circumstances unite and form water? "What do you think
they will do?" said Dr. W. I replied, that I should rather expect they
would unite. "I see no reason to suppose it," said he. I then inquired
whether he thought the experiment worth making. He answered, that he did
not, for that he should think it would certainly not succeed.

A few days after, I proposed the same question to Sir Humphry Davy. He
at once said, "they will become water, of course;" and on my inquiring
whether he thought the experiment worth making, he observed that it was
a good experiment, but one which it was hardly necessary to make, as it
must succeed.

These were off-hand answers, which it might perhaps be hardly fair to
have recorded, had they been of persons of less eminent talent: and it
adds to the curiosity of the circumstance to mention, that I believe Dr.
Wollaston's reason for supposing no union would take place, arose
from the nature of the electrical relations of the two gases remaining
unchanged, an objection which did not weigh with the philosopher whose
discoveries had given birth to it.

[The result of the experiment appeared, and still appears to me, to be
of the highest importance; and I will shortly state the views with which
it was connected. The next great discovery in chemistry to definite
proportions, will be to find means of forming all the simple unions of
one atom with one, with two, or with more of say other substance: and it
occurred to me that the gaseous bodies presented the fairest chance of
success; and that if wishing, for instance, to unite four atoms of one
substance with one of another, we could, by mechanical means, reduce the
mixed gases to the same specific gravity as the substance would possess
which resulted from their union, then either that such union would
actually take place, or the particles of the two substances would be
most favourably situated for the action of caloric, electricity, or
other causes, to produce the combination. It would indeed seem to
follow, that if combination should take place under such circumstances,
then the most probable proportion in which the atoms would unite, should
be that which furnished a fluid of the least specific gravity: but
until the experiments are made, it is by no means certain that other
combinations might not be produced.]

The singular minuteness of the particles of bodies submitted by Dr.
Wollaston to chemical analysis, has excited the admiration of all