Morey on the Patent Water-Burner. 4h 
place; water condensed in the empty ball, and soon froze 
into a film, lining its interior. A few minutes after, a film 
of ice began to form on the upper surface only, of the wa- 
ter in the other ball, and gradually increased, till it was a 
quarter of an inch thick. All this is what might be expect- 
: ently moving the instrument, (it was merely 
lifted, and not shaken,) the ball in which the water was 
freezing suddenly burst with a considerable explosion, and a 
pretty loud report. ‘ 
he apparent cause of this event, (which we have not 
heard of before, as occurring with this instrument,) appears 
to be, that as the water filled a full hemisphere, (and we be- 
lieve a little more,) the film of ice first formed, and occu- 
pying an equatorial plane, and therefore the largest diame- 
ter in the sphere, could not recede in order to give room for 
the expansion of the water, as it froze beneath. It would 
therefore, in all probability, have burst, had it not been mov- 
€d; but, it is also probable, that the water beneath the ice 
had been cooled to a point below 32°, and perhaps several 
degrees below; when moved therefore, (agreeably to what 
happens commonly in such cases,) the water below the film 
of ice probably shot very suddenly into crystals, and thus, 
bot having room to admit of the requisite expansion, the 
ball of course exploded.* This little occurrence was thought 
worthy of being mentioned, both as affording illustrations of 
laws and facts before known, and as suggesting an obvious 
Caution in forming the cryophorus—to introduce less water 
than what will fill half the ball. 
Arr. XVUI.—Remarks on the Patent Water-Burner ; By 
aMUEL Morey, (in a letter to the Editor.) 
Ornrorp, Juxy 30th, 1828. 
Sir, 
Trustive that I have in some measure reduced the Pa- 
tent Water Burner, or Vapour Lamp, to a form that unites 
utility with convenience, for general and domestic pu 
again wish to submit to your perusal, for a place in your 
*Itis possible that adhesion between the glass and the ice might bee. - 
atributed to the effect, rs 
