282 Dr. Blagden’s Experiments on 
water above the freezing point, fome of the fait fhould, when 
they exceeded a certain flrength, be depoflted before they began 
to freeze. Bur a further queftion occurred here, whether, 
when a folution was cooled below its freezing point, the fait 
would fhill continue to be depoflted; or whether it would not 
have parted with all the fait it was obliged to let go by the 
time it came to the degree at which it was to freeze, and would 
retain the remainder notwithftanding any fubfequent cooling. 
To determine this, I noticed carefully the quantities of fait 
depoflted at the bottom of the tumbler, in comparifon with 
the cold of the folution as (hewn by the immerfed thermome- 
ter ; and I found, that in fome cafes (for inftance, when the 
fait was to the water only as 1 : 10) the depofition did not 
begin till after the folution had paffed its freezing point ; and 
that, when it began earlier, flill there was no flop at the freez- 
ing point, but the quantity continued augmenting as the cold 
of the folution proceeded, and, as far as I could judge, rather 
in an increafing ratio. Thus when the faturated folution was 
cooled 8 or 10 degrees below its freezing point, which often 
happened, the collection of nitre at the bottom was very 
great ; and in this manner I could render a faturated folution 
of nitre no longer faturated when it came to freeze, the defi- 
ciency being fometimes fo great as to raife the point of conge- 
lation a degree or more. Hence was afcertained the unex- 
pected faCt, that the lower fuch folutions are cooled, the higher 
is their freezing point. 
The nitre depoflted by the folution as it cooled, formed, if 
the vefifel remained at reft, fmall but very white and compaCt 
prifmatic or needle-like cr^ftals, of confiderable length, point- 
ing different ways, and at laft curioufly interwoven with one 
another. But if thefe were broken down, or the folution was 
ftirred 
