jg6 Account of the Life and Writings 



Mineral Kingdom; which appeared alfo in French under the 

 following title: Manuel de Miner alogijle, ^c traduit et 

 augniente par Manges le Jeune", Paris 1784; 8vo. Bergman 

 endeavoured alfo, by examining a variety of fubllances with 

 unremitted diligence, to enlarge chemical knowledge; and 

 the refult of his experiments, which he communicated to the 

 public in various papers, was, for the moft part, afterwards 

 colle6led by himfelf and publifhed in three volumes, with the 

 title of Opufcula Vhyfica et Chemica plerumque anteafeorfum 

 tdita,jam ab Au^ore collegia et auBa\ Holmias 1779. 8vo. A 

 new edition of this work was publifhed under the infpedlion 

 of the celebrated profeflbr Lefkc at Leipfic; and, after Berg- 

 man's death, profelfor Hebenftreit added three more volumes 

 of his detached pieces, and publiflied the whole with the title 

 of Bergmanni Opufcula Vhyfica et Chemica^ pleraque J'eorfum 

 antea edita, nunc colleda et revifa. Vol. VI. cum Indice locu- 

 pletiffmo et Tab, JEsn. Editionis Curam p<fi AuBoris Mortem 

 gefjit E. B. G. liehenjireit', Lipfue 1788 — 1790. 8vo. An 

 Italian tranflation of Bergman's phyfical and chemical w^orks 

 w,as publiflied by fii^)rcription at Florence under the title of 

 Opufcoli CJnmici. e Fifict di T. Bergman \ Florence 17 90, 

 Tom. III. 8vQ. The third volume of this tranflation con- 

 tains coi^fidcrable additions by Polomieu,_which form nearly 

 one-half of it. 



'Though it would be impoflible, in the fpace allotted for 

 this fketch, to give a detailed account of all Bergman's dif- 

 coveries and the improvements he made in chemiflry, by 

 which he acquired fo much reputation, we cannot omit enu-. 

 meratmg Tome of them. '. He explained, in the moft fatisfac- 

 tofy manner, why an alum ley, without any addition, does 

 nol cryflallife; and (bowed that this phaenomenon arofe from 

 its containing an excefs of, acid. He rejedUd the common 

 additiou, and inftead of it ufed pure argil, which, without 

 doing any- hurt, incre^fes the quantity of the alum. He firft 

 ihowed that fixed air is a real pecuhar acid, which is not in- 

 debted for its properties to the fubftances employed for ex- 

 trading it. Hp confidcred it as the principal component 

 part of mineral waters, and cave a moft ingenious method of 

 ^ec9nipofuig them \ >yhich is a procefs exceedingly difficult. 



