DISCOURSE OF W. B. TAYLOR : —NOTES. 423 



of the same wick into the two liquids' and 'noting th^ height to 

 which each ascended in a given time, that the surface attraction of 

 the sperm was greater than that of tlie lard, or in other words that 

 the ascensional power of sperm was miich gtefiter than that of lard at 

 ordinary temperatures. This method was also employed in obtain- 

 ing the relative surface attraction of various ' other liquids; we say 

 surface attraction instead of capillarity^ because it Was found in the 

 course of these investigations that substances which had less capil- 

 larity (that is less elevating power in a fine tube) had greater jjower 

 in ascending in the meshes o{ k wickj' 'The relative fluidity of the 

 different oils was obtailied by filling in succession a pear-shaped 

 vessel with a narrow neck, of about the capacity of a pint, having 

 a hole in the lowest part of thfe bottom, ofjabouf a tenth of an inch 

 in diameter. Such a' vessel filled with 'any numbei* of perfect 

 liquids. Would be emptied in the same time -^whatever their specific 

 gravity; As at any given' horizoti, inertia i^' directly proportional 

 to gravity; the heavier the liquid the gr6at6r would ' be the power 

 required to move it; but the motive power Avould be ih proportion 

 to the pressure, or in other' Word^ to the weight, 'and therefore all 

 perfect liquids should issue from thesaWieorific^ with the same 

 velocity. ' To test this proposition, eight fluid ounces of clean mer- 

 cury and then the Same bulk of distilled ivater,' Were allowed to run 

 out of the vessel above' mentioned i < the time observed was the same 

 within the nearest second." It ivas found in' repeating this experi- 

 ment with sperm iind lard oils' that the rapidity of the flow of the 

 former ekc6eded considerably thiit' of the latter^' 'the' ratio of tim6 



being 100, to 167. ^.,^ ^ , , .,,. 



"The results thus far in these investigations were, apparently ' 

 against the; use bf lard oil: it' was observed however that in the 

 experiiileht^ on' the'floW of the two 'dils^'ji iVariatiop ' in' the timfe 

 occurred, 'Whidh'coitld billy l3d'att'ribui^d t()''d' lai*latibn"ih the tem- 

 perature at which the 'experiments were made.' In relation to this 

 point, the effect of an ilicrease of the tem^ratui-e above that of the 

 atmospherie, oil th^ llbWin^ 'of 'the' tWd bils'Was' observed."' By this 

 means the important fact Was elicited th'dt ^ the temperature was 

 increased, the liquidity of the Urd increasM in a inore rapid degree 

 than that of the sperm; and that at the tempef-atui-^ of dfeout 250° F. 

 the liquidity of th(j forra^'fe'kc^eded'that of tli^' latter." A similar 

 scried of ^experiments was made in regard to tlic rapidity of ascent 

 of the oil ill the Wick, and with a'similai' result. At, about the 

 temperature of that before hieiitiohte'd, the asceh^ional power of the 

 lard Was greater than that of the feperm. ' ' Thes6 results were recog- 

 nized as having an important bearing on the question of the appli- 

 cation of lard oil as a light-house illuminant. It only required to 



