106 



THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 



Phosphorus is another simple combustible sub 

 stance, but is never found in a pure state in na 

 ture. It is commonly united to oxygen in a state 

 of phosphoric acid, which is found in different 

 animal, vegetable, and mineral substances. It 

 was first discovered by Brandt, a chymist of 

 Hamburgh, in the year 1667, and afterwards by 

 the Honourable Mr. Boyle, in 1679. It was 

 formerly obtained by a disgusting process ; but 

 it is now extracted from the bones of animals, by 

 burning them, and then reducing them to a fine 

 powder, and afterwards pouring sulphuric acid 

 upon them. This substance, when pure, resem 

 bles bees wax, being of a clear, transparent, 

 yellowish colour ; it is insoluble in water ; it 

 may be cut with a knife, or twisted to pieces with 

 the fingers ; and it is about double the specific 

 gravity of water. Its most remarkable property 

 is its very strong attraction for oxygen, from 

 which circumstance, it burns spontaneously in 

 the open air at the temperature of 43 : that is, 

 it attracts the oxygen gas from the atmosphere, 

 and heat and flame are produced. It gradually 

 consumes when exposed to the common tempe 

 rature of air, emits a whitish smoke, and is lu 

 minous in the dark ; for this reason it is kept in 

 phials of water ; and as the heat of the hand is 

 sufficient, to inflame it, it should seldom be han 

 dled except under water. At the temperature of 

 99 it melts ; it evaporates at 219, and boils at 

 554. When heated to 148 it takes fire, and 

 burns with a very bright flame, and gives out a 

 very large.quantity of white smoke, which is lu 

 minous in the dark ; at the same time it emits 

 an odour, which has some resemblance to that of 

 garlic ; and this smoke, when collected, is proved 

 to be an acid. It burns with the greatest splen 

 dour in oxygen gas, and when taken internally, 

 it is found to be poisonous. If any light sub 

 stance, capable of conducting heat, be placed 

 upon the surface of boiling water, and a bit of 

 phosphorus be laid upon it, the heat of the water 

 will be sufficient to set the phosphorus on fire. 

 If we write a few words on paper with a bit of 

 phosphorus fixed in a quill, when the writing is 

 carried into a dark room it will appear beauti 

 fully luminous If a piece of phosphorus, about 

 the size of a pea, be dropped into a tumbler of 

 hot water, and a stream of oxygen gas forced di 

 rectly upon it, it will display the most brilliant 

 combustion under water that ran h^ imagined. 

 All experiments with phosphorus, however, re 

 quire to be performed with great caution. This 

 substance is used in making phosphorus match- 

 bo ties, phosphoric oil, phosphoric tapers, and 

 various phosphoric fireworks. Phosphorized hy 

 drogen gas is produced by bits of phosphorus 

 remaining some hours in hydrogen gas. It is 

 supposed to be this gas which is of en seen 

 hovering on the surface of burial grounds and 

 marshes, known in Scotland by the name ofpun- 

 kie, and in England b) that of wiU-o-the-wisp. 



Some animals, as the glow-worm and the./fi&amp;gt; 

 fly, and fish in a putrescent state, exhibit phos 

 phorescent qualities. M. Peron describes a sin 

 gular instance of this kind in an animal which he 

 calls the pyrosoma atlanticum, which he observe^ 

 in his voyage from Europe to the IsleofFrrtnce 

 The darkness was intense when it was first das- 

 covered ; and all at once there appeared at some 

 distance, as it were, a vast sheet of phosphorus 

 floating on the waves, which occupied a great 

 space before the vessel. When the vessel had 

 passed through this inflamed part cf the sea, it 

 was found that this prodigious light was occa 

 sioned by an immense number of small animals, 

 which swam at different depths, and appeared to 

 assume various forms. Those which were deep 

 est looked like great red-hot cannon balls, while 

 those on the surface resembled cylinders of red- 

 hot iron. Some of them were caught, and were 

 found to vary in size from three to seven inches. 

 Al! the exterior surface of the animal was bristled 

 with thick long tubercles, shining like so many 

 diamonds ; and these seemed to be the principal 

 seat of its wonderful phosphorescence. 



Such is a brief description of the principal 

 elementary substances, which, in a thousand di 

 versified forms, pervade the system of nature, 

 and produce all that variety which we behold in 

 the atmosphere, the waters, the earth, and the 

 various processes of the arts. It is probable that 

 some of these substances are compounds, though 

 they have not yet been decomposed. Yea, it is 

 possible, and not at all improbable, that there are 

 but two, or almost three, elementary substances 

 in nature, the various modifications of which 

 produce all the beauties and sublimities in the 

 universe. Perhaps caloric, oxygen, and hydro 

 gen, may ultimately be found to constitute all 

 the elementary principles of nature. Without 

 prosecuting this subject farther. I shall conclude 

 this article with a few cursory reflections, tend 

 ing to illustrate its connexion with religion. 



The remarks which I have already thrown out 

 in reference to natural philosophy will equally 

 apply to the science of chymistry ; and, there 

 fore, do not require to be repeated. In addition 

 to these, the following observations may be 

 stated : 



1. This science displays, in a striking point 

 of view, the wisdom and goodness of God, in 

 produrinir, by the. moat nmp j e, means, the most 

 astonishing and benevolent effects. All the va 

 ried phenomena we perceive, throughout the 

 whole system of sublunary nature, are produced 

 by a combination of six or seven simple sub 

 stances. I formerly adverted to the infinite 

 variety which exists in the vegetable kingdom, 

 (see pp. 37, 38.) About fifty-six thousand dif 

 ferent species of plants have already been dis 

 covered by botanists. All these, from the hum 

 ble shrub to the cedar of Lebanon, which adorp 

 the surface of the globe, in every clime, with 



