Mr: Genet’s Reply to Dr. Jones. 313 
in this case, qualified judges. We never learnt that @ vacuum 
was a gas or that the vapour of water was atmospheric 
« When gentlemen who are members of learned societies, 
and who are ee os very clever in particular departments 
of science, bring the influence of their names and their tal- 
ents to the support of notions the most crude, and which 
manifest a palpable deficiency of knowledge in the first 
principles of the particular branch of science to which the 
examination belongs, it would be a culpable neglect of duty 
in the sentinels of science to permit them to pass unhailed, 
Xe.” 
J Oo. 
would os to establish a law, upon the opinion of that 
philosopher, &c, What we understand by pena from 
the Newtonian philosophy, is not to depart from the deduc- 
tions of that philosopher, but from the mode of philosophis- 
ing, by which these deductions were formed, and i in this point 
of view the case in hand is a most fearful one.’ 
This judgment, Sir, delivered from the chair of ‘hia 
fessor of Mechanics of the Franklin Institute of Poe ia; 
would really be appalling, if by one of the most agreeable 
events of the early part of my life, by my own contemplations; 
experiments and studies—and by frequent observations made 
on board of our steam boats; and in our steam engine manu- 
factories, I had not acquired, on the origin, progress and 
improvement oe the steam powers and the theory of the zri- 
form fluids, a kn owledge o of jest that wall acai me sete to 
of Sciences, ne was sent to ened as see ; 
the Count de Moustier, who was ae rand minister 
pleni tiary of Louis XVI. to this country, and among 
the private snstructions which I received from the ministry, I 
was directed to visit the gs manufitries in anes to 
reparatory information, for the negociation of a trea- 
Pakece, wore to ae concluded between France 
VOL. XII. NO- 
