By Captain Bonnycastle. 51 
smooth, in fact it was very nearly as much so as before ; the 
water in the jug still the same. On the fourth night the 
water in the jug was still very brilliant, although oil had 
been accidentally spilt into it. ‘The fifth night the sea scarcely 
exhibited any traces of luminosity ; the water in the jug this 
night as brilliant as ever. Sixth and seventh nights, water 
inthe jug the same. Iam sorry to say I left the sealed bottle 
on board in my hurry, and that the water inthe jug was spilt 
before we landed at Quebec. 
Sea water being a compound of muriate of soda and sul- 
phate of magnesia, with oxygen and hydrogen, it strikes me 
that by some combination, a greater ora lesser quantity of a 
phosphate is formed, or phosphoric acid, in certain cases, 
which readily melting from its solid state, spreads and diffuses 
itself over a vast surface, and thus by ils greater or lesser 
volume creates more or less of the phenomena alluded to. 
My data for tiisargument, amongst other things, are the 
two following. 
By the strictest investigation, I could discover no appear- 
ance whatever, on the occasion above detailed, for supposing 
that animalcule had any thing to do with the appearance, and 
I think the putrescent matter from shoals of dead fish is 
equally unlikely iu sea water. 
Secondly, if four drachms of the substance of fresh herving 
be mixed with two drachms of sulphate of magnesia in two 
ounces of water, and the whole patina phial, and allowed 
to stand 24 hours, on the next night avery beautiful lumis 
nous appearance will be sewn on shaking the bottle, and this 
will coutinue four or five nights. 
May not therefore the phosphate be formed either from 
the eauvice of fish, or from some secretion of the finny tribes 
mingling with the ocean waters, But this isa subject far be- 
yond my research, I wish it may receive the attention of an 
able band. 
G2 That 
