17 
The thermometer employed was a standard, constructed at 
Owens College, No. 3. 
The coating of paraffin surrounding the bulb was some- 
times kept from one experiment to another, being always 
carefully dried after the bulb was plunged in melting ice, 
and sometimes it was removed, but this circumstance did 
not appear to affect the results. 
It was soon seen that different specimens of paraffin had 
very different melting points, so that the research was 
directed to the second question, namely, whether the same 
specimen retains the same melting point, after being fre- 
quently melted and solidified. 
The 
followin 
g is a 
record 
of the various experiments 
made : — 
1872. 
Feb. 29 
Paraffin melted at 45 ’05. 
Mar. 
6 
55 
55 
(thermometer not observed). 
13 
55 
at 44-90. 
21 
55 
55 
(thermometer not observed). 
» 
26 
55 
55 
at 44 - 9. 
April 11 
55 
55 
(thermometer not observed). 
>5 
19 
55 
55 
55 55 55 
55 
26 
55 
5? 
at 45-00. 
May 
3 
55 
55 
(thermometer not observed). 
55 
10 
55 
55 
” 55 55 
55 
16 
55 
55 
at 45-00. 
55 
23 
55 
55 
(thermometer not observed). 
June 
1 
55 
55 
’5 55 55 
55 
6 
55 
55 
55 55 55 
55 
13 ...... 
55 
55 
at 44-90. 
The paraffin was melted without an observation of the 
thermometer at the following dates — -June 19, 27; July 3, 
19, 25; Aug. 1, 9, 16, 22, 31 ; Sept. 6, 14, 21, 27; Oct. 8, 17. 
Observations with the thermometer were then resumed 
with the following results : 
