ALKALIES.

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CONVERSATION X.

ON ALKALIES.

MRS. B.

After having taken a general view of combus-tible bodies, we now come to the alkalies, andthe earths, which compose the class of incom-bustibles; that is to say, of such bodies as do notcombine with oxygen at any known tempera-ture.

CAROLINE.

I am afraid that the incombustible substanceswill not be near so interesting as the others; forI have found nothing in chemistry that haspleased me so much as the theory of combustion.

MRS. B.

Do not however depreciate the incombustiblebodies before you are acquainted with them; youwill find they also possess properties highly im-portant and interesting.

Some of the earths bear so strong a resemblance

VOL. i.

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