•[ 2 3 r 1 
admitted to it, no more was abforbed ; which is an 
effeft fimilar to that of a mixture of nitrous and 
common air, which was mentioned before. 
The preceding experiments on the calcination of 
metals fuggefted to me a method of explaining the 
caufe of the mifchief which is known to arife from 
frefh paint, made with white lead (which I fuppofe 
is an imperfect calx of lead) and oil. To verify 
my hypothelis, I firft put a fmall pot full of this 
kind of paint, and afterwards (which anfwered much 
better, by expofing a greater furface of the paint) I 
daubed feveral pieces of paper with it, and put them 
under a receiver, and obferved, that in about twenty- 
four hours, the air was diminifhed between one fifth 
and one fourth, for I did not meafure it very exactly. 
This air alfo was, as I expedited to find it, in the 
highefl degree, noxious ; it did not effervefce with 
nitrous air, it was no farther diminifhed by a mix- 
ture of iron filings and brimftone, and was made 
wholefome by agitation in water deprived of all air. 
I think it appears pretty evident, from the preced- 
ing experiments on the calcination of metals, that air 
is fome way or other diminifhed in confequence of 
being highly charged with phlogiflon, and that agi- 
tation in water reftores it, by imbibing a great part 
of the phlogiflic matter. That water has a confider- 
able affinity with phlogiflon, is evident from the 
flrong impregnation which it receives from it. May 
not plants alfo reflore air diminifhed by putrefaction,, 
by abforbing part of the phlogiflon with which it is 
loaded ? The greater part of a dry plant, as well as 
of a dry animal fubflance, confifls of inflammable 
air, or fomething that is capable of being converted 
into 
