a 

330 Mr. Watr’s Thoughts on the conftituent 
LEy’s, wherein water appeared to be converted into air; and "4 
communicated my fentimentsina letter addreffed to him, dated — 
April 26, :783*%, with a requeft that he would do me the © 
honour to lay them before the Royal Society ; but as, before he 
had an opportunity of doing me that favour, he found, in the | 
profecution of his experiments, that the apparent converfion of 
water into air, by expofing it to heat in porous earthen veffels, 
was not areal tranfmutation, but an exchange of the elaftic 
fluid for the liquid, in fome manner not yet accounted for ; 
therefore, as my theory was no ways applicable to the explain- 
ing thefe experiments, I thought proper to delay its publica- 
tion, that I might examine the fubje& more deliberately, which 
my other avocations have prevented me from doing to this 
time. : 
1. It has been known for fome time, that inflammable air 
contained much phlogifton; and Dr. Priestiey has found, 
by fome experiments made lately, that it ‘ is either wholly 
é*‘pure phlogifton, or at leaft that it contains:no appareit.mix-_ 
“ture of any other matter.” (In my opinion, however, it 
contains a {mall quantity of water and much, elementaryi 
* This letter Dr. Prizstrey received. at London; and, after. fhewing it! to, 
feveral Members of the Royal Society, he delivered it to Sir Josern Banks, they 
Prefident, with a requeft that it might be read at fome of the public meetings of, 
the Society; but before that could be complied with, the author, having‘heard of 
Dry PrrestLey’s nei ‘experiments, begged that the reading might be delayed? 
The. letter, therefore; was referved until the 22d of April lait; when, at the! 
author’s. requeft, it was. read before the/Society., It has been judged unneceflary to, 
print that letter, as the effential parts of it are repeated; almoft verbatim, in, 
this letter to M. De Luc; but, to authenticate the date of the author’ s ideas, the 
parts of it which are contained in the Pectin letter are marked with double 
eommasi i wise i: : e 
“Meaty 
