sely.

What are its uses?

It cools and refreshes the vegetable creation, and prevents it from
being destroyed by the heat of the sun. All hot countries where there
is little or no rain are therefore blessed with this provision by the
all-bountiful Creator, to render them luxuriant and inhabitable; and
the dews which fall are so copious, that the earth is as deeply soaked
with them during the night as if a heavy rain had fallen. For this
reason also it is, that we so often read in the Bible of the "dew of
Heaven" being promised to the Israelites as a signal favor.

_Luxuriant_, fertile, flourishing.

_Signal_, remarkable, eminent.

From what does the vapor originate?

Vapor is water, combined with a still greater quantity of
caloric,--that is, an imponderable and subtile form of matter, which
causes the sensation of heat; and which, driving asunder the particles
of the water, renders it aeriform.

_Imponderable_, without sensible weight.

_Subtile_, thin, not dense, or compact.

_Particle_, a small portion of matter.

_Aeriform_, having the form of air.

What is Water?

The fluid which covers more than three-fifths of the surface of our
globe, and which is necessary for the life and health of the animal
and vegetable creation; for without water there would be neither rain
nor dew, and everything would perish. It is likewise a necessary
beverage for man and the inferior animals.

_Beverage_, drink, liquor for drinking.

In how many states do we find Water?

In four: 1st, solid, as in ice, snow, hail, &c.; 2d, fluid, as in its
common form; 3d, aeriform, as in steam; and 4th, in a state of union
with other matter. Its most simple state is that of ice, which is
water deprived of a certain portion of its caloric: crystallization
then takes place, and the water becomes solid and is called ice.

_Crystallization_, the process by which the parts of a solid
body, separated by solution or fusion, are again brought
into the solid form. If the process is slow, the figure
assumed is regular and bounded by plane and smooth surfaces.

_Solution_, the diffusion of a solid through some liquid.

_Fusion_, melting, or rendering fluid by heat.

From what cause is the Water deprived of its caloric?

From the coldness of the atmosphere: underneath the poles of our globe
it is mostly solid; there it is similar to the hardest rocks, and may
be