A 



JOURNAL 



OF 



NATURAL PHILOSOPHY, CHEMISTRY, 



AND 



THE ARTS. 



FEBRUARY, 1802. 



ARTICLE L 



On the fuppofed Currents in hot Liquids. By Thomas 

 Thomson, M. D. Letlurer on Chemifiry in Edinburgh. 

 (From the Author.) 



1- HERE is perhaps no fubject of enquiry in Which we are Great difficulty 



more liable to deceive ourfelves than in the inveftigation of °, f 1 ° veftigatins 

 i • . i • r i • i «,, it,. „ ' , _ the internal mo- 



the internal motions ot the paf tides or bodies. As thete par- tions of the par- 

 ticles are individually too minute to come under the cognifance tlc,es °^ todies, 

 of our fenfes, their motions muft of courfe be invifible, and 

 can only be inferred from certain vifible changes which we 

 confider as the confequences, or at lead as the conftant at- 

 tendants of thefe motions. But unfortunately it *feldom hap- 

 pens that the phenomena, from which we draw our inferences, 

 are of fuch a nature.as to entitle us to affirm that they can only 

 originate from one fingle caufe, and from no other. They 

 may be affigned in general to a variety of caufes ; and much 

 patient induftry, with no fmall fhare of addrefs, is neceflary 

 to develope the true, one ; and even all the precautions which 

 We can employ do not always prevent us from falling into 

 error. The phenomenon, which forms the fubject. of this 

 paper, affords a very ftriking illuftration of the great caution 

 with which we ought to draw conclufions, even when the in- 

 ference feems at firft light to follow irrefiilibly from the phe- 

 nomena. 



Vol. I. — February. G Count 



