524 Letter to Lord Brougham. 



that there is nothing laughable, or ignorant, in the statement 

 of the Reviewer; though in strictness of language it might 

 have been more correct to say, that — 'sulphuric acid heated 

 with phosphorus, or charcoal, or sugar, is reduced to its primitive 

 state, and even heated with sulphur is reduced to its previous 

 state of sulphurous acid' : and I think M. Arago might won- 

 der a little at finding how much you, and your learned, expe- 

 rienced, and practical friend, have made of a mere verbal slip. 



But if, as I am apt to suspect, the perpetual Secretary is a 

 better chemist than yourself, or knows better, this time at 

 least, on whose information to rely, then he will whisper to 

 you privately, that sulphuric acid really is reduced, astonishing 

 novelty as it seems to you, even by sulphur itself: and he will 

 doubtless proceed to explain to you how this marvel comes 

 to pass : he will remind you, that the great chemist of our 

 time whose life you have written, when attempting to decom- 

 pose sulphur, found it so closely united with a very consider- 

 able quantity of hydrogen, that he remained for some time 

 in the belief, that he had effected its decomposition ; and M. 

 Arago will add, that since hydrogen decomposes sulphurous 

 acid, it follows, that sulphuric acid cannot but be reduced by 

 sulphur, in all the forms in which sulphur is commonly ex- 

 perimented with, to its primitive state, and that the Reviewer 

 therefore is literally right. 



And now, retaining the very sincere respect which I have 

 always felt for one who has so laudably devoted the leisure 

 hours of a busy life of public service to the promotion of lite- 

 rature and science, I hope I may have persuaded you, that it 

 is at once more safe, and more just, for those who have not had 

 leisure to pursue chemical studies to their foundation, to leave 

 chemistry and chemists to themselves — at least so far as regards 

 the minutiae of the science, and arbitrations of the rights of 

 discovery; and I take the license of old acquaintance to ad- 

 vise, that if you •will venture on such dangerous ground, you 

 should at least learn how to choose your authorities; and 

 when you find even Robison, and Watt, deserting you, and 

 the perpetual Secretary so tardy in coming to the rescue, you 

 should not think it enough to reflect that in 1 803 — 1 839 — 1 845 

 and 1846 — you yourself stated and re-stated an opinion con- 

 trary to the public* voice of the chemists of England. 



I have the honour to remain, with undiminished regard, 

 My dear Lord, your faithful Servant, 



W. Vernon Haiicourt. 



N.B. An oversight with respect to a date in the part of 

 * Lord Brougham expresses more surprise than is just, that I take no 



