48 MEMOIR OF DR. DALTON, AND 



gas must divide its force equally amongst 100 particles 

 of water, as follows : It exerts its immediate force upon 4 

 particles of water; those 4 press upon 9, the 9 upon 16, 

 and so on according to the order of square numbers, till 

 100 particles of water have the force distributed amongst 

 them; and in the same stratum each square of 100, having 

 its incumbent particle of gas, the water below this stratum is 

 uniformly pressed by the gas, and consequently has not its 

 equilibrium disturbed by that pressure." 



" When water has absorbed 1-27 th of its bulk of any gas, 

 the stratum of gas on the surface of the water presses with 

 26-27ths of its force on the water, and with l-27th of its 

 force on the uppermost stratum of gas in the water ; the dis- 

 tance of the two strata of gas must be nearly 27 times the 

 distance of the particles in the incumbent atmosphere, and 

 9 times the distance of the particles in the water. This 

 comparatively great distance of the inner and outer atmos- 

 phere arises from the great repulsive power of the latter, on 

 account of its superior density, or its presenting 9 particles 

 of surface to the other I. When l-64th is absorbed, the 

 distance of the atmospheres becomes 64 times the distance of 

 two particles in the outer, or 16 times that of the inner. 

 The annexed views of perpendicular and horizontal strata of 

 gas in and out of water will sufficiently illustrate these 

 positions." * 



" 7. An equilibrium between the outer and inner atmos- 

 pheres can be established in no other circumstance than that 

 of the distance of the particles of one atmosphere being the 

 same or some multiple of that of the other; and it is probable 

 the multiple cannot be more than 4. For in this case the dis- 

 tance of the inner and outer atmospheres is such as to make 

 the perpendicular force of each particle of the former or those 

 particles of the latter that are immediately subject to its influ- 



• A plate accompanied this. 



