CONCLUSIONS TO WHICH THEY LEAD. 89 



equally obvious, that it is not in proportion to 

 their specific gravity, nor to the size of their 

 particles. It will be observed, however, that the 

 refractive power of oxygen is nearly double that 

 of hydrogen, which is sixteen times lighter : 

 it therefore follows, that if their refractive powers 

 be a measure of their latent caloric, hydrogen 

 must contain 8*14 times more than an equal 

 weight of oxygen ; corresponding with the dif- 

 ference between their atomic weights, and the 

 relative quantities of caloric they evolve during 

 the process of combustion. It is much to be re- 

 gretted that we have no means of ascertaining 

 the refractive power of carbon, separately, in the 

 gaseous state. But as it is about three times 

 higher in marsh gas, and four times greater in 

 olefiant gas than in simple hydrogen, we are au- 

 thorized to conclude, that a pound of hydrogen 

 contains six times more caloric than the same 

 weight of carbon ; or that the particles of each 

 are associated with the same quantities of ca- 

 loric. 



And as the refractive power of nitrogen is 2*17 

 times that of hydrogen, (the specific gravity of 

 which is fourteen times less than that of nitrogen) 

 it follows that hydrogen must contain 6'45 times 

 more caloric around its particles than the same 

 weight of nitrogen. Nor can there be a rational 

 doubt, that if the experiments were rigidly accu- 

 rate, the refractive power of hydrogen would be 

 just eight times that of oxygen, and seven times 



