PNEUMATICS. 12. The mercury continued to defcend. 13. The height of it was 33. Sept. 14. The mercury was fo depreffed, as to appear no more. Sept. 22. The mercury emerged again; its height was 33. The fruit was cover'd with a kind of mucor. Octob. 1. When neither the apricocks, nor the height of the mercury, were any more alter'd, and the mucor vanifhed, I open'd the receiver, and found the apricocks not impaired, but of a good colour, their pulp fpongy and foft, and of a tafte inclining to acid. Apricocks in an Aug. 21. The fourth receiver. I took a quarter of each of the faid unexhaufted receiver, whofe air apricccks, and fhut them up firmly, with a fcrew, in an unexhaufted rewas afterwards ceiver; into which, afterwards, I intruded air, till the mercury rofe 90 condensed. inches above its ftandard height. Aug. 22. Our receiver broke into an hundred pieces, by the force of the air compreffed within it; whereupon, I put the fruit into another, and added only fuch a quantity of air as was able to fuftain fixty inches of mercury. Aug. 25. The apricocks had contracted much mouldinefs; and I added new air. Aug. 26. They were wholly infected with mouldinefs and rottennefs. This receiver, if compared with the former, fhews, that the quantity of corruption depends on the quantity of the air. Hence we have it confirm'd, that alterations are made more fuddenly in factitious air; and that, in time, the corruption is far greater in common air. That the effects (38.) March 21. 1677. I put two onions into a receiver, which was differ from those to be topp'd clofe with a fcrew; and intruded fo much common air thereof the common, into, as raifed the mercury fixty inches above its ufual ftation. Shewn by onions March 28. The onions took root as well as other onions which I inin condensed air. cluded in common air at the fame time. Tulips and lark Spurs in common April 28. The onions included in common air, eight days ago, were cover'd with mouldinefs, though, in the beginning, they had fhot numerous roots: the onions in the other receiver began to corrupt at the ends of their roots; but the compreffed air, ten days before, had found a gradual paffage out, and now was almoft wholly efcaped. I, therefore, put in new air, till the mercury had attain'd to the height of fixty inches above its ufual ftandard. April 29. The onions in the compreffed air, were cover'd all over with mouldinefs. Hence it feems to follow, that a little compreffure doth not prejudice bodies to be expanded by vegetation. And the new air, which was intruded, feems to have promoted the mouldinefs, though, probably, in the beginning, the compreffure of the air retarded both the mouldinefs, and the corruption. (39) May 9. I put two equal quantities of tulips and lark-fpurs, into and compreed two receivers of an equal bignefs, and ftopp'd them up firmly with fcrews: air. I left one of them with common air only, but compreffed the other by the PUMATICS intrusion of new air, till the mercury exceeded its wonted height by feventy inches. May 11. Two tulips, in the common air, contracted mouldinefs; but all things remained unalter'd in the compressed air. May 12. A third tulip, in common air, began to be finewed; but nothing like it happen'd in the comprefs'd air. May 14. One tulip, in the comprefs'd air, was finew'd; but those in the common air, were all very mucid; and one of the lark-fpurs, in the common air, had alfo contracted a mucor. May 17. Three of the tulips in comprefs'd air, had contracted a finew but not half fo much as thofe in the common air. Two of the lark-fpurs, in the common air, appear'd finewed alfo; but thofe fhut up in comprefs'd air, were preserved fresh, and wholly free from mouldinefs, or finew. May 21. The flowers in the common air, were all rotten and putrefied; but those in the compreffed air, received no further alteration: and the tulips, which had contracted fome finew, feemed rather to lofe it, than to acquire new. May 30. When the flowers, in the common air, being wholly putrefied, were diffolved into water, I took them out, and kept the liquor in the veffel, to try whether any infects would breed therein. In the compressed air, the flowers fuffer'd no more fenfible alteration ; I, therefore, took them out, and found them moist, and of an acid odour. Hence, it seems that compreffed air hinders putrefaction and mouldinefs, in fome plants. (39) May 21. 