190 PROCESS OF GASSIPICATION. 



diterranean Sea alone, was sufficient to yield 

 back all the water contained in the many 

 immense rivers which flow into it; and, 

 from the observations which were made by 

 Dr. WATSON, the present Bishop of Llan- 

 daff, and which are detailed in his Chemical 

 Essays, for the purpose of ascertaining this 

 point, it appears that the quantity evaporated, 

 and raised from the surface of the earth, 

 exceeds what is generally believed : he says, 

 that at a time when there had been no rain 

 for above a month, when the grass was quite 

 brown and parched, the evaporation from 

 an acre of land, was not less than 1600 gal- 

 lons, in 24 hours ; and, in two experiments 

 made afterwards, when the ground had been 

 wetted by a thunder shower the day before, he 

 found, in the first experiment, the quantity of 

 water evaporated, was at the rate of 1973 gal- 

 lons per acre ; in the other 1905, within the 

 short space of 12 hours. From Mr. DAL- 

 TON'S tables it appears, that the evaporation 

 from a surface of water, is nearly twice as 

 much as from green ground ; that about eight 

 or nine inches of rain, are left for the supply of 

 springs and rivers, that this surplus of water 

 must be evaporated from the sea, and return to 

 it again by the rivers. We are likewise in- 

 debted to COUNT RUMFORD, as well as to 

 MONS. SAUSSITRE, for various experiments and 



