PHYSICAL AND LITERARY. 8^ 



The folid anAver to this difHculty 15, 

 That the heat, great or little, which eX'- 

 pands water, muft have the like effect 

 wpon air, fo as to prelerve their fpecific 

 gravities in the ordinary proportion of 

 Soo to one. But the Dodlor dares not 

 make this anfwer ; becaufe it would Ihow 

 his theory to be abfolutely chimerical, 

 I put another queflion, which is, That if, 

 even in winter, water be fo expanded as to 

 be lighter than air, in what feafon of the 

 year is water fo denfe as to.be 800 rimes 

 heavier rhan air? This fa6l the Doctor 

 fets out with as the foundation of his cal- 

 culation ; and is it not flrange, that he 

 fliould lb far forget himfelf as to draw a 

 conclufion flatly contradicSlory to his pre 

 mifes i 



But now, fuppofing water in a ftatc 

 of expanlion to be fairly lodged in the 

 air by the power of gravity, the Dodlor 

 has forgot to fay by what means it is 

 kept there fufpended. He ought to have 

 feen, that, however expanded below, the 

 water mixed with the luperior air mull 

 in a trice be reftored to its ufual . degree 



of 



