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folution of the fait, the water funk near one third of 
its whole elevation ; but when the folution was 
entirely finifhed, it remained very fenfibly raifed above 
the mark: fo that, even from the experiment with 
this inftrument, we may be allured that water can- 
not abforb -. ^V g-th part of its weight of nitre, with- 
out being augmented in bulk. Mr. Eller, from his 
experiments, concludes, that eight ounces of water 
will abforb one drachm and a half, or above a 42d 
part of its weight of nitre ; and hence I fuppofed 
the quantity of water which I ufed would have 
abforbed above fixteen times as much, or above 3 
ounces ; whereas the event fhewed that it could not 
abforb of an ounce. From the finking of the 
water during the folution, I was at firft inclined to 
believe that fome part at lead: of the nitre was taken 
into the pores of the water : in order to fee whether 
this conjecture could be verified by faCt, I made the 
following experiment. 
Experiment II. 
I chofe two mattrafles of unequal fizes, contain* 
ing quantities of water in the proportion of 12 to 1, 
the diameters of the necks being equal : into the 
largeft I put ^—th part of the water’s weight of 
nitre, and an equal quantity into the fmaller and I 
obferved that the water, as well before as after the 
folution, was equally elevated in them both: this 
experiment was repeated. Now, if a given quantity 
of water can abforb into its pores, without being in- 
creafed in magnitude, any quantity of fait however 
fmall, it feems reafonable to fuppofe that a quantity 
containing 
