CLIMATE of RUSSIA. 239 



broken clouds in the morning, which vanifh under our eye 

 whilft looking at them, as the fun rifes higher above the hori- 

 zon, in the fame manner as chemical folutions become turbid 

 on cooling, and clear again on heating. 



6thly, This extraordinary dry air penetrates into our apart- 

 ments, either gently and infenfibly through chinks, or rapidly 

 and perceptibly when our ftoves are lighted each morning ; a 

 fure means of renewing the air of our apartments once in 

 twenty-four hours at lead. The external air thus introduced, 

 foon acquires the temperature of the chamber, which is com- 

 monly from 12 to 15 ° or more of Reaumur, (in the better 

 fort of houfes, for thofe of the common people are warmer) 

 and then recovers its diffolving power, which the feverity of 

 the cold had confiderably diminished, nay almoft entirely over- 

 come ; but as it now contains little or no humidity, it muft, 

 like other menjlrua, attack the humidity that it finds in the 

 chamber, with a much greater rapidity than it could have 

 done with the fame degree of heat, had it not been thus puri- 

 fied (or dephlegmated, in the language of chemiftry) by the 

 cold. All the bodies, then, which happen to be in the room, 

 muft lofe of their humidity, or be dried much quicker than in 

 any other feafon ; and, in facl, there is no houfekeeper in Pe- 

 terfburg who does not perceive to his coft this extraordinary 

 drying procefs, as our furniture warps, cracks or fplits much 

 more during the rigour of winter, than in the hotteft period of 

 fu'mmer, nay probably more than in any other country between 

 us and the equator. 



Jtbly, A natural refult of all this, is, that, after our great 

 cold has continued a certain time, the bodies mentioned above, 

 viz. air, filk, wool, hair, wood, Is'c. are in fact, without amft-* 

 ance from us, drier than during the reft of the year, and pro- 

 bably more fo than in any other part of Europe, except they 

 are dried exprefsly by fome artificial means. 



Stbly, 



