PHYSICAL AND LITERARY. 87 



evinces, that the detention of air in wa- 

 ter muft be owing to fome caufe over- 

 coming the power of gravity. 



As we never find, in a natural (late, wa- 

 ter without a mixture of air, nor air 

 without a mixture of water, do not 

 thefe fa(5ts fairly authorife us to main- 

 tain, that air and water have a mutual 

 tendency to union 5 or, in other w^ords, 

 that there is an elec5live attradlion between 

 them ? Why air is difFufed in water con- 

 trary to the power of gravity, remains to 

 this day a queftion. Heat and gravity 

 fail us here altogether, leaving no caufe 

 that is fo much as plaufible, befides the 

 eledive attradlion mentioned. We have 

 little reafon to doubt of this caufe, when 

 we find timber, cork, earth, fand, and num- 

 berlefs other bodies, go cither to the fur- 

 face of the water or to the bottom, ac- 

 cording to their fpecific gravities. And, 

 if thefe fads evince that water attracts 

 air, and not the other bodies mentioned, 

 the fame reafon evinces, that air alfo muft 

 attracfl water, when we find water fuf- 

 pended in air, and detained in tha.c 



fituation 



