j6 Relation hetiveen the Specific Gravities and 



wood, it at first appeared perfectly luminous: the light 

 however speedily decreased, and in general ceased entirely 

 at the end of from a minute and a half to three minutes : 

 it was seldom renewed by washing the wood with water in 

 atmospheric air. When a fresh piece of wood was intro- 

 duced into this gas, its phosphorescence and the duration 

 of the light were the same as before. 



Experiment XIV. 



I brought muriatic acid gas into contact with phospho- 

 rescent wood, and observed that in the course of from one 

 niinute to a minute and a half its light ceased entirely. This 

 phaenomenon took place several tnnes, as ofteri as a new 

 piece of wood was brought into contact with the gas. It 

 appeared to me, in this experiment, that moist wood sooner 

 became dark than dry wood. The phosphorescence could 

 pot be revived by the usual means. 



Expeiiment XV. 



Rotten wood, placed in ammoniacal gas newly prepared, 

 shone from one and a half to six minutes ; and the decrease 

 of the light was pretty speedy. When I took the wood 

 from the gas, I observed that it had a strong smell of am- 

 monia; and after being washed with water it assumed, in a 

 considerable degree, its luminous property. The moister 

 the wood, the more the phosphorescence decreased; and 

 the gas was absorbed by it in the same proportion. 



Experiment XVI, 



Rotten wood appeared phosphorescent in newly prepared 



muriatic gas a shorter time than in ammoniacal gas ; and 



when the light became extinguished, I was not able to revive 



it. A part of the gas was absorbed by the somewhat moist 



wood. 



[To be continued.] 



IV. Of the general Relation between the Specific Gravities 

 and the Strengths and Values of Spirituous Liquors, and 

 the Circumstances hy which the former are influenced''^. 



§ 1 . jTxll spirituous liquors may, with respect to their 

 strengths, be regarded as compounds of two ingredients, 

 alcohol, or pure spirit of wine, and water; and as differing 



* From Atkins and Coy's Essay on this subject, of which we gave 

 some account in our last volume, 



only 



