ftate; but, in fchirri of the testicles and ovaria, it may induce inflammation and cancer. It has brought on schirrus of the liver and pancreas, or at least haftened the disease; bloody urine, gravel, nephritic colic, and pally, from the shock on the fpinal marrow. In the sheft, it has occafioned tubercles, or haftened their fuppuration; brought on a pain between the shoulders, feemingly from a divulfion of the lungs at their attachment to the fpinal column; and faintings, from the commotion of the heart, perhaps of the head.

Such are the outlines of this instructive volume, which we have enlarged on, because we wish to recommend it to the attentive perufal of furgeons, particularly the younger furgeons. The reader will find that, though we have gleaned much, confiderable information yet remains.

The First Principles of Chemistry. By William Nicholson. 8vo. 75. Boards. Robinsons.

To

O Mr. Nicholson we are indebted for a moft ufeful compendium of philofophy, a work in which he could learn the most difficult part of his prefent duty, the art of condenfing his materials, while he preferved perfpicuity and accuracy. In this undertaking, the labour is greater, and the art more difficult, because it must be concealed. Chemistry is till a collection of facts: its theories, its fyftematic forms, are the paffing spectres of the moment, which vanish at the magic touch of a newer or more enterprising philofopher. It is not yet a science, for its undifputed principles are few, and of thofe which are beft eftablished, the application is doubtful and uncertain. Of the chemical theories, we have lately had occafion to obferve, that the best and most rational chemifts adopt that which gives apparently the cleareft folution of, and connects moft advantageously the feveral facts. They employ it as a clue, not as a chain; as an affiftant, not as a fetter. Mr. Nicholfon has followed fimilar views; keeping clear in general of the language of theory, he has explained each fyftem with the indifferent impartiality of a neutral enquirer.

Chemistry, as a science, fays our author, has for its object to eftimate and account for the changes produced in bodies by the motions of their parts;' and as an art, to apply bodies to each other, in fuch fituations as are beft calculated to promote thefe changes.' The definition is improper and imperfect chemistry cannot eftimate the changes produced by "the motion of the parts, not even in the most obvious process, that of fermentation. Its object is to estimate the effects of mixture,

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mixture, which may or may not produce an inteftine motion: is there any inteftine motion, for inftance, in the union of lime and crude fal ammoniac, yet a change is produced, ever in the dry ftate, for the fmell of volatile alkali is obvious? It is imperfect in the fecond part, as bodies must be applied to others in fuch fituations,' and in such circumstances ' are best calculated to promote these changes.' Suppofing, for inftance, a person is calculating the effects of friction in a given machine, he is estimating the changes produced in this machine by the motion of its parts. A watchmaker, on the other hand, applies bodies to each other in fuch fituations as are best calculated to promote the changes which he has in view. It is no difgrace to Mr. Nicholfon to have failed in what, according to the prefent ftate of chemical knowledge, is perhaps impoffible. The best definitions have been brief defcriptions of the object of the chemift, and perhaps the following is equally juft and more concife than many others. Chemistry teaches us by means of heat and mixture to analyse natural bodies, investigate the properties and relations of the different ingredi ents, and again to form new compounds, fubfervient to utility, ornament, or pleasure.

We have not faftidiously begun a conteft on the threshold which we are to continue in the house; in reality, we find little fubject of blame and much commendation. We shall ftep hastily over the different chapters, and by a very concife analyfis point out the principal objects of our author's atten

tion.

The first chapter contains general obfervations on chemistry, and the means employed to perform its operations. Heat, if not a principle of bodies, is an inftrument of chemistry commonly used, and with juftice claims an early attention. Our author's abftract on the fubject is very accurate and comprehenfive. The means of measuring it by the thermometer, as well as the construction of that inftrument, are next explained with equal care and attention. In the fourth chapter, on combustion, and the application of heat to chemical purposes, our author follows the new doctrine, and confiders the heat as evolved from the air, when combining with the calx, and, in general, he adopts Dr. Crawford's fyftem on this subject, which is praised highly and deservedly. The most improved apparatus for the various proceffes of the different kinds, and on bodies in different ftates, is next defcribed, with a long account of the balance, the different fcales employed, and a comparative table of the different weights in Europe, in French and English grains. The general doctrines of chemistry are concluded with obfervations on attractions, particularly elec

tive attractions, the means of facilitating them, their utility and phenomena.

In the particular doctrines of chemistry, our author divides. the component parts of bodies into

1. Principles whofe existence is doubtful: these are heat, light, and phlogiston, 2. Principles which have not been exhibited in a folid or fluid ftate, or diffolved in water, in any notable proportion: thefe are vital air, phlogifticated air, and inflammable air. 3. Water. 4. Earths. 5. Alkalis. 6. Acids. 7. Metals. 8. Mineral combustibles.. 9. Parts of organized fubftances, whether obtained by mechanical preffure, by fimple folution in water or ardent fpirit, by a gentle or a ftrong heat, by the action of folvents, or by fpontaneous decompofition.'

Thefe, though not the ultimate parts to which our decompofition has proceeded; are fufficiently fimple for the purpose of arrangement,, and to proceed farther, would involve the author in numerous difputes. Perhaps heat, earth, and water may be found to be the ultimate principles, and water at laft be refolved into air. Airs in general are probably a new form of common bodies reduced to this ftate by the matter of heat, though it would be difficult to prove this position in many inftances. It may be doubted perhaps whether phlogifticated air is not fometimes diffolved in water: Dr. Pearson has shown that it may be intimately blended with this fluid.

Mr. Nicholson then proceeds to the general properties of the particular bodies; and though he gives each fyftem with great impartiality, we fufpect he leans towards the new doctrine. The general properties of the different airs, earths, alkalies, acids, and metals follow; and to the end of each chapter the theories of the old and new fchool are fubjoined.

