^3S 



NO WATER IN MURIATIC ACI» GAS. 



lo continue his observations in your next number; and as 

 it appears, that thebe intended remarks are meant as a re- 

 turn for the notice ivjjich I have taken of his papers, I re- 

 gret the more that be should take so much trouble. For 

 praise, when used as the vehicle of irony, is the worst kind of 

 T'BihibottM <^c"sure. The discovery of truth ought to be the only ob- 

 betftesoleob- ject of philosophical discussion. There are, doubtless 

 2j>|jica^«iir *^^"y *^^'^'^^^ ^" '"y humble attempts at chemical analysis ; 

 ewiiiioa. but unless Dr. Pear&,on points out those errors, or brings 



forward new facts connected svith my inquiries, I confess I 

 bad much rather he would not again honour them with his 

 notice. 



" Quicqiiid id est, timeo Danaos, <t dona ferentes.'* 



1 remain, Sir, &c. 



ALEXANDER MARCET. 



XIX. 



.On the supposed Presence of Water in Muriatic Add Gas, 

 In a Letter from a Correspondent. 



To Mr. NICHOLSON. 

 SIR, 



E)«pei5m«>t to JLiLAVING seen in your Journal for the last month a 

 ^Si^id gl"* s^"\*^meut of Mr. Murray's relative to the presence of wa- 

 r^tajnsno ter in muriatic acid gas, and being present at a lecture of 

 Miter. ^if^ Davy's at the Royal Institution on the 7th of February, 



IB the course of which he repeated it with very different 

 results, I was induced to repeat it also. The mode of 

 Mr. Davy's experiment was so very unexceptionable, I 

 determined to adopt it; it was as follows, viz.: having 

 obtained ammoniacal and muriatic acid gasses pure, I in- 

 trotluced them into a retort, which was previously exhausted. 

 They immediately combined ai>d formed muriate of am- 

 monia. Then, having cleared a part of the neck, for any 

 condensation of fluid that might occur, I applied heat, until 

 all the salt was sublimed into the neck of the retort, and did 

 cot oh am a particle of moisture. 1 then removed some of 

 , the salt throlvgh the atmosphere into a dry tube, and ap- 

 plied 



