264 Some Account of the Life of 



the tubs are filled with oxygenated muriatic acid by intro~ 

 ducing a funnel, which defcends to the bottom of" the tub in 

 order to prevent the difperfion of the gas. The cloth is 

 wound, or the frame- work on which the ikains are fufpended 

 is turned feveral times, until it is judged, by taking out a 

 fmall quantity of the liquor from time to time, and trying it 

 by the acetite of lead, that it is Efficiently exhauiled. The 

 weakened liquor is then drawn off, and may be again em- 

 ployed for a new faturation. 



It is neceiTary to immerfe alternately in oxygenated mu- 

 riatic acid and alkaline leys of from a degree to a degree and 

 a half of the areometer. The number of thefe immerfions. 

 and leys varies according to the nature of the vegetable fub- 

 ftances. Cotton may be bleached by two operations; thread 

 and cotton by three; fine linen by four; and hemp by five 

 or fix. Prefiure alone, or wringing, will be fufficient inftead 

 of rinfing, when the articles are taken from the tub, and 

 before they are fubjecled to the ley ; it is even neceflary that 

 the carbon, generated by the action of the alkali, mould 

 unite with the oxygen of the liquor to form carbonic acid^ 

 which, being afterwards expelled, forms the whole fecret of 

 the art of bleaching. 



[To be continued.] 



XXXVIII. Some Account of the Life of Placidus 

 Fixlmillner, the Aflronomer , 



1 LACTDUS FIXLMILLNER was born on the 28th of 

 May 1 721 at Achleiten, a village in hither Auftria, not far 

 from Kremsmunfter. He received the rudiments of his edu- 

 cation in the convent of Kremsm under, which was indebted 

 to his uncle the abbot, Alexander Fixlmillner, for an ex- 

 cellent fchool and an obfervatory. Placidus conceived an 

 early attachment to the mathematics, and took fo much 

 pleafure in delineating mathematical figures, that his mo- 

 ther ; out of derifion, called him the almanac-maker. Aftetf 

 fome hay at the above feminary he removed to Salzburg, 

 where he completed his cotirfe of philofophy, and obtained 

 in that faculty the degree of doctor. His tafte for the ma- 

 thematics, however, became (fill ftronger. His father having 

 a(ked him one day what prelent he fhould give him, he re- 

 queued Wolf's Epitome of the Mathematics ; which he 

 iiudied with the created pleafure and fatisfaclion during fuch 

 hours as he could I'pare from his other avocations : but, hav- 

 ing deftined himfelf for the convent, he was admitted a no- 

 viciate 



