relating to Air and Water, 2 S 7 



In all the above-mentioned experiments, the Inriammable air 

 was that which is produced. by the folution of iron in acids. 



As before- I had finiilied this courfe of exper.ments I had- 

 iatistied myfelf that inflammable air ahvvays contains a portit)ii 

 of water, and alfo, that when it has been fome time confinccV 

 by water, it imhibes more, fo as to be increafed in its fpecifiO 

 gravity by that means, I repeated the experiment with inflam- 

 mable air which had not bee:i coniined by water, but which was-. 

 received in a veiiel of> dry mercury from the-, veflelin which it 

 was generated;, but I prefentiy perceived that- vrater was pro-- 

 duccd in this- cafe alio, and .to appearance as copioufly as in the- 

 former experiment. Indeed, the quantity of water produced, 

 which fo greatly, exceeded the weiglit of all the inflammable 

 air, is fufficient to prove that it muft have had fome othen^ 

 fource than any conftituent part of; that air^ o-r the whole of ity 

 together with the water contained in- it; without taking into-- 

 coniideration the correfponding lofs of weight in the iron. 



I m.ufl: here obferve, that the iron, flag- which 1 had treated in^' 

 tills manner, and which had thereby loft the weight which ^ 

 it had acquired by melting in dephlogifticated air, became ^^r- • 

 fe5l iron as at firft, and was then capable of being melted by 

 the burning lens again ; fo that the fame piece, of iron wouldi' 

 ferve for thefe experiments as long as the operator ihouldchufe. 

 It was evident, therefore, .that if the iron had lofl: its phlo- 

 gifton in the preceding fuflon, it had acquired it again from the- 

 inflammable air which it had abforbed ; and I do not fee how the • 

 experiment can be accounted for in any other way, w^iich ne— 

 ceflarily implies the reality of phloglfton as a conftituent prin- 

 ciple in bodies. This, at leafl, is the mofl natural way ofA 

 a,ccounting for the appearanceSc 



5. Having^; 