1677. I cut an orange into two equal parts, and inclofed Orange in com one of the halves in a receiver, with air fo compreffed, that it would fuftain prefe and coman hundred inches of mercury above its wonted height: I left the other half in another clofe receiver, only with common air. May 25. Each half of the orange had contracted mouldinefs; but that in the common air was much more mucid than the other. May 26. The compressed air had entirely got out, and therefore I put in new. May 30. I every day perceiv'd fome air had efcaped, and, therefore, daily fupplied fresh, And the orange, by receiving new air fo often, contracted a mucor, notwithstanding the compreffure, much more than the other piece that was left in the fame air without pressure. June 1. I took out the two half oranges; and that which lay in the compreffed air, feemed to have contracted a corruption, at least, three times greater than that which had continued in the common air. Hereby the difpofition of compreffed air, to retard corruption, is confirmed; yet, in time, 'tis very probable, that the quantity of corruption may depend upon the quantity of the air. mon air. (40.) May 31. 1677. I included two equal quantities of rofes, in two Rofes in common receivers, ftopp'd by the help of fcrews; into one of which I intruded as air much and compressed PNEUMATICS much air as would fuftain ninety inches of mercury, besides its accuftomed preffure; but I left the other with common air only. Orange in com June 11. The roses in the common air were free from mouldinefs, only they feemed to have loft fomething of their colour: but those shut up in the compreffed air, had almost all contracted a yellow colour, as if they had wither'd in the open air; yet they were not mucid, or finewed. June 18. This laft week, the flowers, in the common air, fuffer'd not the leaft change; but thofe in the compreffed air, grew yellower. I open'd both receivers, and found the rofes to have retain'd their fcent, yet it was fomewhat alter'd; neither were they dry, or wither'd. I kept them apart in the open air, and found that thofe taken from the compreffed air, were not fo foon alter'd by the contact of new air, as thofe which had remained in uncompreffed air. Hence it seems to follow, that compreffed air is fometimes fitter to alter colour than common air. And, perhaps, it may be worth our notice, that rofes fo included, contract not a mouldinefs, but only a yellow colour; tho' in tulips and lark-fpurs, 'tis otherwise. (41) June 1. 1677. I put the two halves of the fame orange into two prefs' air, and receivers; in the one I increafed the quantity of air till it fuftained the mercury an hundred inches above its wonted height; but left the other uncompreffed, only exactly fhut. common. Shrew-mice in . common and June 6. Each half of the orange grew mouldy; especially that, whofe ambient air was compreffed. But new air was every day supplied; for the compreffed air, in 24 hours time, had almost all got out. But in the former, it had remain'd very well fhut in, for fix whole days. June 11. The orange, in the common air, contracted no more mouldinefs; but, in the compreffed air, the mouldinefs gradually increased. June 18. Finding the mouldinefs of the orange, in the common air, to diminish, rather than increase, I took it out; and perceiving further, that, in compressed air, the orange was not more mucid, after I had ceafed to intrude new air,I was willing to try, whether the new air fupplied new ftrength to the orange, to exert and thruft out its mouldinefs; and therefore, made the mercury in the gage, by means of the air intruded, to exceed its wonted height 80 inches. June 20. Two days after I had intruded new air into the receiver, the mouldinefs of the orange appeared to be manifeftly greater. Hence we may gather, that the quantity of the mouldinefs depends on the quantity of the air. (42.) June 17. 1677. I put two fhrew-mice into two receivers, of equal Compreffed air. bignefs, and ftopped them up carefully; in one of them I left only common air; into the other, I intruded air, till the mercury was higher, by 30 inches, than ufual: the mouse, in the common air, was included about 52 minutes paft 5 of the clock; and 6 minutes after the other. The moufe, in the compreffed air, feemed to lofe his ftrength much fooner than the other, the motion of his breaft being lefs frequent: yet, about 18 minutes after 6 o'clock, the mouse in the common air, which feemed the ftronger ftronger, fell into convulfive fits,and died ;but that in the comprefied air, PNEUMATICE. feemed then, and fome time after, to be as well, as he was an hour and half before. About eleven of the clock, the mouse in the compreffed air, ftill breathed; but, about four in the morning, he was found dead, in the fame pofture wherein he was feven hours before: whence we may conjecture, that he was free from convulfive fits. I must not omit, that the mouse, in the common air, had confumed fomething of that air; fo that the mercury ftood at 29 inches, and, when the receiver was opened, prefently afcended to 30. Hence we learn, that compreffed air feems fitter than the common, to prolong life; fince the one mouse lived fo much longer, tho' only a double quantity of air was included in the receiver. air. (43) June 13. 