26^ Di\ Moll on the [Oct. 



fiiiittiilarly cireumstartcied ; but not so the oxygen and liydrog€n> 

 llhfe formef being negative, and the latter positive,- with respeafet 

 tSC^'all fhfe others. ^'i lo YhJiuiup aiij oiiianoj-jb o:t aldiaaoqrni 

 H^nce^ 6ee thaft iM'^tiini(ei8ub6tia'n<eeB tibtiiit'lmves^QpqMistsaib 

 tendency to be transformed into a certain nuaib^«|tiilDrfa?ri(» 

 compounds ; for in one of them, composed of four elements, thjB[ 

 positively electrical molecules of carbon tend to form cavbui^ipy 

 acid with the oxygen, and the negatively electiicalcarl^ure^fgfli 

 hydrogen with the hydrogen ; whilst a part of the latter may 

 also produce Avater with the oxygen or ammonia with the 

 azote, &c. 



^^'fhe cau^e of the spontaneous decomposition of- of^anfifi^^- 

 stlattces is, therefore, manifestly derived from the ttktliilil^Si 

 dency of their molecules to form binary compounds ;the'efrectli!^ 

 of which tendency are only momentarily suspended, andpf^VMl 

 when circumstances favour it by setting them at liberty, amon^i^^ 

 which a slightly elevated temperature is one of the most eWi^ 

 tual. Then the organic compounds are succeeded, as the Ikst 

 results, by inorganic binaky compounXjs, such as water, carbonic 

 acid, ammonia, &c. Such /is the outline of the theoretical 

 considerations to which I have wished to call the attention ^f 

 chemists. More numerous applications, by multiplying th^ 

 facts on which they are founded, would undoubtedly ha/v;^ 

 increased their interest, but were incompatible with th,^.nai|90W 

 Umits to which 1 am obliged to confine myself. ^ 



Uiw xioidw c-\ / noiJoonoo aidt to iioiJisuanomab b 9vb§ tS^siJ 



b^iijqmoo sd ^jsra xloirlw brifi t^isqBq Jnaaaiq 9d;t oi bsniojcJjjg sd 



yd bsflimi9i9b sjs// ~^^^g^|j£J^JVj]f."oa?iio^ .iMlo i£di dJiw 



bne^,bi£i99 hns o^^fOir) •--'-- f/ !.■ ^tn^rnnyaxs moil soelq/jj 

 An Account of Experiments on the Velocity of Sourii^majifiiiif^ 

 Holla/fd. By Dr. G. Moll, Professor of Natural f»feiki8<lf hy 

 in the University of Utrecht, and Dr. A. Van Beek.fsdjon/ 



^BJwftld fti 1r doiriw ffi idL^dj o:> ^snibioooB ^bnuoalo 



^iii ni bBislnUiuw t)d vi c = a Xo^u/^'j ?<irii isdi zir^SQqB il 

 3mB8 edi l£ ylios/.b W^U:)/'^ jdVbrfio^ jeJ .isunsm gfiiwollo't 



pfis^fie^lils tivihfe^bei^ti iiivfe^ti'^eed atfd^A^iiroifiw^^lsy's^T^I 



fft^drtl^^di'athematicians. Actual e.^perimentS however on tWW 

 velochy, instituted in various countries, and under different 

 circumstances, went tO prove that the celerity of sound, foui"^ 

 by ^Jt^e^iment, is abcyut^dh^-sixth greater thah ^.an'be deduced 

 by theory. 



The celebf&ted t^j^jlc^/^'c^'bunt^df^^^ between 



experiment and th.^^^^il^iisliQ'iwing that '^^ attributed 



♦ Abstracted from the Philo«ophical Transaction! for 1824, Part II. 



