210 Remarks on Mr. Freud's '^Evening Aimisements." 



Magazine; hut conceiving it highly imprudent to interfere with 

 the labours of others ti!! they had been re^ular/y published, 1 was 

 induced to retrain a w!iile, anxiously waiting the arrival of that 

 period. Nor should 1 address you at present, had 1 not observed 

 (on perusing your last number, page 121,) that I have been anti- 

 icipated by P.Ir Murray in a manner which 1 did not expect. 

 Soon after Sir H. Davy's brilliant discovery (of the curious phaeno- 

 mena presented by platinum and palladium wires in inflammable 

 media) was made known, I was induced to try the effect of the 

 ■first metal in the vapour of oil of wine, v.here it continued " to 

 glow very vividly until the ethereal matter" was "all expended;" 

 when I discovered the "peculiar fixed oil " remaining in the ves- 

 sel. I united it with the alkalies, and satisfied myself that it was 

 a '* peculiar fixed oil" (which indeed I then termed it), by its 

 unctuous feel, and leaving a distinct semitransparent stain on 

 paper after having been heated. I ascertained that it was " highly 

 inflammable," and of less specific gravity than water. 



Mr. M. happening to call on me a few days after, 1 informed 

 him of these experiments and their results ; though I by no means 

 wish to insinuate that he has not repeated them : nor should I 

 have thought it worth while to uotice this, had I not intimated 

 to him (at the time) my intention of communicating them to you; 

 and furthermore, received his entire acquiescence in its propriety. 

 Should you be enabled to find room to insert this in your next 

 number, you will much oblige, sir, 



Your humble servant, 

 London, March 18, 1817. J. FaRLEY. 



P. S. From my experiments I should be inclined to consider 

 oil of wine to be sulphuric ether holding in solution the "pecu- 

 liar fixed oil," and which is most probably formed by an altera- 

 tion in the play of affinities exerted during the latter part of the 

 process for obtaining sulphuric ether. The "peculiar fixed oil" 

 (which is of a light yellow colour) may be obtained by merely 

 evaporating oil of wine with a gentle heat. 



LVI. Remarks on Mr. F REV d's " Evening Amusements." By 

 the Rev. T. Drummond. 



To Mr. TUloch. 



Sin, — "IN Oman is vvise at all hours" is a quaint remark, 

 and I must rely on the appropriateness of its application to 

 apologize for the introduction of it at the commencement of my 

 letter. The valuable annual publication by W. Frend, Esq. has 

 contributed, in no slight degree, to promote a familiar acquaint- 

 ance 



