1 66 Analyfis of the Air. 
When the matter was fufficiently diftilled, 
the retort, &c. was gradually removed from 
the fire, and when cool enough, was carried 
into another room, where there was no fire. 
When all was throughly cold, either the 
following day, or fometimes 3 or 4 days 
after, I marked the furface of the water/, 
where it then flood $ if the furface of the 
water was below z, then the empty fpace 
between/ and z fhewed how much Air was 
generated, or raifed from a fix’d to an elaf- 
tick ftate, by the adion of the fire in difl.il- 
Jation : But if /, the furface of the water, 
was above z , the fpace between z and /, 
which was filled with water, fhewed the 
quantity of Air which had been abforbed 
in the operation, i. e. was changed from a 
repelling elaflick to a fix’d ftate, by the ftrong 
attradion of other particles, which I there- 
fore call abforbing. 
When I would meafurc the quantity of 
this new generated Air, I feparated the bolt- 
head from the retort, and putting a cork in- 
to the fmall end of the bolthead, I inverted 
it, and poured in water to z. Then from 
another veflel (in which I had a known 
quantity of water by weight) I poured in 
water to / 5 fo the quantity of water which 
was 
