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of which muft have been an enormous and univerfal evaporation, 

 fweeping over the furface of the heated fluid according to the 

 inequality of its diflTifion and the caufes that produced it in va- 

 rious trads. 



The heat thus produced muft have been ftiil farther increafed 

 in confequence of an event which naturally refulted from the 

 degree at firft excited. For in confequence of the evaporation the 

 quantity of the chaotic fluid (the univerfal menftruum}, as alfo 

 its fpecific gravity, were diminished, and thus the fubftances con- 

 tained in it (of which it was not the moft natural folvent) were 

 ftill more difpofed to precipitation, as ufually happens in fuch 

 oafes ; thus then the ferruginous particles naturally not foluble 

 while in this metallic ftate in any fluid, and of which immenfe 

 quantities exifted, were rapidly and copioufly precipitated ; the 

 aqueous particles intercepted between them muft in that cafe 

 have been decompofed, and an immenfe quantity of inflamma- 

 ble air fet loofe, the heat thus produced increafing with the 

 maffes operaied upon, muft have rifen at laft to incandefcence ; 

 in that circumfiance the oxygen abforbed muft have been in great 

 meafure expelled, and in its nafcent ftafe meeting and uniting 

 with the inflammable air muft have burft into flame. The pro- 

 grefs of fuch high degrees of heat muft have difengaged all the 

 oxygen contained in the contiguous chaotic fluid, which uniting 

 partly with more metallic iron, partly with the fulphurated and 

 partly with the carbonic and bituminous fubftances muft have 



occafioned 



