great Intcrcourfe with England, might introduce fome Greek 
Letters to exprefs thofe Sounds which they had not in their 
own Language 3 from hence they were carried into France, 
with the reft of the Saxon Alphabet, and fo into Italy ; which 
Mahillon alfo in effect acknowledges when he fays, Hanc ta- 
men Scripture formam non Franci a Romanis, j'^i Langobardi- 
cis pafjim Elementk tunc utehantur, fed a Francis Romani acce- 
pijle videntur. But it would take up too much time here to 
.difcourfe of the Original of Saxon Charafter, and whence 
tnofe Agreements between it and the pure Merovingian and 
Lombard C\\2LT2Ld:QTS might at firft arife 5 and perhaps the thing 
it felf does not deferve any farther enquiry. 
Aft EJlimate of the Qjiantky of Vapour rat fed out of the Sea 
hy the warmth of the Sun ; derived from an Expert^ 
ment fhown before the Royal Society, at one of their 
late Meetings : hy E. Halley. 
THat the quantity of aqueous Vapours contained in the 
Medium oi the Air, is very confiderable, feems moft 
evident from the great Rains and Snows which are fometimes 
obferved to fall, to that degree, that the Water thus difchar- 
gcd out of chelnterfticesof the Particles of Air, is in weight 
a very fenfible part of the incumbent Atmofphere : but in 
what proportion thefe Vapours rife, which are the Sources not 
only of Rains; but alfo of Springs or Fountains (as I defign to 
prove) has not, that I know of, been any where well exami- 
ned, tho itfeem to be one of the moft neceffary Ingredients 
of a real and Philofophical Meteorology ; and asfucb, to de- 
ferve the confideration of this Honourable Society. I thought 
it might not be unacceptablej to attempt, by Experiment to 
determine the quantity of the Evaporations of Water, as far 
as they arife from Heat 1 which, upon Try al, facceeded as 
foUowSo We 
