EXPERIMENTS 



0)^ THE FUSION OF VARIOUS REFRACTORY BODIES BY 

 THE COMPOUND BLOW-PIPE OF MR, HARE. 



THE philofophical world behold with pleafure and 

 astonifhment, the effects produced on the fufion and 

 combuftion of bodies, by a stream of oxygen gas, di- 

 rected upon burning charcoal. The fplendor of these 

 experiments arretted univerfal attention, and Lavois- 

 ier, with his gazometer, was enabled, in this manner, 

 to produce a degree of heat, furpaffing that of the mofb 

 powerful furnaces, and even of the folar focus. Bodies 

 which no degree of heat, previously applied, had been 

 able to foften, now became fluid, and philofophy ap- 

 peared to have attained the limit of its power in exci- 

 ting heat ; indeed, it feemed to have advanced, very 

 far, towards realizing the opinion, that folidity and 

 fluidity are accidental attributes of bodies, dependant 

 folely on the quantity of caloric which they contain, 

 and that therefore, they may be fuppofed capable of 

 6xifting in either of thefe conditions. 



Still however, there were, in fact, many important 

 exceptions. Of the primitive earths, Lavoisier had 

 been enabled to fufe only alumine- — while the refl re- 

 mained refractory, and feemed fully entitled to the 

 character of infufibility, ufually attributed to this clafs 

 of bodies : many native minerals and efpecially thofe 

 which are moft diflinguiihed for hardnefs, beauty, and 

 fimplicity of compolition, maintained the fame charac- 

 ter, and fome of them refufed to melt even when heat- 

 ed with powerful fluxes. 



The beautiful invention of Mr Robert Hare of Phil- 

 adelphia, by which he fucceeded in burning, with fafe- 

 ty and convenience, the united ftream of oxygen and 

 hidrogen gases, greatly extended our dominion over 

 refractory bodies, and prefented new and very intereft- 

 ing refults. Mr. Hare's memoir, originally communica- 

 ted to the Chemical Society of Philadelphia, has been 



