OK OXIMCRliTIC ACID. 



The results of all these experimentg then, instead of in* 



The sources 



All the results 



former state- Validating, confirm what I have before stated, 

 menu of fallacy supposed to exist have been found to have no 



effect ; and the more accurately the results have been exia- 

 mined, the more strict has been the coincidence with that 

 statement. In all of them carbonic acid has been found to 

 be formed, and Messrs. Dav)»8 appeared not to have ob- 

 tained it in their experiments, because they did not look for 

 it with sufficient care, or were not sufficiently aware of the 

 fallacies, by which its production might be concealed. 



On the other topics of this discussion I am pleased to 

 find, that it is not necessary for me to enlarge; as, with 

 regard to those of any importance, Mr. J, Davy has in his 

 last communication either attempted no reply to my observa- 

 tions on his former statements, or the reply is in general such, 

 that, with a few remarks, I willingly leave the decision to the 

 judgment of those, who have given attention to the ques- 

 tion. 

 Remark on He still for example professes to maintain, that the pro- 



that^Sr^^"' position "muriatic acid gas is a compound of oximuriatic 

 Davy's state- acid and hidrogen" is not an inference from the fact, that 

 this gas is obtained from the mutual action of these two sub- 

 stances, but is the expression of the fact itself; that because 

 they are the only substances concerned in the experiment, 

 and it is equal in weight to the weight of them employed, 

 " muriatic acid gas is not inferred, but immediately per- 

 ceived to be a compound of oximuriatic gas and hidrogen, 

 and that all the other cases are analogous.'* His brother's 

 views therefore he contends are not hypothetical ; and, if I 

 fail in proving them such, I fail, he adds, altogether. I 

 confess I have felt surprised, that this ground of defeace 

 ever has been assumed, and that Mr. H. Davy should have 

 remarked, that I have mistaken his views in supposing them 

 to be hypothetical, adding, that "he merely stated what he 

 had seen, and what he had found.'* And although Mr. J. 

 Davy might at first have adopted these sentiments, I had 

 hoped, that the observations in my former paper would 

 have convinced him, that this view was a hasty one, that 

 these pretensions were too high, and that the subject might 

 be presented under a very different aspect. If I have failed 



in 



ment is not 

 hypothetical 



