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C 449 1 
four ounces avoirdupois of fait, to feven pints of 
water, wine ineafure. 
From the fecond and third experiments It is evi- 
dent, that the quantity of fait contained in fca-water 
haflens putrefadfion j as the fifli that had been kept 
in water of that degree of faltnefs was found to be 
much more putrid than that which had been kept 
the fame time in frefli water. This unexpedled pro- 
perty of fea-falt was difcovered by Sir John Pringle, 
in the year 1750, and publiflied in the XLVIth vo- 
lume of the Philofophical Tranfadions, with many 
very curious and ufeful experiments on fubfiances-re- 
fifting putrefadion j but the greateft quantity of fait 
there mentioned, is lefs than what is found in fea- 
water : it is probable, therefore, that if the fea were 
Icfs fait, it would be more luminous. And here it 
may be w'orth remarking, that, though the greatefb 
fummer heat is well known to promote putrefadion, 
yet 20 degrees more than that of the human blood 
feem to hinder it : for, putting a very fmall piece of 
a luminous filh into a thin glafs ball, I found that 
water of the heat of 1 18 degrees would deftroy its lu- 
minoufnefs in lefs than half a minute j which, on 
taking it out of the water, it would begin to recover 
in about ten feconds, but was never after fo bright as 
before. 
I fhall now only add to' thefe experiments the 
moft circumftantial accounts I can find of the fea’s 
luminous appearance. The Honourable Robert 
Boyle, in the third volume and 91 ft page, of Dodor 
Birch’s edition of his works, fays, When I remem- 
VoL. LIX. M m m “ ber 
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