[ *52 ] 
out which It would always afcend to -the Turface, and 
cfcape. But that there is really fuch an attradliye 
force between air and water, the learned and inge- 
nious gentleman lafl mentioned has fully proved by 
the following experiment. 
Let an oil flalk be filled almofl: full with water, 
deprived of its air as much as may be, let the mouth 
of it be then flopped until the neck be immerfed in 
a vefTel of water, a bubble of air will then afcend 
into the upper part of the flafk. When things have 
flood in this way for fome days, the water will be 
found to have abforbed the whole bubble of air (if 
it was not too large) and intirely filled .the flafk ; but 
if the bubble was too large, part of it will be left, 
for the water after fome time will abforb no more 
air, being then fufficiently faturated with it. It is 
obfervable that a part of the included air enters pretty 
quickly into the water at firfl, but what remains af- 
terwards makes its way in but very flowly. This ex- 
periment fhews that water, when deprived of its air, 
will again draw the air gradually into its pores, juft 
in the fame manner that a lump of dry fiigar will 
draw up water into its pores, which will afcend pretty 
quickly at firft, but very flowly after fome time. 
We have reafon, therefore, to conclude that there is 
the fame kind of attradion between air and water, 
that there is between water and ^ny dry porous body 
that will imbibe it. 
As water contains a confiderable quantity of air,, 
fo does air contain a good deal of water, even wlien 
we think it quite pure and dry, as appears from the 
moiflure drawn from it by dry fait of tartar, in fuch 
quantity as to make the fait become intirely fluid. 
Now 
