424 EXPERIMENTS ON 



They feeni to confift of; 



ill. More or lefs water. - idly. Different proportions of 

 dead animal and vegetable matters. y\nd 3dly. The earthy 

 fubftances compofmg the original foil. 



AnliTials and vegetables, when they have fuffered death, 

 are fubjedt to the laws which govern inanimate matters in 

 general, and they are liable to the various changes produced 

 by chemical mixture and the laws of chemical affinity : they 

 are acted upon by the powerful agents of nature, and thus 

 fuffcr decompofuion and form new combinations. 



All chemifts acknowledge the analyfis of animal and ve- 

 getable fubftances to be iniperfe£t. Lavoifier has paid par- 

 ticular attention to the fubjcft. He performed numerous 

 and accurate experiments to determine their compofition, 

 and notices in a particular manner the refuhs they afford 

 during their putrefadion. According to him, they con- 

 lift chiefly of hydrogen and oxygen, combined with car- 

 bone : thefe fubftances, he fays, are found in all vegetables, 

 and none exift without them. Animal fubftances contain 

 more hydrogen and azote than vegetables do, they alfo have 

 carbone as a conftituent part of their compofition ; fome of 

 both claffes contain fulphur and phofphorus. 



The above are the principles which I fuppofe are liable 

 to be adled upon, and thus produce the effects we are about 

 to confider. 



Before we can underftand the changes to which the above 

 fubftances are liable, we muft take into confideration, that 

 our atmofphere is compofed of the azotic and oxygen gafes, 

 and a fmall portion of carbonic acid gas : many view this 

 laft as adventitious and by no means neceffaiy. 



Heat, moifture, the contadl of atmofpheric air and reft: 

 we know are circumftances attendant on marfliy fituations 

 during the unhealthy feafons. 



A priori y wo. might be induced to believe that the fol- 

 lowing phenornena would take place, under the above 

 circumftances. 



1. That 



