t SCIENTIFIC NEWS. <^| 



The (entiuients contained in this letter, are oppolite to the The effay c«i« 

 common notions relative to the nature of vegetation, and fo^^ ^ * 

 manifeft a departure from eftaWiflied opinions may be thought 

 to require an apology. The juftification of my conduct how- 

 ever appears in the body of the efTay. The experiments are 

 related with an attention to circumftances; which will enable 

 alinoft any perfon to repeat them; and Ihould fome philofo- 

 pher undertake to do it, his labours will either eftablifli my 

 opinions, or confirm the contrary doctrine, by the refutation of 

 them. There is one omitlion in the detail of tbefe experi- 

 ments; I have neglefted to remark, that the term azote figni* 

 fies nothing more than common air deprived of oxigen by the 

 fulphuret of potaih or the martial pafte of fulphur, but mor« 

 frequently by the former. The determination of the queflion 

 is of fome moment, not only to natural hiftory, but perhaps to 

 agriculture alfo ; and I could wifli it to be refumed by a philo- 

 fopher, whofe advantages are fuperior to my contra6led powers 

 of obfervation and imperfect apparatus. Should any man •of 

 fcience undertake the talk, I would recommend the fedum acre 

 to his notice; becaufe the filaments which fpring fr>om the 

 ilalk of this plant in common air afford a criterion whereby the 

 progrefs of fimilar fpecimens confined "in azote may be ob- 

 ferved and afcertained, 



JOHN GOUGH. 



'^Middlejhaiv, 

 Oclober 24^, 1804. 



I 



SCIENTIFIC NEWS, ACCOUNT OF BOOKS, 8^c. 

 Frothing of Oil by EkStricity, 



1 HE anonymous author of, fome eledlrical experiments com- 

 ^nunicated to Van Mons the following fact, from whofe Journal 

 I tranflate it. He wa« making an experiment to afcertain tho 

 conducting quality of oil, for which purpofe he had filled one 

 third part of the length of a tube with the oil of Colfa, The 

 lube was three feet long and half an inch in diameter, having 

 its elofed end drawn out; The open extremity was fecnred by 

 • cork, through which a needle was ihruft; and over the cork 



was a coaling of wax. tx) prevent the oil from tranfuding. The 



tube 



