WATURfi OF OXIMURIATIC A«|B« C33 



Of the Other parts of Mr. J.Da\7's oommunioation I 

 may avoid, i believe, taking- any notice. He has prefixed a 

 kind of view of the progress of this discussion, in whi<:h are 

 much repetition of what has been already repHed to, and 

 misstatements, which to those who have attended to the 

 (Question it cannot be necessary to obviate. I shall merely 

 ^ve one example of this, and dismiss a subject sufficiently 

 irksome. Mr. J. Davy has found, that, when a mixture of instance of a 

 citrbotiic oxi'de, hidrogen, and oxirauriatic gitsses is in- '"'ssiatement 

 flfamed by the electric spark, two measures out often of the Dawv. 

 CAribonic; oxid'e disappear ; and this, be says, I *' consider 

 in my last communication as a demonstration, that oxi- 

 mtiriatic gas is a compound of an unknown basis and osi- 

 geu". There is not a sentence in that conrmunication of mine, 

 that will fairly admit of such an interpretation, nor should I 

 lia:ve thought of resting any demonstration on so narrow a 

 basis.' I considered the fact established by myownexperi- 

 rtients, that there is a total or nearly a total conversion of 

 carbonic okide into carbonic acid, as such a demonstration, 

 I have farthef considered this partial conversion of car- 

 bonic oxide into carbonic acid in Mr. J. Davy's experi-» 

 ment, as a confirmation i9 a certain extent of my results ', and 

 r pointed out to him a very sufficient reason, why its suc- 

 cess had not been more complete — his having diminished 

 the proportion of hidrogen to less than one^ half of that 

 which I had employed. It is not more necessary perhaps 

 to- take notice of his remarks with regard to the actmn of 

 oximuriatie gas on carburetted hidrogen. He must have Mr. J. Davj 

 known of the difference of opinion, which prevails ^n^ong ^^j^^^l^'^^^^ 

 chemists with regard to the carburetted hidrogen gasses, and carburetted 

 of course, in giving an account of any experiments upon ^'^g^ '^« 

 them, he ought to have mentioned, what particular gas he 

 employed. The gas from humid charcoal has been regarded 

 as a variety of carburetted hidrogen, it is the one even to 

 which the name was first given, and to which it is still applied; 

 and though different opinions exist with regard to its con- 

 stitution, I could not know what opinion Mr, J. Davy 

 held with regard to it, or what he considered as exclusively 

 carburetted hidrogen. The subject however is one of little 

 importance, and my obserrations with regard to the one gas 



will 



