  In this paper, we address the possibility of generalising the standard
analysis of thermal contact between a sample system and a heat bath, by
including long range interactions between them. As a concrete example, both
system and bath are treated within the long range Ising model. For this model,
we derive the equilibrium probability distribution of the energy of the sample
system. Equilibrium properties of the system magnetisation and stability of the
solutions is discussed. We find existence of a metastable phase below a
critical temperature of the bath.
