434 Theorems on Musical Temperament. 



The attempts which I have made to bleach the wax have 

 been conducted on a small scale; biu From the experiments 

 related it appears that, alter the colour has been changed by 

 the action of very dilute nitric acid, it may be rendered 

 nearly white bv the usual means. I have not had sufficient 

 time to ascertain whether the wax can be more efiectually 

 bleached by long conliiiucd exposure, nor have I had an 

 opportunity of submitting it to the processes employed by 

 the bleachers of bees wax. 



Perhaps the most imi)ortant part of the present inquiry 

 is that which relates to the combustion of the vegetable 

 wax in the form of candles. 



The trials which have been made to ascertain its fitness 

 for this purpose are extremely satisfactory ; and when the 

 wick is properly proportioned to the size of the candle, the 

 combustion is as perfect and uniform as that of common 

 bees wax. 



The addition of from One-eighth to one-tenth part of 

 tallow is sutHcient to obviate the brittleness of the wax in 

 its pure state, without ijiving it any unpleasant smell, or 

 materially impairing the brilliancy of its flame. A mixture 

 of three parts of the vegetable wax with one part of bees 

 wax also makes verv excellent candles. 



LXXIX. Theorem<i for calculating Ihe Temperaments of suck 

 regular Doiizeaves a? are covivieusurable, or defined by a 

 certain JVumber of equal Parts, into which the Octave is 

 divided. Bjj John Fauey, Sen. 



To Mr. Tilloch. 



Sir, JtlAVlNobeen applied to by a musical friend, to point 

 out the method of calculating the Temperament of the 

 Fifths, in any given coumiensurable system of Musical In- 

 tervals, without relerence to the Memoirs of the Academy of 

 Sciences (a work which niany have not the opportunity of 

 consul tintv) as is done in the 1st, and several others of the 

 Scholia to mv Six JMuiical Theorems in your 36th volume, 

 p. 45 ; I hr-x the favour of you to give a place to thefoilow- 

 Mw Observations and Theorems on Commensurable Systems. 

 It is well known, that merely giving the number oi' equal 

 parts into v/hich the octave is to be divided, is not suffi- 

 cient to define, in all cases, the regular douzeave that re- 

 sults, or system wherein all the Fifths to a given extent are 

 alike tempered 3 the common property of which is, as Dr. 



Smith 



