OCR Text |
Show WA WA WA its Degree of Purity : But this we mayfay in difficult to confine it ; infomuch, that a Vettel the general, that the pureft Vater we can procure, is that which weighs 880 times as much as Air. through which Water cannot pats, mayretaia any thing. Nor is it any Objection, ee Syrups and Oils will fometimespaf through However, neither have we any tolerable Veflels, which Water cannotpafs ; for thisis Standard for Air ; for Water being fo much heavier than Air, the more Water is contain’d in Air, the heavier of courfe muft it be, as, in effect, the principal Part of the Weight of the Atmofphere feems to arife from the Water. _ OF all Waters, the pureft is that which falls in Rain in a cold Seafon and a ftill Day ; and this we muft be content to take for Elementary Water. ‘The Rain Water in Summer, or when the Atmofphere is in Commotion, ’tis certain muft contain infinite Kinds of heterogeneous not owing to the greater Subtilty or Penetration of their Particles ; but to this, that fach Veffels are made of Wood wherein Refin abounds, to which Oils and Syrups are Mens ftruums ; fo that diffolving the Refin, they make their Way through the Spacesleft thereby : Whereas Water, as it does not a& on Refin, is retain’d in thefe Veffels. Water, however, does gradually make its Way through all Woods, and is only retainable in Glafs and Metals; nay, it was found by Experiment at Florence, that Water thut up Matter: Thus, if you gather the Water that in a {pherical Veffel of Gold, and thenpreffed falls after a Thunder-clap in a fulery Summer’s with a great Force, made its Way throughthe Day, and let it ftand and fettle, you will find a real Salt {ticking at the Bottom: But in Pores even of Gold : So that the moft permeable Body in Nature is permeable to Water, is thus gather’d in the Morning-time, is found of good Ufe in taking away Spots in the Face ; fmaller Pores. NowAir, *tis known, willnot pafs through Leather, as is evident by cover- mations of the Eye: ter goes through it with Eafe. Winter, efpecially whenit freezes, the ExhaWater is even more fluid than Air ; for we lations are but few, fo that the Rain falls account a Body is more fluid than another, without much Adulteration: And hence, what whenits Parts will make their Way throngh and that gather’d from Snow, againft Inflam- ing an exhaufted Receiver therewith ; but Yet this Rain Water, Again, Air withall its Purity, may be filter’d and diftill’d may beretain’d in a Bladder, whereas Water a thoufand times, and it will ftill leave fome Faces behind it : So that to procure the pureft Water pofible, a Man muft look for it ina large fpacious Plain in the Winter-time, when the Earth is cover’d with Snow, and its Pores lock’d up with Froft, ‘The next, in point of Purity, is Spring oozesthrough. In effect, “tis found that Water will pafs through Pores ten times {maller than Air wiil. All that has been faid of Air, with regard to the Compofition of Bodies, holds much more of Water, as being both more penetrative and more ponderous. It enters the Com- Water : ‘This, according to Dr. Halley, is col- pofition therefore of all Bodies, both Vegeta- lected from the Air itfelf, which being fatu- bles, Animals and Foffils ; and has this Cir- rated with Water, and coming to be condens'd by the Evening’s Cold, is driven againft the cold Tops of Mountains ; where being farther condens'd and collected, it gleets down or cumftance peculiar to it, that it is eafily fepa- rable from anyof the Bodiesit unites withal ; which cannot be faid of any other Body. Fire, indeed, wil] penetrate more than /Vadiftills, muchas in an Alembic. This Water ter, but then “tis difficult to feparate it again which before floated in the Atmofphere in from the Bodiesit is once fix’d in, as is evident Form of Vapours, being thus brought toge- in red Lead, &c. ther, at firft formslittle Streams, feveral of This Property of Water, join’d with its which meeting together, form Rivulets, and Smoothnefs and Lubricity, renders it fit to thefe, at length, Rivers, as has been faid before. ferve asa Vehicle for the commodious and. If fuch Water chances to flow over Strata or eafy Conveyance of the nutritious Matter of Beds, wherein there is Salt or Sulphur, or Vitriol or Iron, or Copper, or the like, the Water becomes medicinal ; but the Bafis it mayftill be obferv’d, is Rain Water, ° Spring Water becomesthe better by running ; for during all its Courfe, it is depofiting what heterogeneous Mattersit contain’d : But while the River drives on its Waters in an uninterrupted Stream, all its Salts, with all the vegetable and animal Matters drain’dinto it, either from Exhalations, or from the Ground it wathes gradually, either fink to the Bottom or ink foe to the Shore. . ut what Water defcends from Spring: the Tops of Mountains, is rely icy free from heterogeneous Bodies, . ; Of the Penetrability of Water. Wate 4 r is the moft penetrable of all Bodies t i next after all Bodies ; for in being fo very fluid, and paffing and repaffing fo readily, it never {tops up the Pores, but leaves Room for thefollowing Vater to bring on a newSupply of nutri- tious Matter. And yet the fame Water, as little cohefive as it is, and as eafily feparated from moift Bodies, will cohere firmly with fome others, and bind them together into the moft folid Maffes ; tho’ it appears wonderful, that Water, which is almoft an univer fal Diffolvent, fhould withal be a great Coagulator, Thus Water, mix’d up with Earth or Afes, gives them the utmoft Firmnef$ and Fixity The Afhes, for Inftance, of an Animal, well incorporated with pure Vater, and made into a Pafte, and this baked by a vehement Fires growinto a Cupel, whichfhall bear the utmolt Fire: For which Reafon, it is very Effort of the Refiner’sFurnace. Tis an Effect npon Wa by any means, of being