t 24-7 ] 
I have frequently mentioned my having, at one 
time, expofed equal quantities of different kinds of 
air in jars {landing in boiled water. The common 
.air in this experiment was diminifhed four fevenths, 
and the remainder extinguifhed flame. This ex- 
periment demonftrates that water does not abforb 
air equally, but that it decompofes it, taking one 
part, and leaving the reft. To be quite fure of 
this fa£t, I agitated a quantity of common air iu 
boiled water, and when I had reduced it from ele- 
ven ounce meafures to fcven, I found that it extin- 
guilhed a candle, but a moufe lived in it very well. 
At another time a candle barely went out when 
the air was diminifhed one third, and at other 
times I- have found this effedl take place at other 
very different degrees of diminution. This dif- 
ference I attribute to the differences in the Hate of 
the water with refpefl to the air contained in it; 
for fometime.s it had flood longer than at other 
times before I made life, of it. I alfo ufed diflflled 
water, rainwater, and water out of which the air 
had been pumped, promifcuoufly with rain water.. 
1 even doubt not but that, in a certain ftate of the 
water, there might be no fenlible difference in the 
bulk of the agitated air, and yet at the end of the 
procefs it would extinguifli a candle, air being fup- 
plied from the. water in. the place of that part of 
the common air which had been abforbed. . 
It is certainly a little extraordinary that the very 
fame procefs lhould fo far mend putrid air, ..as to re- 
duce it to the ftandardof air in which candles have 
burned out ; andyet th it it fliould fo far injure com- 
mon and whole 'one air, as to reduce it to about 
the . 
