: 
PHYSICAL ann LITERARY. 209 
y fmoke ; and, after the folution, the liquors 
frequently acquire new qualities which were 
not confpicuous before, either in the folvents 
or in the bodies diffolved: whence it is ge- 
nerally imagined, that, from this ftruggle 
or action and reaction betwixt the bo- 
dies, the particles of the menfiruum are 
broken, their peints blunted, and their fi- 
gures changed, by penetrating into the pores 
of the folid body, by. disjoining and dividing 
the parts very minutely. . But, I fhall en- 
deavour to make it appear, from experi- 
ments, that the active particles, of moft li- 
quors, employed as folvents, are extremely 
tenacious of their figure, bulk and denfity, 
at leaft of the powers and properties which 
depend on thefe, and conftitute the particular 
marks and characters of thefe liquors: that, 
tho’ they have diffolved feyeral different bo- 
dies, have entered into many compofitions, 
and have paft thro’ a great variety of forms ; 
yet, after all, moft of them can be brought 
back to their primitive ftate, and made to 
exert the fame powers which they did at firft, 
and again run thro’ all the fucceffive changes; 
fo that it may be doubtful whether art can 
intirely 
