ATMOSPHERICAL AIR. n 



1.35 meafures, and on the 2d of September, when I per- 

 ceived that the dnninution would proceed no farther, it 

 was 1. 14 which, though confiderable, was far fliort of 

 the diminution produced by an equal bulk of nitrous 

 air. 



Though, in the experiments recited above with the cal- 

 cined bones, and x\\Q JJcc/, neither ot thefe fubftances ap- 

 peared to have loft any weight that I was able to afcer- 

 tain, it does not follow that nothing was emitted from 

 them. For light and heat are almoft univerfally allowed to 

 hcptbjtances, though no perfon has been able to weigh them. 

 Befides the quantity of the materials that I made ufe of 

 might be too fmall for the purpofe. What is moft im- 

 portant in the experiments is that, fince the diminution 

 of the air was effected by heating thole lubftances, and 

 they did not gain any weight in the procefs, the phlo- 

 girtication of air is not the abforption of any part of it by 

 the fubftance which produces that efFedt, as the antiphlo- 

 giftic theory fuppofes. 



NO. II. 



Farther Experiments relating to the Generation of Air 

 from Water ^ by Rev. Dr. J. Priestley. 



Read Feb.TN a late publication, containing an account of 

 19, 1796. J[_ fome experiments relating to the generation of 

 air from ivater^ I mentioned three different procefles in 

 which air was produced from the fame water, without 

 any perceivable limit. 



The firft procefs was converting the whole of a quan- 

 tity of water into fteam, in the common method of boil- 

 B 3 ing ; 



