2*56 Dr. Priestlev's Experiments mid Obfervations 

 in thefe circumftances, than I perceived the air to diminifh, and 

 at the fame time the infide of the veflel to grow very cloudy, 

 with particles of dew, that covered almofl: the whole of it. 

 Thefe particles by degrees gathered into drops, and ran down the 

 fides of the veflel in all places, except where it was heated by 

 the fun-beams ; fo that it then appeared to me very evident, 

 that water, with or without fixed air, was the produce of the 

 inflammable aii*, and the pure air let loofe from the iron in this 

 aiode of operation-; though afterwards I was taught by Mr. 

 Watt to correct. thiG hypothefis, and to account for this refult 

 in a different ^rn.anner. When I had examined the remaining 

 air, it was as inflammable as ever, without containing any 

 mixture of -fixed air at all. 



When I collected the water which was produced in this ex- 

 periment by means of a piece of filtering paper, carefully in- 

 troduced to abforb it, I found it to be, as nearly as poflible, of 

 the fame weight with that which had been loft by the iron : 

 and alfo, in every experiment of this kind, in which I attended 

 to this circumftance^ I found that the quantity of inflammable 

 air which had dlfappeared was about double to <that of the de- 

 phlogiftlcated air fet loofe from the iron, fuppofing that weight 

 to have been reduced into air. Thys at one time I made a piece 

 of this flag imbibe 5 1. ounce meafures of inflammable air, while 

 it loft as much as the weight of about 3. ounce ^^eafures of de- | 

 phlogiftlcated air, and the water colleded weighed 2 grains. 

 Another time a piece of flag loft 1.5 grains^ and the water 

 produceil was 1.7 grains; but perfect, accuracy is not to be ex- 

 pe(5ted. I fliall only mention one more experiment of this 

 kind, in which ~6| ounce meafures of inflammable air were 

 reduced to .92 ounce meafare, and the iron had loft 2 grains, 

 ^q(jual in weight to 3.3 ounce meafures of dephloglfticated air. 



In 



