Oh the chnjlltiienl Pdrh of Azot, ^3^ 



fpint introduced into it, and that it was carried on with 

 afperity On both fides ; that the contending parties difputed 

 hot for the difcovery of truth, but For viftdry ; and that they 

 were previouily determined to difcover nothing but what 

 their particular theory required. This conduct: prevented 

 them from feeing the object under its real appearance % ex- 

 periments were ttiulliplied ; each party denied thofe of the 

 oppofite party; refults entirely difFererlt were found, and in- 

 ftead of approaching, they receded ftill further from each 

 other. The only thing which interelled me in this difpute 

 was truth. I am firmly perfuaded that the fvftem of Lavoi- 

 fier is agreeable to nature. Having heard of an experiment 

 which I was told overturned this fyftem entirely, I imme- 

 diately faid : Let us repeat and examine it; if the fyftem be 

 falfe, we ought to abandon it as foon as noffible, and not to 

 wait till it abandon us. Let us not be attached to fyftems, 

 but to truth ; and when Nature fpeaks, let us liften to her 

 voice in preference to that of a Stahl or a Lavoifier^ a Def- 

 cartes or a Newton. Whatever may be the refult of GUI' 

 experiments, we ftall profit by them : as we run the rifque 

 of lofing nothing but error, let us haftcn to fubje<3; ourfelves 

 to that lofs. 



Such was the manner in which I reafoned. I had learned 

 from the hiilory of chemiftry, that in all difputes in which 

 two parties obtained contrary refults from fimilar experiments 

 there was a miftake in the mode of expreffion, and that both 

 at bottom were in the right ; and I doubted whether this 

 might not be the cafe in regard to the difpute in queftion. 

 I propofcd, therefore, to refolve the following ppints : 



1. Is the fteam of boiling water converted into azotic p-as 

 by paflTmg through ignited tubes ? 



2. Lender what circumftances does this chanee take place ? 



3. What is the rationale of this produiFlion of azotic gas ? 



4. Arc thefe experiments contrary, or not, to the fyftem of 

 Lavoifier ? 



I will freely confefs, before I enter on this difcuflion, that 

 the manner in which the produ6lion of azotic gas had been 

 explained, by making it pafs from the external air through. 



Vol. VI. " Xx the 



