
          My Dear Sir

I herewith send the volume of Sir Humphrey Davy on the
Safety Lamp &c.[etc.}, which I promised to forward to you on my return
to New York. It is made up chiefly of extracts from his papers
published in the Phil. Trans. & in Brandeis Journal, but there is
an interesting preliminary chapter which I think culd[could] please
you. Dr. Ure has garbled Sir Humphrey's statements [crossed out: ?] You will
find the priginal to possess the clearness & elegance which characterize
easy production of the distinguished author.

I send you also two or three small matters which I beg you will
accept of. The chloro-chromic acid was favored according to the
directions of Dr. Thompson. It is a most active compound and must
be handled with great caution. Its fumes are more annoying to
me than those of any other substance, I have several times occasioned
violent bronchitis, by inhaling them. Recollect that it
acts violently on phosphorous altho'[although] Dr. Th. says it does not. To
make the expt.[experiment] put about ten drops of the acid in a strong capsule,
place the vessel behind a thick screen of glass & & then plunge into
it a piece of phosphorous fastened on the end of a crooked wire.
You can thus witness the experiment without the least danger.
The chloride of arsenic was prepared with great care, according to
the new process of Dumas who considers it a protochloride, but it
must be a [dexihochloride?], if the arsenious acid [crossed out:?] contain two atoms
of oxygen - for each atom of oxygen will require an atom of sodium
& the two atoms of chlorine which are liberated have but one atom
of arsenic with which to combine. See Ann. Chem. at phys [crossed out:]

        