CANTo 1. NEE G EHR AUT LON: 19

Oer Eve s pale forms diffuſe phoſphoric light, And deck with lambent flames the ſhrineof Night. So, warm d and kindled by meridian ſkies,

And view'd in darkneſs with dilated eyes, 180 BoLoGNa Ss chalks with faint ignition blaze,

3=< 27 PSZSPYZWES 25B SS EAST BECCARI'S ſhells emit priſmatic rays.

Diffuſe phoſphoric light. 1. 199. 1 have often been induced to believe from obſervation, that the twilight of the evenings is lighter than that of the mornings at the ſame diſtance from noon. Some may aſcribe this to the greater height of the at- moſphere in the evenings having been rarefied by the ſun during the day; but as its denſity muſt at the ſame time be diminiſhed, its power of refrattion would continue the fame. I ſhould ra- ther ſuppoſe that it may be owing to the phoſphoreſcent quality (as it is called) of almoſt all bodies; that is, when they have been expoſed to the ſun, they continue to emit light for a con- ſiderable time afterwards. This is generally believed to ariſe ei- ther from ſuch bodies giving out the light which they had pre- viouſly abſorbed; or to the continuance of a low combuſtion which the light they had been previouſly expoſed to had excit- ed. Seethe next note,

Beccari's pells. 1. 182. Beccari made many curious experi- ments on the phoſphoric light, as it is called, which becomes vi- ſible on bodies brought into a dark room, after having been pre« viouſly expoſed to the ſunſhine. It appears from theſe experi- ments that almoſt all inflammable bodies poßfſeſs this quality in a greater or leſs degree; white paper or linen thus examined after havfng been expoſed to the ſunſhine, is luminous to an extra- ordinary degree; and if a perſon ſhut up in a dark room, puts one of his hands out into the ſun's light for a ſhort time and then retrads it, he will be able to ſee that hand diſtinetly, and not the

other. Theſe experiments ſeem to countenance the idea of

Fa| GE

Ane itami“5