certain Vegetable Salifiable Bases. 283 



able heat was applied ; the substance then blackened and was 

 evidently decomposed, and upon examining the retort when cool, 

 it was found to contain muriatic acid, but there was no appear- 

 ance of condensed aqueous vapour in any part of it. 



Quinia as has already been stated agrees with cinchonia in af- 

 fording a large quantity of ammonia, when subjected to destruc- 

 tive distillation, and consequently, in containing nitrogen as one 

 of its elements. 



Having as I conceive, satisfactorily established the non- 

 existence of oxygen in cinchonia, I was induced to infer from 

 analogy, that that element would not be found in quinia, and tins 

 opinion seemed justified by the apparent absence of aqueous va- 

 pour in the tubes in which it had been decomposed. But on 

 passing the products of its decomposition through a long glass 

 tube, containing fragments of rock crystal, and heated to 

 bright redness, there appeared some slight traces of aqueous 

 vapour in a portion of the tube cooled for the purpose of its con- 

 densation. 



In the experiments made with a view of determining the ulti- 

 mate components of quinia, there was also always a small loss of 

 weight, which, from the above statement, may be referred to oxy- 

 gen ; but in five experiments very carefully repeated upon that 

 substance, there were slight discrepancies of results, which induce 

 me to give the following as, probably, an approximation only to the 

 correct proportions of its elements. 



Carbon 73.80 



Nitrogen 13.00 



Hydrogen .... 7.65 

 Oxygen 5.55 



100. 



Morphia.— The results of three experiments made with a view 

 to determine the ultimate composition of this substance, agree 

 closely with each other; I have, therefore, no doubt of the accuracy 

 of the following estimate of the relative proportions of its ultimate 

 elements : — 



