Mifcellanea Curioja, 7 



Degree; and that Warmth declining, and the 

 Air growing cooler and alfo fpecifically ligh- 

 ter, the Vapours confequently (hall ftop at a 

 certain Region of the Air, or elfc defcend, which 

 may happen upon feveral accounts, as I (hall by 

 and by endeavour to make out ; yet I undertake 

 not that this is the only principal of rhe rife of 

 Vapours, and that there may not be a certain fort 

 of Matter, whole Conatus may be contrary to that 

 of Gravity ; as is evident in Vegitation, where 

 in the Tendency of the Sprouts is dire&ly up- 

 wards, or againft the Perpendicular. But what 

 ever is the true Gaufe, it is in Facl: certain, that 

 warmth does feparate the Particles ot Water, and 

 emit them with a greater and greater Velocity, 

 as the heat is more and more inrenfe ; as is evi- 

 dent in the Steam of a boiling Cauldron, where- 

 in likewife the Velocity of the afcent of the Va- 

 pours does vifibly decreafe till they difappear, be- 

 ing difperfed into and ailimulated with the Am- 

 bient Air. Vapours being thus raifed by warmth, 

 let us for a firft Suppofition put, that the whole 

 Surface of the Globe were all Water very deep, 

 or rather that the whole Body of the Earth were 

 Water, and that the Sun had its diurnal courfe 

 about it : I take it, that it would follow, that the 

 Air of it felf would imbibe a cenain Quantity of 

 aqueous Vapours, and retain them like Salts did 

 folved in Water ; that the Sun warming the Air, 

 and railing a more plentiful Vapour from the 

 Water in the day-time, the Air would fuftain a 

 greater proportion of Vapour, as warm Water 

 will hold more diflblved Salts, which upon the ab- 

 fence of the Sun in the Nights would be all again 

 difcharged in Dews, analogous to the Precipita- 

 tion of Salts on the cooling of the Liquors ; nor 

 B 4 is 



