jDr. Beddoes on feme appearances attending 
and fixed air would be generated anew. Moreover it appears, 
from the experiments of Dr. Austin and fome others, that 
charcoal confifts of the hydrogene and azote of the French 
chemifts. How far it may be difficult or impoflible entirely to 
convert charcoal in its ordinary date into gas, is a point I wiffi to 
fee more fully illufirated by future experiments. At prefent it 
feems obvious, that the circumftances of the operation I have 
deferibed are particularly favourable to this converfion : for, i. 
not to mention the violence of the heat, we have this fub- 
ftance in a very attenuated ftate, fo that, very probably, the 
expanfive power of fire is very little, if at all, counteracted by 
the attraction .of cohefion, which cannot be faid in the cafe of the 
mod minute mechanical divifion we can effeCt. 2. The attrac- 
tion of the particles of the iron for one another will produce 
an effort to extrude the intermixed particles of charcoal, and 
thus enable it more readily to affume the elaftic form. 
Now, during the continuance of the lighter coloured blue 
flame, the mafs, as I oblerved, (hews no power of generating 
heat within itfelf ; a circumftance which indicates that the 
heat produced in the former part of the operation does not 
depend on the burning of the gas at the furface; and I think 
infpeCtion will fatisfy any one that it is produced in the heart 
of the mafs. It may indeed be objected, that the metal, now 
brought nearer to the ftate of malleable iron, may require a 
greater fupply of heat to keep it at the fame temperature. It 
is lefs fufible, as we are well affured. By referring back to the 
minutes you will obferve, how very often it was neceffary to 
turn the flame upon the mafs during this fecond fermentation 
in order to keep it in a ftate in which it could be worked. 
The very copious production of elaftic fluids during an hour, 
and often "firing a much longer fpace, for in this inftance the 
jr procefs 
