OTJ ADEIANOPLE RED, &C. 



^ 



in such abundance, that, if the absorbing substance be ca>» 

 pnble of taking fire, or surrounded by inflamtr.able matters, 

 spontaneous combustion will take place. 



To confirm -what I had said of the theory cf these sorts Experimentsin 

 of combus'ioBS to those present, v^^ho were not familiar with j^j^ ^ *** 

 chemical opeiations, I performed the following experiments. 

 1. The inflammation of a mixture of sulphur and iron 

 filings kneaded with water, 2. That of boiled liniieed oil 

 by highly concentrated nitric acid. 3. That of phosphorus 

 by atmospheric air, as well as in pure oxigen gas, placed for 

 this purpose on a china saucer overboiling water, in order to 

 separate its particles by fusion without having recourse to 

 rubbing it. 4. That of phosphuretted hidrogen gas by the 

 contact of the atmosphere, an imitation of the Jack with a 

 lantern. 5. The combustion of pyrophorns, thrown into 

 the open air, and into pure oxigen gas. 6. The reduction 

 of roasted bran, put hot into a coarse bag, to an ignited 

 coally mass by the action of the atmospheric air. 



I was not ignorant, that essential or volatile oils become Attraction of 

 resinous, and that drying oils boiled with metallic oxides °^'g^" ^5- ^iJ*» 

 grow thick and even hard by their combination with oxigen ; 

 and this was the reason why my hanks of cotton impreg- 

 nated with a mixture of boiled linseed oil were exposed a 

 whole day to the air, hnng separately on poles: but I sup- That in the 

 posed they were then saturated with oxigen, and conse- ^^'^^*^" '"PP<>- 

 quently incapable of occasioning the least accident. I felt rated with ii. 

 myself so secure in this respect, that I have several times 

 dried a great deal of oiled cotton in hot rooms; and it was 

 owinc; to chance alone, that it was never put together, till 

 the moment when it was washed in order to he dved. It is Owing In part 

 possible however, that the proportiotj of a thirty-third part of perhaps lo &» 

 boiled linseed oil mixed with tlie alkaline solution of alumine oi7!i!^pioye4. 

 might be insufficient, to excite spontaneous combustion in 

 the hanks put together after being- dried. If therefore a pxecaudao, 

 person were inclined to employ a mixture of boiled linseed 

 oil and the alkaline solution of alumine, on account of the 

 simplicity of the proce^, he should take the precaution, to 

 let the hanks remain spread separately on the poles, till the 

 instant of their being washed previous to dyeing ; which, in 

 conjunction with the brightening, would i-emove all the ex- 

 cess 



