cf Experimental Philofophy. 347 



that it may juftly be deemed a pabulum of 

 plants. Dr. Pricftley's fubfequent experiments, 

 however, were ftill contradictory to mine; And 

 in one of his very friendly letters to me, he 

 thus expreffes himfelf. «* In all thefe cafes, 

 " you will fay, I choak the plants with too 

 ** great a quantity of wbokfome nourifhment : 

 "'And to all yours I fay, you do not give them 

 *' enough of the noxious matter to kill them. 

 ** Thus the amicable controverfy muft reft be- 

 " tween us ; and like all other combatants, we 

 '^ Hi all both fing Te Deum." But I felt little 

 difpofition to exultation on fuch an occafion, 

 and dropt the fubjeft, confcious that though 

 nature is always the fame, we often viev/ her 

 under fallacious appearances. Time, however, 

 and the refearches of foreign philofophers have 

 thrown new lights on this difputed point. 

 And I am informed, by a letter from our com- 

 mon friend, Mr. Vaughan, that Dr. Pricftley 

 now admits the falubrity of fixed air to vege- 

 table life. I fhall copy the paragraph, which 

 contains the account. " Dr. Prieftlcy tells me 

 " of a very valuable book, written by a perfon 

 *' at Geneva, on vegetation -, particularly as to 

 " the influence of light, which he maintains to 

 ** be a phlogifticating procefs, a6ling on the 

 " refinous parts of plants only. He alfo 

 *' affirms, to the fatisfadion of Dr. Prieftley, 

 *^ that not only phlogiflon is the grand pabulum 



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