THE YOUTH’S CABINET.

ie
found was owing to my breathing. I
therefore held my face from the flame,
and also held a piece of cloth as a
screen; on doing which I was able to
singe paper, which became brown-color-
ed, and covered with a viscous moisture.
I next used a narrow slip of paper, and
enjoyed the pleasure of seeing it take
fire. The gas was evidently inflamma-
ble.

from the marsh, and in the night blue
flames were observed shooting from and
playing over its surface. As I suspect-
ed that there was some connection be-
tween these flames and bubbles of air,
I marked during the day time the place
where the latter rose up most abundant-
ly, and repaired thither during the night ;
to my great joy I actually observed
bluish-purple flames, and did not hesi-
tate to. approach them. On reaching
the spot, they retired, and I pursued
them in vain; all attempts to examine
them closely were ineffectual. Some
days of very rainy weather prevented
farther investigation, but afforded leisure
for reflecting on their nature. I conjec-
tured that the motion of the air, on my
approaching the spot, forced forward
the burning gas, and remarked that the
flame burned darker when it was blown
aside; hence I concluded that a con-
tinuous thin stream of inflammable air
was formed by these bubbles, which,
once inflamed, continued to burn, but
which, owing to the paleness of the light
of the flame, could not be observed dur-
ing the day. On another day, in the
twilight, I went again to the place, where
I awaited the approach of night. The
flames became gradually visible, but red-
der than formerly, thus showing that
they burst also during the day. I ap-
proached nearer, and they retired. Con-
_yinced that they would return again to
the place of their origin, when the agi-
tation of the air ceased, I remained
stationary and motionless, and observed
them again gradually approach. As I
could easily reach them, it occurred to
me to attempt to light paper by means
of them; but for some time I did not
succeed in this experiment, which I

 

43

 

But how do these lights originate?
After some reflection, I resolved to make

the experiment of extinguishing them.

I followed the flame; I brought it so far

from the marsh that probably the thread

of connection, if I may so express my-
self, was broken, and it was extinguish-
ed. But scarcely a few minutes had
elapsed, when it was again renewed at
its source, (over air-bubbles,) without
my being able to observe any transition
from the neighboring flames, many of
which were burning in the valley. I
repeated the experiment frequently, and
always with success. The dawn ap-
proached, and the flames, which to me
appeared to approach nearer to the
earth, gradually disappeared. On the
following evening I went to the spot,
and kindled a fire on the side of the val-
ley, in order to have an opportunity of
trying to inflame the gas. As on the
evening before, I first extinguished the
flame, and then hastened with a torch
to the spot from which the gas bubbled
up, when instantaneously a kind of ex-
plosion was heard, and a red light was
seen over eight or nine square feet of the
marsh, which diminished to a small blue
flame, from two and a half to three feet
in height. It was therefore no longer
doubtful that this ignis fatuis was
caused by the rising of inflammable gas
from the marsh.”