The second section of the third book relates to the mineral acids, and the other mineral bodies which are convertible into acids; these are fulphur and the vitriolic acid, nitre and the nitrous, fea-falt and the marine acid, calcareous or fermenting bodies and fixed air, borax and the fedative falt, Derbyshire fpar and the fparry acid, amber and its acid, phosphorus and the phosphoric acid; with a fhort account of the different metallic acids. On all these fubjects our author explains the different opinions of chemifts, and defcribes the facts with great impartiality and accuracy. As we have not been able Lo notice the Annals of Chemistry, an omiffion which we hope foon to compenfate for, we fhall felect the account of a late discovery of native borax in Europe.

This article has been fome time written: for the two firit volumes of the Annals of Chemistry, see our Foreign Article. Yy3

< It

It has lately been discovered that a crystallized ftone found in a cleft, near the top of a ftratified mountain comp fed of platter flone or gypfum, contains a large proportion of the acid of borax. This mountain, which bears the name of Kalkberg, is fituated near Lunenberg in the duchy of Brunfwick; and the ftone, which has been called cubic quartz, but is known to the inhabitants of the vicinity by the name of wurfelstein, is ufually of a white colour, often grey, and sometimes of a violet tinge. Its figure, when perfect, appear on flight infpec tion to be cubie: but, when attentively infpected, is found to be compofed of twenty-fix faces. Moft fpecimens are opaque ; fome are femi transparent, and a few are perfectly transparent. The greater number of these crystals have the appearance of having been corroded. It is evidently of a laminated rexture; though its fracture feems to exhibit a radiated appearance. Its fpecific gravity is about 2.566, and its hardnefs is fuch that it fcratches glafs, and gives fire plentifully with the steel.

This one lofes its tranfparence by ignition, and becomes pulverable if quenched in warer; though the hardness of its particles caufes it to abrade the hardest mortars which can be ufed. An extreme degree of heat caufes it to run into a yellow glafs. Water does not diffolve it, either cold or by ebullition. Alkalis act upon it in the dry way, but not readily; and in this operation a confiderable lofs of weight is experienced. Acids, by long boiling upon the pulverized ftone, diffolve it for the most part. Five days boiling of marine acid upon ore hundred grains of the ftone diffolved it at last.'

-The component parts were, the acid deprived of its water of cryftallization fixty-eight parts, magnesia thirteen and a half, lime eleven, clay one, calx of iron one, flint two. Lofs three and a half.

The different metals are described at length, and their various properties and affinities pointed out with great accuracy. At times, the concifenefs infeparable from our author's plan, prevents his being fufficiently explicit on fome fubjects of real importance; but he has collected fo much on each, that we are more ready to wonder at his including every thing in fo fmall a compafs, than to blame him for any little omiffion, or paffing any fubject too haftily over.

The foffil minerals are the next objeâs of attention; and though now found in a foffil late, Mr. Nicholson thinks that they are of vegetable, perhaps in part, of animal origin. His opinions on this fubject we shall transcribe:

When we attend to the inflammable substances found in the earth, or in the mineral kingdom, we may perceive that very few, and most probably none of them, can be truly said to belong to it, but have been elaborated in the bodies of animals or vegetables. From the turf that is pared from the furface of the

earth,

earth, and owes its inflammability to the roots of vegetables which are mixed with it, we may defcend to the peat, or black earth, of the moors; in many fpecimens of which, vegetable remains are ftill perceptible, though in most they appear to be deprived of every appearance of their organic texture, their oily and inflammable nature only remaining, and from thence the tranfition to pit-coal is eafy. For if we reflect on the vast revolutions which the earth has certainly undergone through a long courfe of ages, by means of which its furface has been broken, difplaced, and inverted, from the actions of floods, earthquakes, and the great convulfions of nature caused by volcanic eruptions, it will be no improbable inference, that the thin, though extenfive ftrata of pit-coal, as well as the exfudations of naphtha, petroleum, and their modifications, have all arifen from the burying of extenfive woody tracts of the furface, fuch as are common in all uncultivated countries. And this proba bility will be reduced to a certainty, when we advert to the na tural history of pit-coal, which is met with in all the various ftates of transformation. Whole trees are converted into pitcoal, in fuch quantities together as to exhibit entire forefts; in which the roots, trunks, branches, bark, and even fpecies, are difcernible. Coal-pits and flate-quarries exhibit innumerable marks of impreffions of Icaves, and other indications of their vegetable origin; and the analysis of this combuftible fubstance tends ftill further to confirm this truth. On the other hand, if we attend to fuch inferences as chemical theory might point out from the facts around us, we shall fee how fmall the proba bility is, that the mineral kingdom should, after a certain limi ted time, contain inflammable bodies, if they were not occafion. ally thrown into it, in confequence of the operations carried on within organifed fubftances. For all inflammable fubftances, tending to decompofe the vital air of the atmosphere, would, in procefs of time, revert to the clafs of uninflammable bodies, if the operation of organifed bodies, particularly of the veget able kind, did not tend to difengage the vital air again, and ren der bodies combuftible which were not fo when they became parts of thofe fubftances.'

On the products of the vegetable kingdom, our author proceeds gradually, according to the difficulty in feparating the different ingredients, or the art employed in the process. After fome general obfervations on the structure and compo nent parts of organifed fubftances, he goes on to those principles, not faline, which are feparated either by means of water and spirit with the moderate heat of boiling water. He next explains the nature of thofe principles obtained by preffure or folution in water, or fpirit, including the acids of apples, lemons, galls, and benzoin. The acids of tartar and forrel, which require fome more peculiar management, occur