“According to this hypothesis, we must suppose that water consists of inflammable air united to dephlogisticated air; that nitrous air, vitriolic acid air (sulphur dioxide), and the phosphoric acid are also combinations of phlogisticated air, sulphur, and phosphorus with dephlogisticated air; and that the two former, by a further addition of the same substance, are reduced to the common nitrous and vitriolic acids; that the metallic calces consist of the metals themselves united to the same substance, commonly, however, with a mixture of fixed air; that on exposing the calces of the perfect metals to a sufficient heat, all the dephlogisticated air is driven off, and the calces are restored to their metallic form; but as the calces of the imperfect metals are vitrified by heat, instead of recovering the metallic form, it should seem as if all the dephlogisticated air could not be recovered from them by heat alone. In like manner, according to this hypothesis, the rationale of the production of dephlogisticated air from red precipitate is, that during the solution of the quicksilver in the acid and the subsequent calcination, the acid is decompounded, and quits part of its dephlogisticated air to the quicksilver, whence it comes over in the form of nitrous air, and leaves the quicksilver behind united to dephlogisticated air, which, by a further increase of heat, is driven off, while the quicksilver resumes its metallic form. In procuring dephlogisticated air from nitre, the acid is also decompounded; but with this difference, that it suffers some of its dephlogisticated air to escape, while it remains united to the alkali itself in the form of phlogisticated nitrous acid. As to the production of dephlogisticated air from plants, it may be said that vegetable substances consist chiefly of three different bases, one of which [hydrogen], when united to dephlogisticated air, forms water; another [carbon] fixed air; and the third phlogisticated air [nitrogen]; and that, by means of vegetation, each of these substances are decomposed, and yield their dephlogisticated air; and that, in burning, they again acquire dephlogisticated air, and are restored to their pristine form. “It seems, therefore, from what has been said, as if the phenomena of nature might be explained very well on this principle, without the help of phlogiston; and indeed, as adding dephlogisticated air to a body comes to the same thing as depriving it of its phlogiston and adding water to it, and as there are perhaps no bodies destitute of water, and as I know no way by which phlogiston may be transferred from one body to another, without leaving it uncertain whether water is not at the same time transferred, it will be very difficult to determine by experiment which of these opinions is the truest; but as the commonly-received principle of phlogiston explains all phenomena, at least as well as Mr. Lavoisier’s, I have adhered to that.”