558 
but ‘the soda contained twenty parts of 
oxygen to eighty of base. These metals 
futroduced into a jar of oxymuriatic gas 
spontaneously took fire, and the white 
fume collected on the glass, was in the 
Gne case muriate of potash, in the other 
muriate of soda, or common culinary 
salt. Particles of the new metals put 
into water, decomposed the water, and 
gave out a brilliant light. The water 
used was pure distilled water, which in- 
stantly after the decomposition of the 
metals, shewed by meaus of turmeric 
paper, that it was become highly alkaline. 
The same sort of action was exhibited by 
the nitric acid,; and the potassium acted 
also on the sulphuric and other strong 
acids. Mr. Davy placed small particles 
of the metals on ice, and they immedi- 
ately decomposed the water and gave 
out a bright light: alkali was lke- 
wise formed on the ice. These’ me- 
tals unite with mercury and form 
Solids: thus, one part of sodaium and 
three. of mercury being mixed, the 
two fluids united in a state of solidity. 
Several other experiments were made, 
and the professor felt no hesitation in' 
giving his opinion as ta the great impor- 
tance of these discoveries in their @ppli- 
cation to. the arts; and even to an art, 
which he doubted if he should venture 
te mention, the art of war, as the de- 
struction occasioned by these metals, if 
they could be brought into action, would 
be incontestably greater than bythose now 
in use. In reference to the detail of his 
own discoveries, he said the present 0h 
of knowledge was more likely to produce 
in him humility than exultation. The 
- experimentalist was not the hero of his 
own tale, but he could not avoid being 
the subject of it; and he hoped the ex- 
periments and facts exhibited, woul be 
considered independently of any opinion 
which he ‘had divulged in connection 
with them. In the present imperfect 
state of enquiry, it would be presumption 
to expect that any thing would be per- 
manently established. Alluding to the 
great powers of the Voltaic battery,* be 
said, some might imagine that the desi- 
deratum of the alchemists was accom- 
plished, and that the delusive hopes of 
those visionaries were, at length, realized: 
but it ought to be remembered there was 
an immense interval between the pro- 
cesses of combination and decompositi- 
on, that the proper province of chemistry 
extended but to inorganic matter, that 
a eseaahy ee OE AE ii = he TS a eae 
* Mr. Davy’s battery contains thirty-eight 
skousand square inches of metal plates, 
Literary and Philosophical Intelligence. 
[July 1, 
inthe powers of combination other agents 
were employed, with whose nature we 
were wholly unacquainted, and to whose - 
operation we might for ever remain stran- 
gers. Mr. Davy, having shewn his experi- 
ments on the fixed alkalies, proceeded to 
ammonia, which, from the manipulations 
of Priestley and Steele, was regarded as 
a compound of hydrogen and _ nitrogen: 
he had no doubt im his mind, that it 
contaiued also a portion of oxygen. This 
he attempted to demonstrate by expe- 
riments, particularly by passing some 
ammonia, in a state of gas, through a 
porcelain tube, heated to a white heat; 
the hydrogen and nitrogen, were collect« 
ed, and in the glass vessel through which 
they passed moisture was very apparent, 
which he felt satisfied was water, formed 
by the oxygen contained in the ammonia. 
Hence he inferred, that though oxygen 
had hitherto been considered as the aci- 
difiable principle only, it would be found 
to be the alkalizing principle likewise. 
From the alkalies he proceeded to the - 
earths, which he enumerated and describ- 
ed, and which he considered as the link 
between the alkalies and metallic exides, 
and he had no doubt that they would 
hereafter yield to some higher powers of 
the Voltaic battery, and exhibit the parts 
of which they were composed. On Ba~ 
rytes he then made an experiment, shew- 
ing very decisively that it contamed an 
inflammable principle. He wasnext led 
to consider the phenomena of Meteorie 
Stones, and the light occasioned by them ; 
which, Mr. Davy, said, were now. per- 
fectly explicable by the facts just disco- 
vered ; but as to the place whence these 
bodies came, he gave no opinion, only 
that from the curves which they de- 
scribed, it was certain that they came 
from some other world, and were travel- 
lers only in our atmosphere; for if they, 
had been formed there, ther descent 
must be perpendicular to the surface of 
the earth, which, it was known, was not 
the case. The professor then referred to 
the several substances that had hitherto 
been deemed simple, ‘supposing that all 
might, hereafter, be decomposed. In sul- 
phur and ‘charcoai, it was now known 
there was hydrogen: he seemed to sus- 
pect that the two great principles ope- 
rating in nature, were the principle of 
inflammability and a metalline principle. 
It is our intention, in a subsequent num- 
ber, to -give.a more detailed account of 
the discoveries of this learned chemist, 
which-cannot fail to be highly interesting 
whieh 
