Note 40 — Art. XI. Outline of a Theory of Meteors.
Reading edition
It may be easily proved that water evaporates (though slowly) at a temperature many degrees below its freezing point; and these vapours are more subtle and elastic than those formed at the boiling point of that fluid.
REMARK.
It is indeed proved that vapour is formed from water at the lowest temperatures, but is less elastic, the lower the temperature, as appears from its sustaining a continually decreasing column of mercury, the lower the temperature at which the vapour is formed. Vide Dalton's and Gay Lussac's experiments. Editor.