39^ Dr, blagden’s Hflory of 
“ increafed again to — 33 0 . In the morning the wind was 
“ N.N.E. and afterwards N.W.” 
This experiment of M. von elterlein’s deferves attention 
in many refpeCts. It afcertains the freezing point of mercury 
with fuch wonderful exaCtnefs, from the melting of the folid 
pieces when the thermometer came up to — 39 0 , as to furnifh 
a valuable corroboration of Mr. iiutchins’s experiments, and at 
the fame time very much to enhance our opinion of M. lax- 
mann’s (kill in the conftruCtion of indruments. When the 
thermometer was thought, early in the morning, to be {land- 
ing at — 57 0 , I imagine, that part of the quickfilver being 
frozen adhered in the tube. The duCtility of the folid metal 
mud have been confiderable, from its yielding to the knife in 
the form of (havings ; yet, as in mod other indances, it 
(hewed fome degree of brittlenefs when force was applied to it 
in the mafs. Crvdallizing without impediment, it afl'umed 
an appearance which M. von elterlein rather compares to 
that of lead than of filver. Its tendency to adhefon became 
evident from the necefity of employing an indrument to (epa- 
rateit from the tea-cup; and its contraction in freezing was de- 
mondrated by the depredion obferved in the middle of the folid 
mafs. This fugle experiment, therefore, exemplifies, in a 
very beautiful manner, mod of the properties hitherto difco- 
vered in quickfilver, when it pafles from a fluid to a folid form. 
Vytegra, or Witegorlk, is fituated in lat. 6 i° N. and long. 36° 
E. upon a river of the fame name. It has acquired fome cele- 
brity from one of the many ufeful projects which occupied the 
aCtive mind of Czar peter the Great. He propofed to cut a 
canal from the river Vytegra which difcharges itfelf into the 
Lake Onega, to the river Kovflia which joins the Bclofero, or 
White Lake, in order to form a communication between thole 
two 
/ ... 
