298 ABSORPTION OF THE GAS£S. 



Remarks on 2. Gafes fo mixed with water, &c. retain their elafliciljr 



furpdon of gafes *^^^ repiilfive power amongft Iheir own particles, juft the fame 

 ky denfc fluids, in the water as out of it, the intervening water having no 

 other influence in this refpedl than a mere vacuum. 



3. Each gas is retained in water by the prefifure of gas of 

 its own kind incumbent on its furface abftradedly confidered, 

 DO other gas with which it may be mixed having any perma- 

 nent influence in this refpeft. 



4. When water has abforbed its bulk of carbonic acid gas, 

 &;c. the gas does not prefs on the water at all, but prelTes on 

 the containing ved'el jufl as if no water were in. When 

 water has abforbed its proper quantity of oxygenous gas, &c. 

 that is, ^y of its bulk, the exterior gas pretfes on the furface 

 of the water with ||^ of its force, and on the internal gas with 

 ■j-^y of its force, which force prelTes upon the containing veflel, 

 ^nd not on the water. With azotic and hydrogenous gas the 

 proportions are ^^ and -^ refpeflively. When water con- 

 tains no gas, its lurface njuft fupport the whole preffureof any 

 gas admitted to if, till the gas has, in part, forced its way into 

 the water. 



5. A particle of gas pretTing on the furface of water is ana- 

 logous to a fingle (liot prefling upon the fummit of a fquare 

 pile of them. As the fliot diftributes its preifure equally 

 amongft all the individuals forming the loweft ftratum of the 

 pile, fo the particle of gas diftributes its preiTure equally amongft 

 every fucceffive horizontal ftratum of particles of water down- 

 wards till it reaches the fphere of influence of another particle 

 of gas. For inftance ; let any gas prefs with a given force on 

 the furface of water, and let the diftance of the particles of 

 gas from each other be to Ihofe of water as 10 to 1 ; then each 

 particle of gas muft divide its force equally amongft 100 parti- 

 cles of water, as follows: — It exerts its immediate force upon 

 4 particles of water; thofe 4 prefs upon 9, the 9 upon J 6, 

 and fo on according to the order of fquare numbers, till 100 

 particles of water have the force diftributed amongft them ; 

 and in the fame ftratum each fquare of 100, having its incum- 

 bent particle of gas, the water below this ftratum is uniformly 

 prefled by the gas, and confequently has not its equilibrium 

 difturbed by that prejure. 



6. Wh,ep water has abforbe4,^X "^^ ^'^ ^^^^ ^^ ^"y g^^' *^^ 

 firatum of gas on the furface of the water prefles with 14 of 



its 



