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Monsr: Spanhemius             for his Highnesse the Prince
Elector being formerly propounded by Mr. Haake was put to
the Ballot & Elected by

Mr. Sheringdon also being Ballotted was Elected
The President, and the Lord Alesbury : Propounded Sr. Willm
Waller for A Candidate.

Mr. Hooke shewed two experiments in order to Illustrate
his Theory about fire


The first was the Letting Down a lighted wax candle into
A glasse of air which about 10 Dayes since had been satiated
by a vessell of liue coles putt into it and suffered to remaine till
they were quite extinct, At which time the vessell was closely stopd
vp and had been kept soe euer since.
The effect of wch. was that the candle put into the same continu
ed to burne a considerable time as if it had been fresh
air. It was coniectured that vpon the condensation of the
air vpon cooling after the coles were gone out the fresh
air had made its way into the glasse & soe refreshed the
air and made it fit for Burning. Others supposed that
the Air might haue recouered its former nitrous
quality by Letting fall those parts of the coles it had for
merly Dissolued. It was Desired it should be further and
more carefully prosecuted.
The second Expt. was to shew that A cole though kept in a very
great heat would not be consumed or Burnt vnlesse there
were an accesse of fresh air. There was a charcole in
cluded in a cylinder of Glasse & soe perfectly sealed
vp hermetically then this glasse was putt into a chaffing
dish of Liue coles and sufferd to Ly there a considerable
time in a heat great enough to melt the glasse soe
that the glasse did shape its self into the form of the cole

Ref: CELL/RS/HF_282  © Centre for Editing Lives and Letters