2 20 Of the Light fnanifested in Combustion. 



the combustion was likewise feeble, had we not known 

 positively, from the great quantity of wax that was con- 

 sumed, that this indication must necessarily have been 

 fallacious. 



But if we suppose the combustion to have been as 

 vivid as it is commonly when wax candles are burned, 

 what became of the heat which ought to have made its 

 appearance in that process ? 



I sought for it, and had the extreme satisfaction to 

 find it, and even to find it entire. I found that the 

 little taper had never ceased a moment to furnish it, in 

 full measure, from the beginning to the end of the 

 experiment, notwithstanding the extreme feebleness 

 of its light. 



Suspecting that the ascending current of air above 

 the taper was hotter than the diminutive size of the 

 flame indicated, I presented the palm of my hand 

 immediately over the flame, at the distance of two or 

 three inches. The result was a most convincing proof 

 that these suspicions were not unfounded. 



My hand had not been in this situation two seconds 

 before I found the heat to be quite intolerable. 



I really do believe that nobody ever experienced 

 more pleasure from a burn than I did on this occa- 

 sion. I lost no time in arranging an experiment 

 which I saw could not fail to clear up this mystery. 



Sixteenth Experiment. — Very fortunately I had in 

 my laboratory a little apparatus, which had been used 

 in another research, which was perfectly well adapted 

 for the experiment I now wished to make. It con- 

 sists of a small conical tin boiler with a long cylin- 

 drical neck, fitted to receive one of my mercurial ther- 

 mometers with long cylindrical bulbs. The diameter 



