Change of Principles of Vegei aides into Bitumen . T 4 7 



the remark of Mr, Pelletier, who says, that <^' the phos- 

 phurct of iron is attracted by the magnet *;" and therefore, 

 although certain bodies may be thus attracted, without 

 being capable of actually becoming permanent magnets, 

 I was desirous to examine what might be the power, in this 

 respect, of phosphuret of iron. 



I therefore prepared a quantity of phosphuret of iron in 

 the direct way, \\z. bv adding' phosphorus, cut into small 

 pieces, to fine iron wire made moderately red-hot in a cru- 

 cible. The usual phsenomena took place, such as the bril- 

 liant white flame, and the rapid melting of the iron, which, 

 when cold, was white, with a striated grain, extremely 

 brittle, hard, and completely converted into a phosphuret. 

 The fragments of this were powerfully attracted by a mag- 

 net ; and, after I had placed two or three of the largest 

 pieces, during a few hours, between magnetical bars, I had 

 the pleasure lo find that these had become powerful mag- 

 nets, which not only attracted or repelled the needle com- 

 pletely round, but were able to take up iron filings, and 

 small pieces, about half an inch in length, of fine harpsi- 

 chord wire ; and, although they have now been removed 

 from the magnetical bars more than three weeks, I cannot 

 discover any^diminution of the power which had thus been 

 communicated to them. 



The three inflammable substances, carbon, sulphur, and 

 phosphorus, v.hich, by their chemical effects on iron, in 

 many respects resemble each other, have now therefore been 

 proved alike to possess the property of enabling iron to re - 

 lain the power of magnetism : but 1 shall consider this more 

 fully in the following section. 



[To be continued.] 



XX TV. Olscrvatiom on the Change of some of the proximate 

 Principles of Fcgatubles Into Bitumen ; witji anahiticul 

 Erpcrhnents on a peculiar Substance tchich is found nil h 

 the Bovtij Coal. By CiiA)a.i-s Hatchett, i:sq. F.R.S. 



[Continued from page 31.] 



§ V. 



Dn.MiLF.r.s, in his remarks on the Bovey coal, (which 

 1 have several times bad occasion to notice in the course of 

 this paper,) stales, thai " amongst the clay, but adhering 



• " r.e |>!ioi()linrt lie k: cM sitirabkc -.i r;ii;iiaiu.'' /!>:)i.il'S <h Chimie,- 

 t^iiTie xiii. nil-. 



K -J to 



