146 ACCIDENT FKOM THE DECOMPOSITION OF POTASH. 



shadow, instead of being augmented (as it really appears to 

 be), would be diminished. 



I am very respectfully, 



Your obedient servant, 



RICHARD WINTER. 



It gives me great pleasure to observe, that you have under- 

 taken to publish an Encyclopedia upon a limited scale. It 

 will be peculiarly adapted to the interest of the artizan, the 

 mechanic, the manufacturer, and to the most numerous class 

 of society. 



There is one article which would be useful to your coun- 

 try readers, I mean a Monthly Meteorological Register in- 

 serted in the Journal, of the Barometer, Thermometer, 

 Winds, &c. at London, in order to enable them to compare 

 them with observations made in the country; perhaps this 

 may be inconsistent with your plan, which is generally ap- 

 proved. 



As it is my wish to gratify all my readers, in whatever 

 tends to promote the interests of science, I shall take mea- 

 sures to comply with the request of my correspondent, by 

 inserting, as soon as conveniently can be done, a meteorolo- 

 gical register, from a hand that may be relied on with confi- 

 dence for its accuracy. W. N. 



IX. 



Account of an Accident from the sudden Deflagration of the 

 Base of Potash. In a Letter from a Correspondent. 



SLR, To Mr - NICHOLSON, 



Caution -OlS the late brilliant discoveries by Mr. Davy, of the de- 



ugainst acci- 

 dents in de- 



composition of the fixed alkalis, will probably induce many 

 composing the to repeat his experiments, I take the liberty of suggesting 

 alkahs. to them, through the medium of your Journal, the caution 



of using glasses to defend the eyes during the operation. The 

 flat glasses, commonly called goggles, are best adapted to 

 the purpose. 



For want of this precaution, I yesterday met with an ac- 

 cident, from which I have suffered much pain, and might 

 even have been totally deprived of sight by it. A consider- 

 able 



