3605.] Ohfervations refpeSilng Emigration to Americai 



tii 



been moft attentively purified, fiift by 

 fiinple diftillatiun, and again by a lecond 

 diftillaion, aftr the addition of nitrate 

 of filver. At the clofe of tlie experiment 

 it w^s found to become opalefcent in a 

 few feconds by the mixture of nitrate of 

 filvev, snd afterwards to undergo, when 

 ^xpofed to the light, the ufual change of 

 colour, indicating; the prefence of muri- 

 atic aciJ. To alcertain whether iiuuiate 

 of platina were prefent, I added a foiu- 

 tion of muriate of ammonia to one por- 

 tion, and to another carbonate of fcda ; 

 but no precipitation enfued. This, 

 however, might p. (Tibly be owing to the 

 very dilute ftate of the folution i and I 

 was proceeding to reduce the remainder 

 liy evaporation, with the view to further 

 experiments, when the whole was unfortu- 

 nately loit by accident. 



" The repetition of this procefs re- 

 quires the cartful obfervance of one pi e- 

 cauti^n, which is cxtremeiy likely to be 

 overlooked. The wn:er employed muft 

 on no account come info coniad wii|f the 

 finsjeis of the operator j for I wave 

 fjiu.d that from the furface of the Ikin 

 there is a co'iftant and copious excretion 

 of muriate of foda, with perhaps a litde 

 muriate of ammonia. Of this any cue 

 may be f<ti>fic(i by cbferving the change 

 efFeded by nitrate of iilvtr tn pu:e di- 

 ftillcrd water after being p ;urcd on the 

 palm of the htrd ; and if a glafs tube 

 containing diftilhd water be frequently 

 inverted in a cup of the fame by means of 

 the thumb or finger, the water wi;l be 

 found to be precip^ted by n'trate of filver. 

 SiifpecBing that the coiks might have fur- 

 nifh.=d forne muriatic falf, I added nitrate 

 cf fdvcr to portions of pure water in 

 w'.iich c"iks had been kept immeried 

 twrnry-four hours j but inftead of opa- 

 lefcence being produced, the c-lour of tlie 

 liquid pafTed t'nioug'i (uccelnve fhades to 

 that of Port-wine, and the tinging mat- 

 ter rernaincd in folution, inftead of kt- 

 tlir.g to the bottom like muriate of iilver. 

 In future experiments on the fynthefis of 

 iriuriatic acid it wi 1 therefore be expedient 

 to employ an apparatus in whicli the water 

 (hall neitncr come into contaft with the 

 fingers nor with crrks. For tranCmitting 

 the metallic wires, perfora ed g^afs /top- 

 pers, one of wliich has an aperture large 

 tnoiigh to allr>w the water ta elcape as 

 ihe gafes are generated, would anfwer the 

 purpofe fiilTlcienily. It is defirahlc alfo 

 that the water eiiipjnyed fhuuld be well 

 freed fiotn air, and tint the a^mofjihere 

 /liould be rx(''u''ed ; for if muriatic acid 

 be ge>:ii:rated, it will othcrwifc retnain to 



be proved that azote is not one of it9 

 components ; and this prefumption i« 

 even co firmed by the extreme minutenefs 

 of the portion of muriatic acid whicli 

 feemed to be produced in my experiment. 

 If water contain all the elements of tha£ 

 acid, and nothing more be required to 

 cflFeft its tranfmutation than a change of 

 tlieir proportion, we might expect a con-' 

 fiderable and unequivocal produiStion of 

 muriatic acid by the procefi of Galvan- 

 ifm. Another circumftance fuggefting 

 the prelence of azote in this acid is, that 

 on ^amining th» liquor obtained by de- 

 tonating impure hydrogen and oxygen 

 rafes in dole copper veffels, Mr. Keir 

 found that a i'mall quantity of muriatic 

 acid accompanied the nitrous acid thus 

 foimed. — See Keir's Diif ionarv, p. 115, 



" The urec?.utions which I have fug- 

 gifted will mt be thought trivlil bv any- 

 one wiio recoUeiis that one of the moil 

 accurate and celcbr;ited chemifts of this 

 or any other time* was mifled to a belief 

 that he had cfre'iied the fynthefis of muri- 

 atic acid by a circumftance which was nc- 

 glei'<e.i fo'eiy from its apparent infigni/i- 

 cance. The fource of ta'iacy jn thi in- 

 ftance alluded to fnews how unacconn'- 

 ably that acid may find its way into the 

 fubj.-diis of our experiments, ami intro- 

 duce uncertiinsy into their refults. 

 I am, Sir, ynurls, &c. 



" William Henry.". 

 Manchejier, July 23, 1805. 



Tor the Monthly Magazine. 

 0BSERVATioNS(3«(/ CAUTIONS refpe^ing 



EMIGllATlON to AMERICA. 



[Coniinued from Vol, i9,/>.'548, Mo. 130'} 

 E now come to the 3d head, or a 

 cor fideration of the truth of the 

 aflertion which has been made by many 

 writers, that the New World holds out 

 advantages not to be found in the Old 

 one. 



When the Etiropeans firft difcovered the 

 continent <.f North America, their eyes 

 were lahited with an immenfe expanfc of 

 walle encumberfd with trees. Beneath 

 them were itagnanr and foetid fwamps, 

 for want of the h-'.nd and fkill of man to 



♦ Berthollec. The error arofe from the 

 employmRnt of irm-lilings contaminated 

 with muriatic acid, from wliich it required 

 repeated walhing with dillilltd water to free 

 them, and which was even prefent in them 

 when frcih made for the purpofe,— ^/hw/ii ,ie 

 C/.imic, xxxix, 15, 16. 



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