£803.) Method of Purifying Cafks—Chemical Agency of Elericity. 511 
Attercliffe, near Sheffield, in the famecoun- 
ty. At his firit fetting out in the miniftry, 
he was for about four years Affiftant in 
the Englifh Church at Amfterdam. After 
his return to England, he lived for fome 
time in two refpectable families, one in 
Kent, the other in Cambridgefhire : in 
all which places he had the opportunity 
ct convering with fome gentlemen of the 
trueft tafte for politenefs and learning ; 
and Mr. Reyner’s converfation was al- 
ways agreeable to gentlemen of that cha- 
ractet. Inthe year 1721, he fetrled at 
Briftol, as Affiftant to Mr. William 
Fither, pattor of the congregation in 
Tucker-ftreet. Upon the death of Mr. 
Fither, in 173%, Mr. Reyner, was chofen 
to fucceed him in the pattoral office; in 
which ftation he continued till the fourth 
day of June, 1744, when he exchanged 
this world for a better. 
Naru. LARDNER. 
Hoxton-fquare, near London, 
Odtober 30, 1745. 
It may be proper to add to the above 
brief account, that Mr. Reyner was the 
grandion ot Mr. Jofhua Kirby, after whom 
he received his given name, who was an 
eminent noncontormilt, but a zealous loy- 
lift, and was ejefled from Wakefield, 
‘where he died June 21, 1676, aged 59, 
and, being excommunicated, was buried 
in hisown garden. A larger account of 
him may be feen in the Nonconformilt’s 
Memorial, 3d edit. vol. 3, p. 454. 
wer oe 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine, 
SIR, 
BSERVING 
; Reader” requefts a method of puri- 
fying cafks, I offer the following for his 
conlideration. 
The procefs of charking fails only in 
the fire not being able to penetrate into 
the chafms or chinks of the cafk,. into 
which the coopers (to mend bad work) 
often infert ftrips of paper, or other fub- 
Atance, to make it water-right, which in 
time become rotten and offcnfive : now in 
order to remedy this, the following is a 
method found by experience to anfwer the 
required purpofe :—Insto a cafk contain- 
ing a quantity of water (fay about two gal- 
Jons in a hogfhead) put about one-tenth of 
its weight of fulphuric acid,* and let this 
be fhock about tor fome time; this is to 
be poured out, the cafk weil wafhed, and 
then {willed with a few gallons of lime- 
that a ‘* Conftant 
* Vitriolic acid, or oil of vitriol. © 
water, It were needlefs to fay, that this 
ought likewife to be wafhed out. 
Sulphur, mixed with a little nitre, 
burnt in the clofed veffel, and then the 
fubfequent procefs of lime-water, &c. 
would do, and perhaps as well. 
The theory is, that fulphuri¢e acid has 
the property, when ufed alone, of chark- 
ing wood, and when diluted has fufficient 
ftrength to deftroy muft, &c. with the ad- 
ditional advantage of entering into every 
crevice. The lime in folution feizes any 
particle of acid which the firft wafhing 
mizht leave, and converts it into an info- 
luble inoffeniive neutral falt, fuch as, if 
left in the cafk, would not in the leat in- 
jure the moft delicate liquor. 
Tam, Sir, your's, &c. 
May 20, 1803. 
cas Node aes 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
ls may prove gratifying to the lovers 
of chemical refearch, to learn, through 
the channel of your interefting Publica- 
tion, that Dr. Gibbes, of Bath, propofes 
fhortly to lay betore the public a more 
complete developement of an idea which 
he has formerly fuggefted refpecting the 
chemical agency of the two electricities.* 
It may not be known to many of your 
readers, that frem a confideration of elec- 
tric phenomena, efpecially thofe difplayed 
by the Galvanic apparatus, Dr. Gibbes 
has been led to doubt the correctnels of 
fome important conclufions which form 
the bafis of the chemical theory of Lavoi- 
fier. 
The terms oxygene and hydrogene are, 
like fome others uled by naturalifts, names 
applied to unknown caules of weli-knowna 
effects. If thefe terms were explained to! 
ftand for nothing more than a power ex- 
ifting fomewhere of producing well defin- 
ed etfeéts (as the term Magnetifm, ¢. g-) 
Dr. Gibbes would not be tound to differ 
from Mr. Lavoifier. He would only fug- 
ge(t to what known agents certain retults 
might be attributed, Oxygene and pofi- 
tive electricity might be convertible terms; 
burt Mr. Lavoitier affumes the exittence of 
two fubftances which cannot be exhibited 
to any of -our fenfes, by way of explaining 
phenomena which are more fimply expli- 
cable by reference to agents, the exiftence 
of which is demonftrable to our jenfes, and 
whicn are clearly adequate to the produc- 
tion of every effect. 
Lavoifier attributes weight to oxygene, 
IE EEE SNS NK EAS PORE Ae hs RUN PO 
* See his Treatife on the Bath Waters» 
Part 2, laft leaf, 
g Uz and 
