up ariy doubt, c-r 

 induce one single effort in others toward explaining the 

 matters to be treated of; my end will be entirely answered, 

 and my trouble rewarded. They have been undertaken 

 and preserved, amidst many interruptions and discourage^ 

 ments ; and if they shall be found not to have all the regu- 

 larity and accuracy to be desired, I trust they will yet have? 

 some claim to attention, if not from their originality, at 

 least from the persevering and disinterested industry, which 

 gave rise to them, and brought them to a conclusion, the 

 striving as much as possible to corroborate each experiment 

 by repetition, and the avoiding to make any deductions but 

 such as are fully warranted by facts only. 



Since the time of Dr. Priestley, the generally received General op!* 

 opinion has been, that in respiration the oxigen gas of the p^lon de- 

 atmospheric air is absorbed, and carbonic acid gas given out; strofs oxigen, 

 and that in vegetation plants are constantly absorbing the SLJJJJf'^S 

 carbonic acid gas as their natural food, and emitting oxigen 

 gas, tending to restore the air to its original purity; in this 

 manner keeping up a regular series of compositions and de- 

 compositions, beautiful from their apparent simplicity, and 

 the more deserving of admiration from seeming to harmo- 

 nize with what was known of the great system of the uni- 

 verse. 



No fundamental opposition appears to have been success- JSjL, i£pi2L 

 fully made to this doctrine, till about two years ago; when 

 a work on the subject was published, in which the respect* 

 able and learned author* brought together in a small com* 

 pass almost all the experiments that had been performed, 

 and added a few of his own, for the express purpose of an> 

 nouncing and endeavouring to demonstrate the following 

 theory : *« That no air enters the plant or animal during its N . - 



" appropriate living processes; but that, during the opera- Mr.JSilis. 

 *' tion of their respective functions of germination, vegeta- 

 ** tion, and respiration, solid carbon is emitted as a secre* 



* Mr. D. filiif on Germination* Sec, 



*■ tiws 



