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as I can pombly contrive it, appeared to Be very 

 great; indeed, much greater than I had expected. 

 I put a dead moufe into a tali glafs verTel, and 

 having filled the remainder with quickfilver, and fet 

 It, inverted, in a pot of quickfilver, I let it ftand 

 about two months, in which time the putrid effluvium 

 iffuing from the moufe had filled the whole veflel, 

 and part of the difTolved blood, which lodged upon 

 the furface of the quikfilver, began to be thrown out. 

 I then filled another glafs veffel, of the fame fize and 

 fhape, with as pure fixed air as I could make, and 

 expofed them both, at the fame time, to a quantity 

 ©f lime-water. In both cafes the water grew turbid 

 alike, it rofe equally faft in both the veffels, and like- 

 wife equally high ; fo that about the fame quantity 

 remained unabforbed by the water. One of thefe 

 kinds of air, however, was exceedingly fweet and- 

 pleafant, and the other infufTerably offenfive ; one of 

 them aifo would have made an addition to any 

 quantity of common air with which it had been- 

 mixed, and the other would have diminiflied it. 

 This, at leaft, would have been the confequence, if 

 the moufe itfelf had putrefied in any quantity of air. 



It feems to depend, in fome meafure, upon the 

 time, and other circumfiances, in the diflblution of 

 animal or vegetable fubflances, whether they yield 

 the proper putrid effluvium, or fixed, or inflammable 

 air j but the experiments which I have made upon- 

 this fubject, have not been numerous enough to 

 enable me to decide with certainty concerning thole 

 circumfiances. Putrid cabbage, green,. or boiled,, in- 

 fects the air in the very fame manner as putrid animal 

 fubflances. Air thus tainted is equally contracted : 



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