22 natural history 
(bullets for instance, pebbles, or the like) they will not cohere 
nor reft by one the other without force, but will now on every 
fide, till they meet with fuch refiftance from external bodies, or 
their internal gravitation as fhall prevent farther motion. 
The particles of Water are unalterable; for, palling into fo 
many bodies, and through fuch alternate extremes of heat and cold, 
if they had not conftantly preferv’d their eflential properties, 
moifture, fince the beginning of the world, muft have fenfibly di- 
minifhed ; but feeing no fuch deficiency appears, and that fpnngs, 
rains, and rivers are as abundant now as they anciently were (as by 
the obfervations on the rifing of the Nile for many ages, among odier 
reafons may appear) we are to conclude, that though Waters may 
be tranfplanted, they can neither be tranftnuted nor deftroyed, and 
whereever removed, will make their appearance again when at liber- 
ty, in the fame liquid ftate as they were in before. 
The particles of Water are exceedingly fmall, for they may be fo 
divided from each other, as that one fquare inch of common Water 
fhall when rarefied, fill a fpace which will contain 14000 fquare 
inches f ; and it is computed that at leaft 13000 particles of Water 
may be held on the point of a needle E ; by which it appears, that 
what we call Water is an afiemblage of a great number of fmall 
tranfparent globules, which are compofed again of an infinite num- 
ber of fmaller particles or atoms of this elemental y Lquor. The 
ufes and application of thefe general obfervations will foon occur. 
Pure Water, without any mixture of earth, mineral, fait, 01 oil, 
we know not any in it’s natural ftate, but it is in fome parts purer 
than in others, and beft, where it is found fufficient in quantity, 
and in greateft degree of purity. 
With Water in general few counties are fupphed io well as Cornwall, 
and yet fewer are the places where Water is more precious ; the 
moft impure and infe&ed Waters being of great ufe for mills, en- 
gines, and cleanfing the ores, and oftentimes rented at an exorbitant 
price. I have known twenty pounds a month given annually for 
one Water-courfe to drive an Engine-wheel, three years rollowing ; 
nay I am allured that fifty pounds a month have been given for the 
fame purpofe. Thefe Water-courfes are ufually not above the fize 
of an ordinary Mill-ftream. 
sect. hi. qq ie parts of Water being fo fmall and moveable, are eafily 
I—feparated one from another; and when they are fo divided into 
fmall parcels as to become about 800 times lighter tnan common 
Water, they are at leaft as light as the air, and will, by every fuc- 
f Muflchenb. pag. 738. £ Nieuwentyt’s Exper. Muffchenbr. p. 4 * 5 - 
ceffive 
