Of WATER by HEAT. 385 



conceived that the appearance of anomaly in this fluid origina- 

 ted entirely in the containing vefTel, which muft caufe the fluid 

 in the Stem to fall or rife according as its expanfions are greater 

 or lefs than thofe of the included liquor. 



A detail of thefe important experiments has, ere now, been 

 tranfmitted for publication in the Journals of the Royal Injlitution 

 of London. 



I have already noticed, that Dr Hooke endeavoured to ex- 

 plain in the fame manner the original experiment of Dr 

 Croune. This explanation apparently gathers much force from 

 thefe experiments of Mr Dalton. 



It is proper, however, to ftate, that M. de Luc was perfectly 

 aware of the alteration in the dimensions of his glafs apparatus, 

 but deemed the change too trifling to have any material in- 

 fluence. 



Sir Charles Blagden paid greater attention to the circum- 

 stance, and by calculation attempted to appreciate what allow- 

 ance ought to be made for the change of capacity in the amount 

 of the apparent changes of volume. 



When it is confidered, that the whole amount of the apparent 

 change is but very fmall, and that the expansibility of the glafs 

 is with difficulty afcertained, and is variable by reafon of the 

 fluctuating proportions of its heterogeneous constituents, it muft 

 be acknowledged, that precifion in fuch a calculation cannot pof- 

 fibly be attained, and can fcarcely be approached. On this ac- 

 count, all the experiments already noticed are open to the expla- 

 nation of Dr Hooke, and in fome meafure liable to the objec- 

 tion which he had urged. I confefs, that the experiments of Mr 

 Dalton, in perfect concurrence with that explanation, created 

 confiderable doubts respecting the existence of the peculiarity of 

 water ; againft the probability of which circumstance, all analo- 

 gical reafoning, and every argument a priori, Strongly militate. 



3 D 2 Unwilling 



