338 On Hypotheses proposed for explaining 



such a power." And he then very sagely concludes, that we have 

 no right to hmit its solvent powers. With respect to the remain- 

 ing substances, he disposes of them in a very laconic manner; 

 thus, " As for oxygen, &c." says he, " for any thing I know, they 

 may have very exalted solvent powers." And for any thing I 

 know, Mr. Murray may possibly, nay probably does, believe this 

 to be quite sufficient to establish his assumption on so firm a basis 

 that it shall cease " to be problematical ;" for he advances no- 

 thing further in its support. Such proof, however, does not ap- 

 pear to require any comment. 



His next assumption is, that there are two immense aerial vo- 

 lumes, loaded with the requisite materials, floating either in or on 

 the atmosphere: one he supposes to be oxvgen, and the other 

 hydrogen. These, he says, " would be differently electrified ; for 

 oxygen with its contained materials, and hydrogen with its ac- 

 companiments, would certainly be so :" but how he arrives at this 

 certainty he does not deign to tell us. Can Mr, Murrav have dis- 

 covered the secret of determining what effects 'two bodies will 

 have upon each other, without knowing the properties of either ? 

 for unless he can do so, it is not very easy to conceive how he 

 could arrive at this certainty ; as neither he nor any one else 

 knows any thing about the properties either of the " oxygen With 

 its contained materials," or yet of the " hydrogen with its ac- 

 companiments." We do indeed know some of the properties of 

 oxygen and hydrogen gas ; but we have every reason to believe 

 that the " contained materials" of the one, and the " accompani- 

 ments" of the other, which Mr. Murray alludes to, would change 

 these properties ; and what that change would be, we have no 

 means of determining; nay, we do not even know that they would 

 continue in a gaseous state. Neither does he inform us how these 

 two immense aerial volumes are collected. He does indeed say 

 that " hvdrogen variously combined is continuallv escaping from 

 all parts of the surface of the globe:" and again, *' the combined 

 hydrogen might in virtue of its great levity, and expanding as it 

 ascended, finally brave the outer circle of the atmosphere and set- 

 tle upon its waves." But here we may be allowed to inquire how 

 Mr. Murray knows that hydrogen thus combined is of such ex- 

 treme levity: — does he draw this conclusion from its combination 

 with sulphur? Waiving this objection at present, let us suppose 

 that the hydrogen and all its accompaniments are mounted as he 

 imagines ; still, however, we are far from being done, our task is 

 not half finished ; for we have yet to obtain the " oxygen with 

 its contained materials," to collect it into one immense volume, 

 and to transport it to the outer circle of the atmosphere, there to 

 settle upon its waves: or else we must drag down the " hydro- 

 gen with its accompaniments" from its lofty throne, and obtain 



separate 



