WATER. [Lesson xxix. 



manner of spending our time in this world, that 

 the performance of one duty may not interfere 

 with or obstruct another. 



Water is an uninflammable fluid, and, when 

 pure, is transparent, colourless, and void both of 

 tas<e and smell. Mr. Cavendish made the dis- 

 covery that it i<* formed by the union of hydrogen 

 and oxygen. It may, therefore, be considered as 

 an oxide oj hydrogen : oxygen and hydrogen ap- 

 pearing to unite, only in that certain proportion 

 of which water is the result. The proof of its 

 composition is thus obtained : water, in a slate of 

 vapour, being made to pass over iron wire twisted 

 a.nd made red hot, the iron is oxidized, a consi- 

 derable portion of the water disappears, and hy- 

 drogen gas is produced; the iron depriving the 

 wat^r of its oxygen, by which it becomes an oxide, 

 while the hydrogen, combining with caloric, forms 

 the hydrogen gas. Again : 15 parts of hydrogen 

 gas being burnt in a close vessel, with 85 parts of 

 oxygen, water is formed nearly of the same weight 

 as the gases employed : it appearing that, at a 

 temperature lower than that of ignition, the at- 

 traction of the respective bases of the two gases to 

 caloric, is stronger than their attraction to each 

 other, which prevents their decomposition ; but 

 that at the degree of ignition the attraction of the 

 bases are stronger to each other than to caloric ; 

 hence they unite and form water, the caloric and 

 light, their imponderable parts, being disengaged 

 with flame. 



The composition of water by the ponderable 



parts 



