- On the Combustion of Hydrogen in Water. 349 



necessary. With these through which the gases should 

 be driven, with competent pressure, I have no doubt, it 

 would be possible to maintain an uninterrupted ignition, co- 

 existent with the supply of the gases. In my leisure mo- 

 ments, J am preparing to verify this conjecture ; but as I 

 shall not probably be able to give you the result in time for 

 your next number, I thought proper to offer to your dispo- 

 sal, the little I have already learnt on the subject. 



When a piece of cork or pine wood was applied to the 

 submersed gaseous flame, it gave out a brilliant light, pro- 

 ducing a pleasing effect on the spectator ; and this phenom- 

 enon continued till recession took place, which in some in- 

 stances might be for a minute or two. Sometimes, howev- 

 er, I observed that the flame was less brilliant than at oth- 

 ers. This I attributed either to the imperfect mixture of 

 the gases, or to the excess of oxygen over the hydro- 

 gen being less at one time than at another. 



Some little experiments 1 made went to shew, as I thought, 

 that the gases were not perfectly and proportionally mix- 

 ed. If I caused the submersed flame to burn under an in- 

 verted tumbler filled with water, I invariably collected it full 

 of gas, and from a very shght detonation it gave on one or 

 two occasions, I concluded it to be principally, hydro- 

 gen. 



The metals also were submitted to the submersed flame ; 

 but the most I was able to do with them, was to make a 

 small piece of copper wire, say, of ^^V t)^ a" i»ch in diame- 

 ter, red-hot ; that is red-hot in the day time. And this was 

 repeated with success several times. 



You know that the solder which is used in the fabrication 

 of our common tin ware, is very fusible ; — say it fuses at be- 

 tween 300° and 400°, at the highest; and that the iron which 

 forms the basis of the tin, as it is called, melts at 17 or 18 

 thousand degrees. Now I had the curiosity to make a com- 

 parative experiment. I placed on a common smith's forge, 

 a common tin cup, about nine inches deep, and urged 

 around and beneath it, as great a heat as could be obtained 

 from charcoal, (mineral coal not being at hand,) keeping it 

 supplied with a very small quantity of water, without pro- 

 ducing any effect, as you will of course believe, towards 

 melting the solder. 



