Analy/ts of the An\ 19 j 
the neck of the retort : And which upon 
raifing the receiver, flowed down into the 
bottom of the retort, and there made a frefh 
ebullition, which had ceafed, ^hen ail the 
Mercury was diftilled from the bottom of 
the retort. When all was cool, I found about 
two drams of Mercury in the retort, and loft 
in the whole 43 grains, but there was not 
the leaft moifture in the receiver- 
Whence it is to be fulpefted that Mr. 
and others were deceived by fome unheeded 
circumftanee, when they thought they ob- 
tained a water from Mercury in the diftilla- 1 
tion of it 5 which he fays he did once, but 
could not make the like Experiment after- 
terwards fucceed. BoyleYo\. III. p. 416. 
I remember that about 20 years fince I 
was concerned with fcveral others, in mak- 
ing this Experiment at the elaboratory in 
Trinity College Cambridge y when imagining 
there would be a very great cxpanfion , wc 
luted a German earthen retort, to 3 or 4 
large Alodals, and’ a capacious receiver 5 as 
Mr. IVilfon did in his courfe of Chymiftry. 
Four pounds of Mercury was poured by lit- 
tle and little into the red hod retort, thro’ 
a tobacco-pipe purpofely affixed to it. The 
O z event 
