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VIII. Some new experiments and observations on the combustion 
of gaseous mixtures, with an account of a method of preserving 
a continued light in mixtures of inflammable gases and air 
without flame. By Sir Humphry Davy, F. R. S. LL. D. V. 
P. R. I. 
Read January 23, 1817. 
I n a Paper read before the Royal Society at their last two 
meetings, I have described the phenomena of the slow com- 
bustion of hydrogene and olefiant gas without flame. In the 
same paper I have shown, that the temperature of flame is 
infinitely higher than that necessary for the ignition of solid 
bodies. It appeared to me, therefore, probable, that in cer- 
tain combinations of gaseous bodies, for instance, those above 
referred to, when the increase of temperature was not suffi- 
cient to render the gaseous matters themselves luminous ; 
yet still it might be adequate to ignite solid matters exposed 
to them. I had devised several experiments on this subject. 
I had intended to expose fine wires to oxygene and olefiant 
gas, and to oxygene and hydrogene during their slow combi- 
nation under different circumstances, when I was accidentally 
led to the knowledge of the fact, and, at the same time, to 
the discovery of a neW and curious series of phenomena. 
I was making experiments on the increase of the limits of 
the combustibility of gaseous mixtures of coal gas and air by 
increase of temperature. For this purpose, I introduced a 
small wire-gauze safe-lamp with some fine wire of platinum 
