vol. 2. p. 323) had certainly never heard of any of those methods, or even of mine, at the very termination of that period; and tho my own acquaintance with philofophical and medical people is pretty extenfive, I never heard of any of the various methods that Dr. Nooth fpeaks of; nor fince the publication of my method have I heard of any person whatever having pretended to have done the fame thing before, though nothing is more common than fuch claims, and very often on the most trifling pretences.

Mr. Venelle, indeed, immediately upon the tranflation of my pamphlet into French, which was within a few weeks after the publication of it in English (owing to the laudable zeal of Mr. Trudaine, for promoting all philofophical and useful improvements) published an extract of his papers from the Memoires de Mathematique & de Phyfique, to vindicate to himself not my discovery, but, in fact, that of Dr. Brownrigg. However, what he pretends to have dif covered was, that the virtues of the acidulous waters were owing to air, in general, without having any idea of the difference between fixed air and common air; fo that his discovery was fo far from being the fame with mine, that it could not poffibly have led into it.

As

As I have hitherto only published the method of impregnating water with fixed air in a small pamphlet, for the use of those who might chufe to reduce it into practice, without giving any account of the manner in which the discovery (if it deferves to be called one) was made, which has been my custom with refpect to every thing elfe, I fhall do it here; and I hope the narrative will not be altogether difpleafing, as this business has gained fo much attention in all parts of Europe, as well as in England, and promises in a fhort time to fave the very great expence of transporting acidulous waters to confiderable diftances, by fuperfeding, in a great measure, the ufe of them. And though what I have done in this bufinefs has certainly the leaft merit poffible with refpect to ingenuity, I fhall always confider it as one of the happiest thoughts that ever occurred to me; because it has proved to be of very fignal benefit to mankind, and will, I doubt not, be of much more confequence in a course of time.

It was a little after Midfummer in 1767, that I removed from Warrington to Leeds; and living, for the first year, in a house that was contiguous to a large common brewery, fo good an opportunity produced in me an inclination to make fome experiments on the

fixed air that was conftantly produced in it. Had it not been for this circumftance, Ifhould, probably, never have attended to the subject of air at all. Happening to have read Dr. Brownrigg's excellent paper on the Spa water about the fame time, one of the first things that I did in this brewery was to place fhallow veffels of water within the region of fixed air, on the furface of the fermenting veffels; and having left them all night, I generally found, the next morning, that the water had acquired a very fenfible and pleasant impregnation; and it was with peculiar fatisfaction that I first drank of this water, which I believe was the first of its kind that had ever been tafted by

man.

This process, however, was very flow. But after fome time it occurred to me, that the impregnation might be accelerated, by pouring the water from one veffel into another, while they were both held within the sphere of the fixed air; and accordingly I found that I could do as much in about five minutes in this way, as I had been able to do in many hours before. Several of my friends who visited me. while I lived in that houfe will remember my taking them into that brewery, and giving them a glass of this artificial Pyrmont water, made in their prefence. Among others, I will

take

take the liberty to mention John Lee, Efq; of Lincoln's Inn, who was particularly ftruck with the contrivance, and the effect of it. This was in the fummer of the year 1768.

One would naturally think, that having actually impregnated common water with fixed air, produced in a brewery, I should immediately have set about doing the fame thing with air fet loose from chalk, &c. by fome of the stronger acids; and I do remember that it did occur to me that the thing was poffible. But, eafy as the practice proved to be, no method of doing it at that time occurred to me. I ftill continued to make my Pyrmont water in the manner abovementioned till I left that fituation, which was about the end of the fummer 1768; and from that time, being engaged in other fimilar purfuits, with the refult of which the public are acquainted, I made no more of the Pyrmont water till the spring of the year 1772.

In the mean time I had acquainted all my friends with what I had done, and frequently expreffed my wishes that perfons who had the care of large diftilleries (where I was told that fermentation was much stronger than in common breweries) would contrive to have vessels of water fufpended within the fixed air, which

they

they produced, with a farther contrivance for agitating the surface of the water; as I did not doubt but that, by this means, they might, with little or no expence, make great quantitities of Pyrmont water; by which they might at the fame time both ferve the Public, and benefit themselves. For I never had the moft diftant thought of making any advantage of the fcheme myself.

In all this time, viz. from 1767 to 1772; I never heard of any method of impregnating water with fixed air but that abovementioned. My thinking at all of reducing to practice any method of effecting this, by air diflodged from chalk, and other calcareous fubftances, was owing to a mere accident. Being at dinner with the Duke of Northumberland, in the fpring of the year laft mentioned, his Grace produced a bottle of water diftilled by Dr. Irving for the use of the navy. This water was perfectly fweet, but, like all diftilled water, wanted the brifkness and spirit of fresh fpring water; when it immediately occurred to me that I could eafily mend that water for the use of the navy, and perhaps supply them with an easy and cheap method of preventing or curing the fea fcurvy, viz. by impregnating it with fixed air. For having been bufy about a year before with my experiments on