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46 THE BOOK OF THE LANTERN. baryta would be restored to its former condition, ready for a repetition of the action. It would thus seem that there was at hand a process for obtaining from the atmo- sphere an endless supply of its essence, so to speak. But as we have before hinted, theory and practice are two different things. The process would not work on a com- mercial scale. All went well at first; but for some reason or other, the baryta lost its power of recovery, and would not repeat its office of absorbing oxygen. " A few years ago, two of M. Boussingault's pupils, Messrs. A. and L. Brin, resolved to carry through a series of ex- periments to find out, if possible, why in this case, practice would not endorse theory. They soon found that the reason why the baryta lost its power of absorbing oxygen was due to certain molecular changes, which ceased to occur if the air supplied was absolutely free from impurities, and if the heat employed for reducing the baryta to its first condition were kept within certain limits. They further found that the necessary temperature might be much reduced if the material were heated in a partial vacuum. Another advantage was found in supplying the air under pressure, in which case the absorption of oxygen from it was much increased. These new conditions were speedily realised in apparatus which was erected in Paris, and which for three years yielded oxygen of the purest description without any renewal of the baryta with which the retorts were charged at the commencement of operations ; and this apparatus was exhibited at the Inventions Exhibition at South Kensington a few years ago. " The process having thus been shown to be workable, the inevitable Company was formed; and oxygen can now be