22 ABSORPTION OF 



0.34, which was confiderably lefe than I had obferved 

 before. Replacing it in the fame veflel. I found that on 

 the 30th of Nov. it was 0.27; Dec. 2d it was 0.22; 

 Jan. I ft it was o. 1 1 ; Feb. 1 2th it was 0.09 ; Feb. 24th 

 it was 0.06, and on April 3d it was completely ab- 

 forbed. 



Obferving this progreflive diminution, I made other 

 mixtures of the fame kind, and occafionally examined 

 them, but I do not think it neceffary to recite more than 

 two more of the refults. 



Equal quantities of common and nitrous air put toge- 

 ther Oft. 5th was on Dec. 2d reduced from 1.25 to 

 0.83; Jan. ift it was o.j2 ; Feb. 21ft 0.31 ; March 

 31ft 0.25; April 3d 0.21 ; May 25th 0.22; July ift 

 0.1 1 ; and on July 24th it was wholly abforbed. Ano- 

 ther mixture of the fame kind made Dec. 1 ith was va- 

 nifhed July ift. 



A mixture of equal quantities of common and inflam- 

 mable air fired together Dec. 13th, and then occupying 

 the fpace of 1.29, was wholly vanillied July 19th. 



That this diminution and abforption depended on the 

 ivatcr by which it was confined, was evident from a 

 mixture of equal parts of common and nitrous air being 

 kept without any change confined by mercury from. 

 Oftober to the April following. 



Being now fully fatisfied that this diminution of air, 

 and its final abforption, was wholly independent of the 

 adlion of nitrous air, I expofed in the fame manner all 

 kinds of air that could be confined by water to the fame 

 influence; and I always found that, in more or lefs time, 

 the whole of any quantity would be wholly abforbed, 

 though a large furface of the water in which the vef- 

 fels containing them were placed was expofed to the 

 common atmofphere, and therefore had an oppor- 

 tunity of faturating itfelf with air, and of a purer kind 



than 



