JB/538/394/002

Click Here To Edit

has been found to contain, and which he supposes to be precipitated
I think by the Phlogiston in the nitrous air.

He has though with great difficulty perfectly deprived some
Aphlogistic air of its fixed air, when it has been left at
least 4 times as pure as that which with nitrous
air has been diminished as much as any whatever
and yet this very pure air could be diminished by
no process whatever and he tried all which had ever
been found to diminish air.

Nitrous air put to it did not perhaps add anything
to its bulk at least not till a certain quantity had
been put, but at the same time it never diminished
the original quantity of aphlogistic air.

Candles burning, Pyistical mixtures, &c were all
tried but nothing could diminish it.

He found that no air was capable of being diminished
but in as much as the fixed air which was mixed
with it. Vegetation Respiration the burning of Candles
&c all diminish air only by precipitating the fixed
air. He has found sometimes that an animal by
respiration in a certain quantity of air has done it
more good by precipitating the fixed air from it than
harm by the phlogiston which it communicated,
the after the animal has been
dead another being put in the same has lived
longe than the first did, and candles have burnt
in it far longer than in common air. This last
experiment I saw. If a plant be put in a Jar
of air with a it growing in water
but the neck of the jar is so narrow as not much more
than to admit the stem so in short that a very small
surface of water be exposed to the included air, that plant
will sicken and dye presently but if there be a large
surface of water or any substance be put into the Jar
which will attract the fixed air as it is precipitated
then the plant will continue in full vigour.

I cant have time to reason with you upon these
experiments, be satisfied in believing that I made several
queries and objections to his Theory, but it seemed well
established by a number of excellently well conducted
experiments. You might talk about it to Fontana
if you see him. If I could find time I would send him
a description of Troestwych's Indiometer.

This Page Has Not Been Transcribed Yet

Identifier: | JB/538/394/002"JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 538.
Date_1	1779-10-15	Marginal Summary Numbering
Box	538	Main Headings
Folio number	394	Info in main headings field
Image	002	Titles
Category	Correspondence	Number of Pages
Recto/Verso		Page Numbering
Penner	Samuel Bentham	Watermarks
Marginals		Paper Producer
Corrections		Paper Produced in Year
Notes public		ID Number
Box Contents