.284 Dr, Prie&tley's Experiments andObfer'vations 

 .to dilperfe in a thoufand diredions, exhibiting the appearance of 

 . a mofl beautiful fire-work, fome of the particles flying to the 

 diftance of half a yard from the place of fufion ; and the whole 

 was attended with a confiderabie hifling noife. Some of the 

 largeO: pieces which had been' dlfperfed in this manner 1 v/as 

 able to collect, and having fubjedled tliem to the heat of the 

 lens, they exhibited the ilime appearance as the larger mafs from 

 which they had been fcattered. 



When I melted this call: iron in the bottom of a deep giafs 

 receiver, in order to colledl all the particles that were difperfed, 

 they firmly adhered to the glafs, melting it fuperficially, 

 though without making it crack, fo that it was flill impoffible 

 to coUeft and weigh the particles. However, I generally 

 found that, notwithilanding the copious difperfion, what re- 

 mained after the experiment rather exceeded than fell fliort of 

 the original weight of the iron. Sometimes a piece of com- 

 mon iron, and efpecially fleel, would make a little hifling in 

 the fufion, and a particle or two would fly oif ; but this was 

 never confiderabie *. 



Having now procured what I thought to be a new calx of 

 iron, or a calx faturated with pure air, 1 endeavoured to revive 

 it by making it imbibe inflammable air, in the lame manner 

 that I had before m.ade iron, and various other metals, by melt^ 

 ing them in a velTel containing inftammable air. In this I fuc- 

 ceeded ; but in tlie courfe of the experiment a new and very 

 unexpefted appearance occurred. 1 took a piece of iron which 

 I had faturated with pure air, and putting it into a glafs vefTel 



^ On being informed of the above-mentioned phfetiomcna, Mr. Watt con- 

 cluded, that the b:ifis of the dephlogiilicated air united to the phlogifton of the iron, 



* 



and formed luater, which was attracted by, and remained Tq firmly united to the 

 ,calx of iron, as to rcfirt the efTcffts of heat to fcpnrate them, 



containing 



