EXPERIMENTS. 223 



was brought into contact with the liquid ; but it 

 was accompanied by a similar explosion. 



A small bottle of pyroligneous acid froze in 

 less than 30 minutes, at a temperature of 57° 

 minus ; as did also the same quantity of 1 part 

 of rectified spirit and 2 of water, 1 part of the 

 same and 1 of water. Leeward Island rum 

 became thick in a few minutes, but did not 

 freeze. 



A mixture of 2 parts pure spirit and 1 water 

 froze into ice in three hours, with a temperature 

 from 65° and 61° minus. Another mixture of 

 4 parts spirit and 1 water became viscid in the 

 same time. 



A bottle of nitric ether having been out all 

 night was thick, and the bubbles of air rose slowly 

 and with difficulty; the mean temperature at 

 6 a.m., January 17th, being 70° minus! 



A surface of 4 inches of mercury, exposed in 

 a common saucer, became solid in two hours, 

 with a temperature of 57° minus. 



On the 4th of February, the temperature was 

 60° minus, and, there being at the same time a 

 fresh breeze, was nearly insupportable. Such, in- 

 deed, was the abstraction of heat, that, with eight 

 large logs of dry wood in the fireplace of a small 

 room, I could not get the thermometer higher 

 than 12° plus. Ink and paint froze. I made 

 an attempt to finish a sketch, by placing the 



