BENJAMIN THOMPSON, COUNT RUMFORD 25 



"Was it furnished by the air? This could not have been the 

 case; for, in three of the experiments, the machinery being kept 

 immersed in water, the access of the air of the atmosphere was 

 completely prevented. 



"Was it furnished by the water which surrounded the ma- 

 chinery? That this could not have been the case is evident: first, 

 because this water was continually receiving Heat from the ma- 

 chinery and could not at the same time be giving to and receiving 

 Heat from the same body; and, secondly, because there was no 

 chemical decomposition of any part of this water. Had any such 

 decomposition taken place (which, indeed, could not reasonably 

 have been expected), one of its component elastic fluids (most 

 probably inflammable air) [hydrogen] must at tbe same time have 

 been set at liberty, and, in making its escape into the atmosphere, 

 would have been detected; but, though I frequently examined the 

 water to see if any air-bubbles rose up through it, and had even 

 made preparations to examine them, if any should appear, I 

 could perceive none; nor was there any sign of decomposition of 

 any kind whatever, or other chemical process, going on in the 

 water. 



"Is it possible that the Heat could have been supplied by means 

 of the iron bar to the end of which the blunt steel borer was fixed? 

 or by the small neck of gun-metal by which the hollow cylinder was 

 united to the cannon ? These suppositions appear more improb- 

 able even than either of those before mentioned; for Heat was 

 continually going off, or out of the machinery by both these pas- 

 sages, during the whole time the experiment lasted. 



"And, in reasoning on this subject, we must not forget to con- 

 sider that most remarkable circumstance, that the source of the 

 Heat generated by friction, in these experiments, appeared evi- 

 dently to be inexhaustible. 



"It is hardly necessary to add, that anything which any insu- 

 lated body, or system of bodies, can continue to furnish without 

 limitation, cannot possibly be a material substance; and it appears 

 to me to be extremely difficult, if not quite impossible, to form 

 any distinct idea of anything capable of being excited and com- 

 municated in the manner the Heat was excited and communi- 

 cated in these experiments, except it be motion." 



One more surprising instance of scientific insight this brief 

 paper contains. He not only connects heat, light, chemical action 

 and mechanical movement together as capable of being converted 

 into one another, but boldly extends the generalization to animal 



