64 Translfifioii ofRey's Essays. 



greater need of it; and, if fever were to come on to the asth- 

 matic patient (which you wish for his advantage,) and dissipate 

 the matter that closes the vessels of the lungs, would not the 

 same air then sufficiently refresh the sick man, now that the 

 need of it is increased ? Does not the same thing happen if 

 this clearing of the lungs be affected by the diasulphur, which, 

 as you well know, Galen compounds of sulphur, pepper, and 

 mustard-seed in given quantities. Heat then must have 

 thickened the air of the chamber, by driving off the more 

 subtle parts which some proclaim {chante) as so impossible. 

 I already perceive that to elude the force of so many reasons 

 and experiments, I shall be told that the instances I have pro- 

 duced, may indeed be proved in our gross and impure air, but 

 that it would be otherwise in pure air if such can be found in 

 nature : and, certainly I desire nothing better to induce me to 

 cry victory. For what ? do they believe that I imagine the 

 Sieur Brun and the rest, who have found the increase of weight 

 in question, have obtained a purer air by bills of exchange 

 from beyond the confines of nature ? 



(To be continued ) 



Art. VI [I. A further huiuiry into the Nature of the Pro- 

 ducts of thesloto Combustion of Ether. By J. F. Daniel], 

 F.R.S. and M.R.I. 



Shortly after the publication of my first paper* upon the 

 acid discovered by Sir Humphry Davy during his researches 

 into the nature of flame, it was suggested to me by my friend 

 Mr. Richard Phillips, that most of the properties of the salts 

 described by me, as well as the equivalent number of the acid 

 derived from their analysis, agreed very closely with those of 

 the acetic acid. Although I must own that at the time I 

 thought the evidence sufficiently conclusive against their iden- 

 tity, yet with the promise of his assistance I willingly undertook 

 a further series of experiments upon the subject. The results 



* Journal, Vol. VI. p. 318. 



