"Braun confounded two phenomena. The one of these was the contraction which accompanies the cooling of liquid mercury; the other the further contraction which attends its solidification. The contraction due to both these causes [was] exaggerated by the peculiarities which attend the freezing of mercury in capillary tubes... To his conclusion the majority of the natural philosophers of Europe assented, but... Cavendish and Black... by independent researches, suggested the same way of ascertaining the true freezing point of mercury... This method... was put in practice by Governor Hutchins at Albany Fort, Hudson Bay... The result was, that the freezing point of mercury is not more than 39° or 40° below Fahrenheit's zero... Mr. Hutchins's observations were not made till 1782, but the directions by which he was guided had been laid down by Cavendish in 1764 and 1765."