312 On the Adhesion of the Particles 



cles of the sap when rising and when descending, and 

 that too in the various seasons ! 



How much light would be thrown on all chemical 

 operations taking place in the wet way, if we could esti- 

 mate exactly the force of adhesion existing among the 

 particles of the various liquid agents which there come 

 into play ! 



How many wonderful reactions there are which seem 

 to depend on such a simple thing as the imperfect flu- 

 idity of liquids ! 



It seems to me that the facts which I have just an- 

 nounced are of such a character as to excite all our curi- 

 osity, and I hasten to make them public in order to 

 induce all those who cultivate the sciences to assist me 

 in these interesting researches. 



I feel deeply that all that a single individual can effect 

 by his own labours during the course of his short life, 

 in extending the vast domain of science, is unfortunately 

 a very small matter. It is only by the simultaneous 

 efforts of a large number of men with good heads and 

 skilled hands that we can hope to see a sensible advance 

 of this great enterprise, of which men will never see the 

 completion ; and for this reason those who with true 

 love for science take more delight in seeing its progress 

 than in obtaining the pleasures of gratified vanity, ought 

 rather to seek to associate with themselves a great num- 

 ber of zealous and skilful co-labourers than to endeav- 

 our to do everything themselves. 



Happily for the progress of this new branch of re- 

 search, the apparatus to be employed is portable, and of 

 great simplicity, and the experiments are as easy to per- 

 form as their results are decisive and satisfactory. In 

 general, the only thing needed will be an inverted si- 



