126 Remarks on Priestley’s Analysis 
filings sulphur and water, in a large glass bell, con- 
taining atmospherical air confined. by water. The 
mixture and the glass vessel which contained it 
(which was purposely chosen large and with a long 
narrow neck, to prevent the moisture from evapo- 
rating), weighed, together, 1324 grains, troy. When 
the air was diminished thirty cubic inches, the vessel 
containing the mixture was taken away, made per- 
fectly dry and weighed again. It now weighed 
1333% grains, consequently nine and one fourth 
grains more than before the operation, which cor- 
responds exactly enough with the weight of the 
air which was absorbed. 
Dr. Priestley admits (p. 6), that “ iron-filings and 
sulphur, as well as phosphorus, and most of the 
other substances which have been generally used 
for the purpose of phlogisticating atmospherical air, 
do likewise imbibe the dephlogisticated air con- 
tained in it, and thereby gain as much weight as the 
air has lost.” This ‘cannot be reconciled with his 
notion, that something is emitted from the iron- 
filings and sulphur, which has the property of phlo- 
gisticating pure air, unless we take for granted 
that atmospherical air contains more oxygen than 
what, by synthesis, we know that it contains; and 
even then the difficulty will recur, that pure oxyge- 
nous gas exposed to this mixture is wholly absorbed, 
without any residuum of azotic gas. 
Dr. Priestley says, that flowers, and especially 
