17 



The thermometer employed was a standard, constructed at 

 Owens College, No. 3. 



The coating of paraffin surrounding the bulb was some- 

 times kept from one experiment to another, being always 

 carefully dried after the bulb was plunged in melting ice, 

 and sometimes it was removed, but this circumstance did 

 not appear to affect the results. 



It was soon seen that different specimens of paraffin had 

 very different melting points, so that the research was 

 directed to the second question, namely, whether the same 

 specimen retains the same melting point, after being fre- 

 quently melted and solidified. 



The following is a record of the various experiments 

 made : — 

 1872. 

 Feb. 29 Paraffin melted at 45-05. 



^^^* ^ n „ (thermometernot observed). 



» 13 „ „ at 44-90. 



" ^1 J? ,i (thermometer not observed). 



V ^Q „ „ at 44-9. 



^P^*^^ 11 „ „ (thermometer not observed). 



19 



« 26 „ „ at 45-00. 



-^^y 3 „ „ (thermometer not observed). 



" ^^ " " » J? „ 



» 16 „ „ at 45-00. 



» 23 „ „ (thermometer not observed). 



June 1 



" " '? » 9j 



" ^ >' " '» „ „ 



,y 13 „ „ at 44-90. 



The paraffin was melted without an observation of the 

 thermometer at the following dates — June 19, 27; July 3, 

 19, 25; Aug. 1, 9, 16, 22, 31 ; Sept. 6, 14, 21, 27; Oct. 8, 17! 



Observations with the thermometer were then resumed 

 Avith the following results : 



