Accounts of Boolt. * 143 



earthy Subftance from New South Wales, called Sydneia, or Terra Auflralls. By Charles 

 Hatchett, Efq. F.R.S. (See Philof. Journal, II. 72J.— 7. Abftraa of a Regifter of tha 

 Barometer, Thermometer and Rain, at Lyndon in Rutland, for the year 1796. By Thomas 

 Barker, Efq. — 8. An Account of fome Endeavours to afcertain a Standard of "Weight and 

 Meafure. By.Sir George Shuckburgh Evelyn, Bart. F.R.S. and A.S.— 9. A New Method 

 of computing the Value of a flowly converging Series, of which all the Terms arc affirma- 

 tive. By the Rev. John Hellins, F.R.S. and Vicar of Potter's-Pury in Northamptonfliire. 

 And the Appendix, containing a Meteorological Journal kept at the Apartments of the 

 Royal Society, by Order of the Prefident and Council. 



Count Rumford's Experimental Eflays, Political, Economical, and Philofophlcat. 

 Eflay VII. — Of the Propagation of Heat in Fluids. Part II. — An Account of feveral 

 New Experiments, with occafional Remarks and Obfervations, and Conjectures re- 

 fpe£ting Chemical Affinity and Solution, and the Mechanical Principle of Animal Life. 

 Oftavo. 75 pages, with 2 plates. Cadell and Davies. Price is. 6d. 



This fecond part accompanies a new edition of the firft. The philofophical world will 

 not need any general remark on the interefling nature of the fubject, nor the manner in 

 which the great author has treated it. For the prefent, I copy the abridgment of its Con- 

 tents, and fliall fpeedily give a fuller account. 



Chap. I. Account of a circumftance of a private nature, by which the author has beea. 

 induced to add this and the following chapters to the fecond edition of this Eflay. — Expe- 

 rimental Inveftigation of the fubje£l: continued. — Oil found by experiment to be a Non:- 

 conductor of heat. — Mercury is likewife a Non-condu£tor. — Probability that all Fluids are 

 Non-condu6tors, and that this property is eflential to fluidity. — ^The knowledge of that 

 fa£l may be of great ufe in enabling us to form more jufl: ideas with regard to the nature 

 of thofe mechanical operations which take place in chemical folutions and combinations ; 

 in the procefs of vegetation ; and in the various changes efreded by the powers of life in 

 the animal economy. — Rapidity of Solution no proof of the exiftence of an attradlion of 

 affinity.— Strata of frefli water and of fait water may be made to repofe on each other in 

 aftual contafl:, without mixing. — Probability that the water at the bottom of frefli lakes, 

 that are very deep, may be a£lually fait - - - - page 311 



Chap. II. Water made to congeal at its under furface — Obfervation refpeding the 

 formation of ice at the bottoms of rivers. — Reafons for concluding that heat can never be 

 equally diftributed in any fluid. — Perpetual motions occafioned in fluids by the unequal', 

 diftribution of heat. — An inconceivably rapid fucceffion of colliiions among the integrant 

 particles of fluids is occafioned by the internal motions into which fluids are thrown in the 

 propagation of heat. — An attempt to eftimate the number of thofe colliGons which take 

 place in a given time. — Thefe invelligations will greatly change our ideas refpetling the 

 real ftate of fluids apparently at reft. Fluidity may be called the life of inanimate bodies. 

 — -Conjeftures refpedling the vital principle in living animals ; and the nature' of phyfical 

 ftimulation - - - - . pagg 332 



Chap. 3. Probability that intenfe heat frequently exifts in the folitary particles of fluids, 

 which neither the feeling nor the fliermometer can deted.— The evaporation of ice during- 



I the 



