384 Mr. Cavendish’s Experiments on Air • 
by almoft half, and I believe might have been ftill further di- 
miniflied, had the fpark been continued. When lime-water 
was let up into the tube, a cloud was formed, and the air was 
further diminifhed by about one-fifth. The remaining air was 
good dephlogifticated air. In this experiment, therefore, the 
litmus was, if not burnt, at lead: decompounded, fo as to lofe 
entirely its purple colour, and to yield fixed air ; fo that, though 
foap-lees cannot be decompounded by this procefs, yet the folu- 
tion of litmus can, and fo very likely might the folutions of 
many other combuftible fubftances. But there is nothing, in any 
of thefe experiments, which favours the opinion of the air being 
at all diminifhed by means of phlogifton communicated to it 
by the eledlric fpark. 
