Excerpt from The Complete Works, in Philosophy, Politics, and Morals, of the Late Dr. Benjamin Franklin, Vol. 2 of 3: Now First Collected and Arranged, With Memoirs of His Early Life, Written by Himself Therinome'ierfllrt emssmg the With other remarks made on hoard the Pensylva Osborne, bound from London to Ptifitadelpzn'b-ia April and May, 1775 Observations of the mint. 'cl' the sea-water, by Fahrenheit's thermometer, wtth other reru't'rlaa amde on board the Repaisal, Capt. Wyclrs, bouadv fiom Philadelphia. To France in October and November, 1776. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Franklin's comprehensive collection of philosophical, political, and moral writings is a testament to his profound intelligence and wide-ranging interests. This volume brings together his many essays, letters, and aphorisms, placing them in the context of Franklin's life and work. With his characteristic wit and wisdom, Franklin offers his thoughts on a range of topics, from practical politics to science and religion. This is a must-read for anyone interested in American history, politics, and philosophy. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Read at the Royal Society, June 3, 1756. The particles of air are kept at a distance from each other by their mutual repulsion. Every three particles, mutually and equally repelling each other, must form an equilateral triangle. All the particles of air gravitate towards the earth, which gravitation compresses them, and shortens the sides of the triangles, otherwise their mutual repellency would force them to greater distances from each other. Whatever particles of other matter (not endued with that repellency) are supported in air, must adhere to the particles of air, and be supported by them; for in the vacancies there is nothing they can rest on. Air and water mutually attract each other. Hence water will dissolve in air, as salt in water.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.