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nature closely ; and know that the regularity of her proceedings is connected with a foresight which is limited to us, by nothing but the limits of our abilities in tracing it; and consequently, when art attempts to imitate nature, it can only succeed in as much as it is attentive to imitate her care.
72. I believe that the hygrometer may farther acquire a perfection of the same kind as that which, in conformity to an idea of my worthy friend Mr. Le Sage, I have given to the thermometer ; that is, that we may make its degrees correspond with equal differences in the humor; as 1 have made those of the thermometer correspond with equal degrees of heat. The way in which I think this might bed one, would be to suspend near one of the hygrometers in a proper vessel which should be placed in one of the scales of a balance that turns very easily, some sub- stance remarkably greedy of the humor; the augmentations or diminutions of weight in which sub- stance, might be compared with the going of the hygrometer, first in the same, and afterwards in different degrees of heat. I hope too, that by a frequent repetition of these observations, at times when
the variations of the. humor are. more or less sudden,
we shall at last succeed in correcting the errors that may attend them, from the loss of its own matter, the substance made use of, may probably suffer by evaporation.
73. These are not the only remarks I have made upon my instrument, but I did not care to mention any, but such u have appeared to me most certain. The others are uncertain, and require longer observations. I shall only add therefore, that it will still F
