[ «»« 3 



lime- water to the air it immediately became turbid^ 

 and was contracted in its dimenfions as ufual. 



I tried the fame thing with air tainted with putre- 

 faction, putting a dead moufe to a quantity of 

 common air, in a vefiel which had its mouth im- 

 merfed in quickfilver, and after a w r eek I took the 

 moufe out, drawing it through the quickfilver, and 

 obferved that for fome time there was an apparent 

 increafe of the air perhaps about _'_. After this, 

 it flood two days in the quickfilver, without any 

 fenfible alteration ; and then admitting water to it,, 

 it began to be abforbed, and continued fo, till the 

 original quantity was diminifhed about .1. If, in-, 

 ftead of common water, I had made ufe of lime 

 water in this experiment, I make no doubt but it 

 would have become turbid. 



If a quantity of lime-water in a phial be put under 

 a glafs veifel {landing in water, it will not become- 

 turbid, and provided the accefs of the common air 

 be prevented, it will continue lime-water, I do not 

 know how long ; but if a moufe be left to putrefy in 

 the veilel, the water will depofit all its lime in a few 

 days. This may be owing to the fixed air being, 

 transferred from the putrid moufe into the water, and 

 yet it is evident that there is a putrid effluvium intirely 

 diitinc! from this kind of air, and which has very 

 different properties. 



It is a doubt with me, however, whether the 

 putrid effluvium be not chiefly fixed air, with the ad- 

 dition of fome other effluvium, which has the 

 power of diminiming common air. The reftm*- 

 blance between the true putrid effluvium and fixed: 

 air in the following experiment, which is as- decifive 



as 