1677. I put four flies into a receiver, and aftewards in- Flies in commen truded air, till the mercury rofe fixty inches above its wonted height; and and compressed at the fame time, included three other flies, in another receiver, with common air not compreffed. June 14. In the morning, all the flies were well. In the afternoon, I found two of them dead in the compreffed air; but in the common, they were all alive. About five a-clock, one of the flies, in the compreffed air, was alive, and three in the common air. June 15. This morning I found all the flies in the common air dead but that fingle one which remain'd alive in the compreffed air, feem'd ftill to be very well; and, being taken out of the receiver, flew briskly away. Hence it feems, that flies are not very fenfible of the air's compreffure; and that they die more for hunger, than want of air: for the fly which remain'd fo long well, fed upon the carcaffes of those which were dead; fo that she feem'd not to be diftemper❜d. (44) June 15. I repeated the preceding experiment, only including four flies in each receiver, and compreffing the air fomewhat more. June 16. This morning I found two of the flies, in the common air, dead; and but one in the compreffed air. About two in the afternoon, the four flies, in the common air, feemed to be dead; but, in the compreffed air, the three were alive. Hence, the compreffure of the air feems of fmall confequence to flies; and, indeed, they are not prejudiced by the rarifaction of it, without great difficulty, and unless there be almost a compleat vacuum. and compreted (45) June 18. I included two frogs in two receivers, and ftopped them Frogs in costume by the help of fcrews; the one only contain'd common air, the other, air compreffed, till it fuftain'd feventy inches of mercury. June 19. Both the frogs were alive; and the height of the mercury, in both receivers, remained the fame. June 20. Neither of the frogs were dead; and they seemed rather to PNEUMATICS diminish, than increase the air; but the difference was fo fmall, that I dare not be pofitive therein. Oranges in com June 21. In the morning, both the frogs were alive; but, towards evening, that in the common air was found dead. June 22. At evening the frog, in the compreffed air, was alive. (46) June 18. 1677. I fhut the two halves of the fame orange, in on and com- two receivers, and ftopped them by the help of fcrews; the one with common air, the other, with air compreffed to fuftain ninety inches of mer prefed air. Rofes in common and comprefed air. Lemmons in common and cury. June 22. This morning I found the orange, in the common air, mouldy; but the other was found. At three in the afternoon, the orange, in the compreffed air, seemed, alfo, to have contracted fome mucor. June 23. The orange, in the common air, was far more mucid than the other. June 24. The orange, in the common air, did not increase its mouldinefs; but the other was cover'd all over with it. June 28. The mouldinefs, produced in the common air, was now wholly vanifhed in the other receiver, I perceiv'd no further alteration in the fruit. June 30. Both remaining in the fame ftate, I took them out. The part which was kept in common air, feemed half rotten; but the other, befides its finew, appear'd wholly putrefied. Hence 'tis confirm'd, that the quantity of the mouldinefs depends on the quantity of the air. It seems alfo worth obferving, that the mouldinefs appear'd a little later in the compreffed air, than in the common, tho', afterwards, it increafed much more. (47) June 29. 1677. I included rofes in two receivers, ftopp'd by the help of fcrews; I left one with common air only, but filled the other with fo much, that the mercury afcended ninety inches above its ufual height. July 14. Four or five days ago, I found the rofes, in the comprefs'd air, wither'd, and degenerated to a yellow colour. There was not the leaft alteration in the other receiver. July 17. When I perceived, that this experiment proceeded after the fame manner as that above-mention'd, I took out the rofes. Those kept in the compreffed air, were very much corrupted, and of a very ungrateful fmell; but the others were little alter'd, and their fcent not unpleafant. Hence we have a further confirmation, that the quantity of corruption depends on the quantity of the air. (48.) July 4. I cut a lemmon afunder, and put the halves into two recompreffed air. Ceivers, to be stopp'd by fcrews; the one I left with common air only, but the other was fill'd with fo much compreffed air, that it fuftain'd ninety inches of mercury above its ufual ftandard. July |