On the Adhesion of the Particles of Liquids, etc. 301 



for a long time seemed to me insurmountable, but by 

 the exercise of patience and due precaution, I succeeded, 

 after somewhat long and difficult labour, in accomplish- 

 ing my object. 



Those who are in the habit of making delicate experi- 

 ments with the hydrostatic balance will conjecture imme- 

 diately, before I have time to say it, that it was the air 

 which remained obstinately attached to the surface of 

 the silk when I weighed it in water, which rendered this 

 operation so difficult. 



I do not wish to abuse the patience of the Class by 

 giving it a detailed account of all the means I was obliged 

 to try before finding an efficient remedy for this incon- 

 venience ; it will suffice to say, that the silk was weighed 

 finally in water, and with precision, and I will here add 

 in passing, that the specific gravity of this substance was 

 found to be to that of water as 1734 is to 1000. The 

 following phenomenon, however, which I noticed while 

 weighing the silk in water, struck me forcibly. 



The silk being in the form of a skein about 6 inches 

 long, and tied loosely in order to allow the water readily 

 to enter among all the threads, it was hung from one of 

 the arms of an excellent hydrostatic balance in a large 

 mass of distilled water which had previously been freed 

 from air by long boiling. 



The weight of the silk in this situation having been 

 determined, it was then placed, by means of silver pincers, 

 and without taking it from the water, into a small glass 

 vessel of oval form, about 2 inches in diameter and 3 

 inches long, and weighed again. 



The weight of the silk when weighed in the small 

 glass vessel was sensibly greater than when it was weighed 

 out of the vessel in the same large amount of water, and 



