142 < fhe Principles of Part III. 



not inflammable of itfelf, therefore it does 

 not contain an inflammable fubftance. 



THIS leads me to the laft opinion, That 

 the nitrous acid exifts in the air, and is at- 

 tracted from it. This opinion, though 

 fcarcely maintained by any chymift, to me 

 appears to be the ftrongeft, though ftill 

 liable to fome objections. The firft argu- 

 ment for it is, That alkaline fait and cal- 

 carious bodies of themfelves, without a 

 mixture of any vegetable or animal matter, 

 will produce nitre ; as we find by an expe- 

 riment of Stably in which he got nitre by 

 expofing alkaline falts to the air. I have 

 got a nitrous fait from the lime taken out 

 of park-walls. The fecond is, That it is 

 actually found exifting in nature. Many 

 mineral waters contain a nitrous fait, as 

 appears by the experiments of Du C/os y 

 performed before the academy of fciences 

 at Pan's. I have difcovered that the nitrous 

 acid exifts in all hard waters* ; and that 



* Vid. Experiments on bleaching. 



all 



