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Notices respecting New Books. 53 
constant flame from explosive mixtures issuing from tubes or 
canals ; but on trying this, even in atmospherical air, it failed. 
<< Conceiving that the failure was owing to the great cooling 
powers of the metallic sides of the canal, it occurred to me to 
try the metallic wire-jlame sieves, and with these I had perfect 
success. 
“{ inclosed a very small lamp in a cylinder made of wire- 
gauze having 6400 apertures in the square inch. I closed all 
apertures except those of the gauze, and introduced the lamp 
burning brightly within the cylinder into a large jar containing 
several quarts of the most explosive mixture of gas from the di- 
stillation of coal and air; the flame of the wick immediately dis- 
appeared, or rather was lost, for the whole of the interior of the 
eylinder became filled with a feeble but steady flame, of a green 
colour, which burnt for! some minutes, till it had entirely de- 
stroyed the explosive power of the atmosphere. 
‘© This result, so satisfactory, immediately led to a number of 
experiments which gave results, if possible, still more satisfac- 
tory. 
“ T introduced the lamp inclosed in the cylinder, at different 
times, into large quantities of various explosive mixtures, some 
containing only one volume of coal-gas to four of air, and others 
containing one of coal gas to 13 of air. In all cases the flame 
was confined to the cylinder, and in all of them it continued till 
the mixture ceased to be explosive. 
‘In mixtures of 13, 12, and 11 parts of air to.one of coal- 
gas, the flame of the taper did not disappear; it became paler, 
however, and blended with the flame of the explosive mixture 
filling the cylinder. As the quantity of the inflammable air di- 
minished, the fame became limited to the wick, and was gra- 
dually extinguished. . When there was as much as one of coal- 
gas to 7 or 8 of air, the flame of the taper was lost at first in 
the flame of the explosive mixture, which was very bright; but 
it appeared as the mixture became less explosive. 
“‘ When the coal-gas was 1 .to 4 or 5, the flame of the wick 
never appeared in any part of the experiment; and the light of the 
flame from the mixture was weaker than in the other experiments. 
‘In taking the wire-cylinder and its lamp out of the explo- 
sive mixture, the flame of the lamp continued to burn in the at- 
mosphere. 
‘In all the experiments the flame of the explosive mixture 
in the cylinder had more or less of a greenish cast, which is pro- 
bably to be attributed to the effect of the brass wire. 
“In one instance, in which a very large wick was burnt in a 
very smal] cylinder, the wire-gauze became red hot opposite to 
the wick at the first moment of the introduction of the cyclinder 
D3 into 
