M. 



'^s dif. 



Ur 



otti 



a 



ev 



sof 



'ery 



U' 



ttracli 



find 



>^panfi 



c 



ive 



Sat 



on 



nubble of 

 5eing re. 



:iute air- 



tranfpa. 



tpandiiig 



of water 



form of 



a fallacy 



ave been 



and have 

 ,ave me* 



pure part 

 forbents 



forbents 

 )f the air 







) 



)ton 

 edby 



the 

 its 



•en 



This IS 



.tally 



de 



ow 



thof 



I 



fb 



C 



Sli>CT. XIII. 2. I. 



ELECTRICITY. 



303 



II. I. Tl 



fl 



matter of h 



f the moft extenfi 



one 



£> 



ments in nature, perhaps next to that of gravitation ; all other bodies 

 are immerfed in it, and are preferved in their prefent ftate of folidity 

 or fluidity by the different attradion of their particles to the matter 

 of heat, which thus connteraas the powers of gravitation, and of 

 chemical affinity, which would otherwife comprefs them into 



iblid chaotic mafs ! 



Since all known bodies are contradible into lefs fpace by depn 

 them of fome portion of their heat ; and as there is no part of nature 

 totally deprived of heat ; there is reafon to believe, that the particles 

 of bodies do not touch, but are held towards each other by their felf- 



recede from each other by their attradion to the mafs 

 of heat, which furrounds them ; and thus exift in an equilibrium be- 

 tween thefe two powers. . 



If more of the matter of heat be applied to them, they recede far- 

 ther from each other, and become fluid ; if flill more be applied, they 



a 



or 



take an aerial form 



d are termed gaffes ; and 



probable, th 



a 



the ethereal fluid of ekaricity may alfo be diffufed with heat, as well 



as the ethereal fluid of 



Thus when water is heated to a certain degree, it would inftantly 

 affume the form of fteam, but for the prefTure of the atmofph 

 which prevents this change from taking place fo eafily 



the fame 



of quickfilver, diamonds, and of perhaps all other bodies in na 

 ; they would firfl become fluid, and then aeriform, by apprx) 



priated degrees of heat 



On the contrary, this elaftic matter of heat 



termed Caloriq 



the new nomenclature of the French academi 



liable to become confolidated itfelf in its combinations with 

 fome bodies, as certainly in nitre, and probably in combuftible bodies, 



as fulphur and charcoal. 



This combined heat is univerfally fet at liberty in the produaion 

 of acids by the union of oxygen with all inflammable bodies, as ftiewn 

 in Sea. XII. i . It is alfo taken from fome bodies by the vicinity of 



6 



/ 



very 



