490 



Obsuvations concerning the 



spUeiic 8ir, 1.000; <jas from oil, 0.943 ; 

 from pif-coal. 0.413 ; from wood, 0.377 ; 

 liyilrogcn from water, by (he process of 

 Cont6, 0.226; and pure hydrogen, 

 O.081. Hence, it appears, that the 

 three sorts of gas drawn from oil, pit- 

 coal, and wood, differ, if not as to num- 

 ber, at least in the respective propor- 

 tions of their constituent principles. In 

 all three, it is hydrogen that dissolves 

 the carbon, reducing it to a gazeous 

 .slate. Pure hydrogen gives less light 

 t!)an wlien in combination with any other 

 co!r.bustil)lc, sulphur excepted. 



Ill the distillation of oil and wood, the 

 difference of process^ consists in the 

 dimensions and number of the vessels 

 that contain tlie combustible, and of the 

 furnaces that are to heat them. Where 

 the vessels arc not wide, the heat is com- 

 niimieated more rapidly. The vessels 

 nre of cast iron, not of one entire piece, 

 •which would be liable to break, but of 

 ditferent plates put together. Coke, as 

 a combustible, is superior to coals. In- 

 stead of one vessel, it is better to have 

 several in t!ie same furnace, especially if 

 Jong, lofty, and very narrow. In pro- 

 portion to tiicir number in the same 

 furnace, and to augi:icnting Iwoof tiieir 

 dimeii.sions, diminishing the third, the 

 greater economy will be obtained in 

 heating the furnaces. 



When the gas is cleaned, and fit for 

 lighting up, it is collected into a recipi- 

 ent called the gazometer. 'J'hcse enor- 

 mous vessels should becyliuilrieal, open 

 at the bottom, and closed at the top; 

 they are plunged into receptacles full of 

 ■water, which in England are above the 

 surface ; but, at the Poissonni^re, are on 

 a level with the ground. 



The weiglit of the gazometer should 

 exercise a constant pre.^sure on the lluid 

 which it contains, so that it may pass 

 on to its destination witli uniform ve- 

 locity. 



The flame of lighted gas is not wholly 

 free from being tuliginous ; that of oil 

 appears to be the darkest. The juoblem 

 of a total combustion has not had a 

 complete solution; and, of all the mate- 

 rial objects connected with the subject, 

 this should be recommended to the 

 observations of the contemplative mind 

 as the most important. 



To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 



SIR, 



THE POSSESSIVE case includes the 

 noun which signifies the conception 

 of a powfwor( whether or not the author, 

 cause, or origin,) of the subject in con- 



Cases oj English Noum, [July f, 



nexiriii ; as — ' A fool's heart and minrt 

 are like a bottomless vessel, — pour tii 

 what precepts of wisdom you |)lease, 

 none will remain there.' — Huartes. 

 'A little pliilosoj)hy inclineth man's 

 mind to atheism, but depth in philoso- 

 phy bringeth metis minds about to reli- 

 gion ; for, while the mind of man lookelh 

 upon second causes scattered, it may 

 sometimes rest in them, and go no fur- 

 ther; but, when it bcl;olds the chain of 

 them coiifcderiite and linked together, 

 it must nred^ fly to Providence and, 

 Deity.'— jBacon. 



This case is merely two nouns in op- 

 position ; hence I have regarded it as an 

 adjective case. The juxtaposition of 

 two nouns intimates that one is the 

 agent or possessor, and the other the 

 subject possessed. But because the 

 speaker's purpose may occasionally re- 

 quire the subject to be mcnlion<"d before 

 the possessor, our language allows the 

 inverted construction requisite and use- 

 ful to mark the latter; as — the wife <rf 

 my friend, the kiiov. ledge ()f a Newtorr, 

 &c. This is always the form when 

 several relations are mentioned, and also 

 when the subject is deemed of greater 

 importance than the possessor; and the 

 prej)osition of is phieed to determine 

 the relation between the nouns, (a child 

 of sorrow, a year of scarcity.) 



In the regular form, the (es)'s is em- 

 ployed to ind irate the connexion of the 

 two nouns ; hence of course, speaking 

 according to the mechanism of language, 

 the one is thereby shown to be adjected 

 to the other. The venerable W^allis 

 seems to have been of this opinion ; for 

 he says, (Grfi. Aur/li, p. 34.) "Ad- 

 jeclivuiii possessivum fit a quovis sub- 

 stanlivo, sive siiiaiilari sive plurali 

 addito s aut cs. Illiid autem innuit 

 quod i)rcposifio nf cum Latinorum 

 genitivo possidtnlis aut etiani eflicienti* 

 respoiidct; iit vtan's nature, the nature 

 of mail, natuia humana vel hominis; 

 mens nature, the nature of 7nen, natura 

 humana vel honiinum." This remark 

 has, indeed, subjected him to the cen- 

 sure of different persons whose minds do 

 not present much depth of thought ou 

 the philosophy of language. 



It may not be always requisite to 

 mention the subject affected by an 

 operative state (William writes [a 

 letter]) ; or the object to which a state 

 is ilirected, or has reference (William 

 w rites a letter [to his parents]) ; or the 

 agent productive of a quiescent state (a 

 letter was written to John [by Wil- 

 liam]) ; or the subject of that quiescent 



slate 