reduc’d into lefs Comour Houfesftand: For take the Water out of pafs, tho’ urged with the greateft Weight : uponthe glutinous Nature of Water alone that the Wood, and it becomes Afhes; out of Tiles, and they become mere Duft. Thus a little Clay dry’d in the Sun, becomes a Powder, which mix’d with /Vater, fticks together again, and may be fafhion’d at Pleafure; and this dry’d again by a gentle Thus we learn from that famous Experiment made byOrder of the Great Duke of Zu/cany ; where a Quantity of Water being clofely included ina hollow Ball of pure Gold, and thus laid in a Prefs with a prodigious Force thereon, the Ball not being able to affume a more copiFire, or in the Sun, and then bak’d in a Pot- ous Figure, to give more Room for the Vater, ter’s Oven by an intenfe Fire, becomeslittle and the Water being incapable of Condeniation, rather than yield, it tranfuded through other than a Stone. So the Chinefe or Fapan Earth, whereof the Pores of the Metal; fo that the Ball was our Porcelain Veffels are made, which holdall found wet ail over on the Outfide ; *till at Liquors, and even melted Lead itfelf, is di- length, making a Cleft in the Gold, it fpun Iuted and wrought up with Water. In effect, out with great Vehemence: From which Cirall the Stability and Firmnef$ that is feen in cumftance, fome haye concluded, that it was the Univerfe, is owing to Water alone: Thus elaftick, but on weak Grounds ; the Impetus Stone would be an incoherent Sand, did not wherewith the Water darted out, being more probably owing to the elaftick Force of the Water bind it together. Thus, again, of a fat, gravelly Earth, Gold, which communicated that Impreffion to wrought up with Water, and baked or burnt, the Water. And hence we fee the Reafon why Blocks we make Bricks, Tiles, and Earthen Veffels, of fuch exceeding Hardnef§ and Clofenefs that of Marble fometimes burft in cold Water ; and Water can't pafs through them. And thefe why a Veflel fill’d with Water, and afterwards Bodies, though to Appearance perfectly dry by any means reduc’d to alefs Compafs, burfts, and deftitute of Water, yet, if they be pulve- tho’ the Veffels be ever fo ftrong. This is obriz’d, and put in a Retort, and diftill’d, yield fervable in a Piece of Brafs Cannon, which anincredible Quantity of Water: Whenceit being fill’d with Water, and the Mouth exactly appears, that the Particles of Water may be fo ftopp’d, fo as to prevent all Egrefs of Water; diffusd and difpers’d through Bodies, as to if a cold Night happens fufficient to contract cohere with them, and give them Hardnefs and conftipate Bodies, the metallic Matter un(for the Particles of Sand would never ftick dergoing the common Fate, and the Vater re- together without Water), and yet may be fufing to give Way, the Cannonis burft afiinfetch’d back again, and reduc’d to their former fluid State. And the fame holds of Metals ; for the der with incredible Violence. ‘Tho’ others account for the Effect from this, that the included Water in freezing endeavours to expand Parings or Filings of Lead, ‘Tin, or Antimony, €c, by Diftillation, yield Water very plentifully, and the hardeft Stones, Sea-Salt itfelf, or poffefs more Room than it did be- to confift chiefly of Water, into which they of Water hence, That hot Water takes up Cohefion of their Parts. Thus, if you diftil Sal Gemine, which is a very hard tranfparent Body, like Cryftal, a good Quantity of Water will arifé ; and then the Body, which before was tranfparent, becomes opaque, white, and tain’d, which interpofing betweenthe Particles and Sulphur, Nitre, Vitriol, &. are found refolve by the Force of Fire, afd lofe the fore ; which being deny’d, it burfts through its Reftraint. Somebring an Argument for the Elafticity more Room than cold : But no legitimate Conclufion can be form’d from hence ; for in the hot Water there is a good Quantity of Fire conof the Water, makes it extend to a greater Space, without any Expanfion of Parts from its own Elafticity. ‘This is evident hence, that friable. The Lapis Calcarius or Lime-ftone, being if Water be once heated, there is no reducing expos’d to the Fire, affords a prodigious Quan- it to its former Dimenfions, but byletting it tity of pure Water, and the morethis Water cool again ; whichplainly fhews, that the Exis exprefi'd, the morefriable does it become ; panfion depends not on the Elafticity of Parts, wherein, in the lieu of the Water fo expell’d, but onthe Prefence of Fire. Water then, tho’ the Fire, in the Courfe of Calcination, enters, incapable of Compreflion, or Condenfation, which is expell’d again in its turn, by pouring may yet berarefy’d by Heat, andcontracted oncold Water. Laftly, of the Water and Calx by Cold; fo that Fire may aét on fome Bodies temper’d together, arifes a Mafs fcarce infe- that are not elaftic. It may be added, that a farther Degree of rior, in point of Solidity, to the primitive Lime-ftone : So that the Lapis Calcarius ap- Cold, that is fuch a one as congeals Water, or pears to be no more than living Earth, bound turns it into Ice, does expand it. There are other Ways to manifeft this Expanfion of into a Confiftence with Water. From what has been faid, it appears, that Water by freezing. Mr. Boyle having pour'd Water is the univerfal Gluten which binds to- a proper Quantity of Waterinto a ftrong cygether the Parts of all Bodies : And hence that lindrical Earthen Veffel, he expos’d it unObfervation of Centivoglio, That Nature makes cover’d, both to the openAir in frofty Nights, Diamonds of a Water well depurated and har- and the Operation of Snowand Salt, and found, that the Ice produc’d in both Cafes, reach’d den’d into a Mafs. 4. That Water is not elaftic, is evident higher than the Water before it was froze, and . hence, that it is incompreffible, or incapable, expanded into Ice s i So |