216 PROPERTIES OF AIR 



vessel of water, and balanced by weights from 

 the opposite arm of the balance : upon unstop- 

 ping the phial under water, a quantity of water 

 will rush into it, by which the weight will be in- 

 creased, as much as the weight of the water in 

 the phial." From this effect, which is thus pro- 

 duced, the sinking of the bottle, when water is 

 substituted in it for air, it is immediately inferred, 

 as if demonstratively proved, that the parts of 

 water retain and possess their weight and gra- 

 vity in water. If the different parts are exa- 

 mined which are concerned in constituting this 

 experimental fact the conclusion which is 

 drawn from it, will be found one of the most 

 fallacious that can be conceived; the parts 

 must be separated, and separately examined, 

 in order to show the error of the whole. 



If four cubic inches of copper are immersed 

 in Mater, such is the density of the copper, with 

 relation to the rarity of the four cubic inches of 

 water, which the copper has displaced, that 

 the copper presses downwards is heavy, and 

 sinks to the bottom; if these four cubic inches of 

 copper, are beaten out into the form of a bottle, 

 and filled with water, the same consequences 

 will ensue ; although the copper bottle, filled 

 with water, will sink, it will not sink so rapidly 

 as the cubic inches of copper in a solid form 

 because the increased magnitude which the 

 copper has acquired in the change which it 



