fHYSICAL AND ILITERARY. 4| 



In accounting for die prefTure of fluids 

 findeqiiaque, Mufchenbroeck reafons thus ; 

 ^e fuppofes the water in a veiTsl to be 

 compofed of perpendicular columns of 

 fpherical particles, one refting upon 

 another from the furface downwards, 

 and all refting upon the bottom of 

 the vefTel. Thus the bottom of the 

 yeJQTel is prefled downwards with the 

 weight of a column : And, becaufe 

 action and readion n^ufl: be equal, there- 

 fore, fays our author, the bottom of the 

 veffel muft prefs upwards with the fame 

 fprce, i. e, with a force equal to the weight 

 of the column ; whence, fays he, the 

 whole preffure upwards muft necef- 

 farily be equal tq the whole prefTure 

 (downwards.. 



Sq far bur author's argument appears 

 qonclufive, that, admitting the law of ac- 

 tion and readlion, a prefTure und^quaque 

 mufl be the confequence : And as the law 

 is not confined to fluids, but is fuppofed 

 to be an univerfal law of matter ; a pref- 

 fure undequaque muft not only be the con- 

 fequence 



