380 Three States of Water. [Book VII. 



in its frozen ftate. Of thefe I fhall fpeak in their 

 order. 



Water, when pure and in.its fluid (late, is tranfparent, 

 colourlefs, and without fmell. It adheres to moft 

 bodies which come in contact with it, it pervades po- 

 rous fubftances, difiblvcs gummy and faline matters, 

 and extinguifhes fire. 



Water, when fluid, is rrot in its moft fimple ftate, 

 for its fluidity depends on a certain quantity of caloric, 

 or the matter of heat, which enters into combination 

 with it, and infmuating itfelf between the particles of 

 *the water, renders them capable of moving in all di- 

 rections. 



We are fupplied with water either from the atmo- 

 fphere, whence it defcends in the form of rain, hail, or 

 fnow, or from the earth, which fends it forth in fprings 

 and rivulets. In the former cafe the watery exhala- 

 tions drawn from the fea, and the furface of the earth 

 by the fun's heat, form clouds, whofe particles being 

 afterwards condenfed, fall back again in fhowers. In 

 the latter, the water which falls on the tops of moun- 

 tains, and other lofty fituations, penetrates the earth, 

 and, after pairing downwards, breaks forth at fomc 

 Mure or aperture at a diftance from its fouvce. 



The quantity of water attracted from the furface 

 of the globe is almoft incredible. Dr. H alley has cal- 

 culated that portion which is yielded by the lea, to be 

 at the rate of one cubic inch from every ten inches of 

 furface in twelve hours*. To form an adequate idea 

 of this, let us fuppofe only half the globe to be covered 

 by the fea. The whole furface of the earth being 

 ubout 25,797,278 leagues, that of the fea will confe- 

 fjuently he 12,898,639. Suppofmg the evaporation 



* See Bifhop Watfon's Calculation, vol. i. p. 122. 



which 



