©BSIRTATIONS ON 30ME PHENOMENA OF COMiUSTION. J 8^ 



OBSERVATION. 



This noise is of the same nature as thnt of simmering; of the same 

 (SeePhilos. Journal, voK XI, p. 2l6) and, like that it is pro- nature as that 

 duced by the collapsion of the water rushing into the va- ^' simiacunji. 

 cuura left b} the bubbles of steam. It does not seem easy 

 to account for the distinct sensations in the two ears. 1 incline 

 to think, that it may have arisen from the direction of th< 

 undulatory motion having been more favourable to one ear 

 than to the other according to position, and that the ejir most 

 directly opposed to the undulation may have received a 

 stronger action than the other. If this were the case, the 

 sensation ought to be single when the face v/as directly op- 

 posed to the steam orifice. 



W. N. 



VI. 



Miscellaneous Observations on some Phenomena of ComhuS" 

 tion. In a Letter from a Correspondent, 



To Mr. NICHOLSON. 

 SIR, 



OT knowing whether your publication takes in such 

 trifling observations as what I am about to offer, I leave it 

 to your choice to insert them or not; but not having met 

 with them in my own reading, I conceive they may be ac- 

 ceptable to some of your younger readers. 



1. I have made at different times phosphorus bottles, to PhosphoTus 

 aerve instead of a flint and steel (by simply melting the bottie*. 

 phosphorus in a dry and heated phial, and allowing it to 

 burn for a few seconds) ; and I find, that, though kept with 

 a well ground stopper, they always get wet after using about 

 twelve or fifteen times, probably from the phosphoric acid 

 attracting water from the atmosphere at the times of opening 

 the bottle. This, beside the expense attendant on re- 

 newing them, sometimes proves a mortifying; disappont- 



ment : 



