THE NEW MINERALOGY. 665 



near the end of the preceding one, the important work has been 

 done since the year 1850, which date may be taken as the begin- 

 ning of synthetic mineralogy. Through the eighteenth century 

 came many suggestions on the artificial formation of minerals, 

 followed by the crude attempts at the reproduction of petrifac- 

 tions and incrustations. Unsuccessful attempts finally led to the 

 successful reproduction of marble by James Hall in 1801, the first 

 mineralogical synthesis and the beginning of experimental ge- 

 ology. 



The first workers, as would be expected, were chemists ; among 

 whom Daubree stands pre-eminent. When the mineralogists 

 joined in the work, it was found that the conditions governing 

 the chemist's experiments differed from those they could apply. 

 It was early discovered that the forces at work in the formation 

 of minerals escaped the observation of the mineralogists, and, 

 though observed, were considered outside the domain of chemis- 

 try. The chemist's aim was to form a mineral like the one found 

 in Nature ; but the mineralogist, in addition, must use analogous 

 processes to. those in Nature. In the chemical sense if the arti- 

 ficial product had the correct chemical composition, reaction, 

 physical properties, such as density, boiling point, and the like, 

 the synthesis was complete. On the other hand, in the mineral- 

 ogical sense there must be also an entire agreement of the result- 

 ing product with the natural one morphologically. It must have 

 the crystal form and also the characteristic type as in Nature, 

 with the same optical proiDerties, in order to be perfect. Thus 

 the chemist could deposit copper by electrolysis, like the coj)per 

 found in Nature ; but this does not show the origin of copper in 

 Nature. His task is the easier one, for he uses his reagents at 

 pleasure, aiming only at the final product. In the course of time, 

 the chemist and mineralogist seeing their mutual needs, united 

 their efforts, and it is on this union that mineral synthesis as a 

 science rests. 



The cause of the long delay in the progress of this line of 

 study was the idea, so firmly fixed in the minds of the old chem- 

 ists, that Nature worked by mysterious means and had at her dis- 

 posal indefinite time and enormous masses with supposed forces 

 out of all proportion to those used in the laboratory. Then how 

 was it possible in a crucible with a certain number of grammes 

 of matter to reproduce a crystal of the same kind and association 

 as those which the volcano ejected a crucible a million times 

 larger and under enormous pressure and temperature ? The an- 

 swer seemed too clear to even admit of such a vain attempt ; they 

 could not see the law of proportion which existed there, but it 

 only needed progressive men to discover it. Even when this law 

 was discovered, the crude means and limited experience at hand 



