The following Table exhibits the capacities of seven other bodies according to their results.
TABLE V.
| Mean capacity between 0° and 100° | Mean capacity between 0° and 300° | |
|---|---|---|
| Mercury | .0330 | .0350 |
| Zinc | .0927 | .1015 |
| Antimony | .0507 | .0549 |
| Silver | .0557 | .0611 |
| Copper | .0949 | .1013 |
| Platina | .0335 | .0355 |
| Glass | .1770 | .1900 |
According to this table the capacities of bodies increase with the temperature in a small degree: and the increase, though it would still exist, would be less, if the common mercurial thermometer were the measure of temperature.
Also supposing that thermometers made of these bodies and graduated by immersion in freezing and boiling water into 100°; if these were all immersed in a fluid in which an air thermometer stood at 300°. Then the relative temperatures of the several thermometers would be as under, if measured by the absolute quantity of heat acquired, namely,
| Iron | 322.2° |
| Silver | 329.3 |
| Zinc | 328.5 |
| Antimony | 324.8 |
| Glass | 322.1 |
| Copper | 320.0 |
| Mercury | 318.2 |
| Platina | 317.9 |
From these observations they infer that the law which has been promulgated for the refrigeration of bodies, cannot be strictly true: namely, that bodies part with heat in proportion as their temperature exceeds that of the surrounding medium.
Some animadversions on the general laws relative to the phenomena of heat, announced in my elements of Chemical Philosophy (page 13) then follow, together with a table drawn up to show the discordance between the air thermometer and the mercurial thermometer, both being graduated in the manner I proposed in the said elements. On these points I may have to remark in the sequel.
The first part of the Essay concludes with some remarks to shew why a preference should be given to the air thermometer, or more strictly, the thermometer whether of mercury or any other body, supposed to be graduated so as to correspond with an air thermometer of equal degrees.
The Second Part of the Essay is on