HISTOKY OF THE ATOMIC THEORY. 205 



the alumina ? But if we should conclude from the law of these 

 series that the existence of the failing elements is necessary, 

 then we should commit as great an error as if we were to 

 conclude that a planet must exist between Mars and Jupiter, 

 because it corresponds to the law of the distance of the planets 

 from the sun. 



" H.. The use of these series of quantities is not small, for if 

 we know only the first member and are acquainted with the 

 law, we find all the other members and all the proportionate 

 quantities with the greatest exactness, and who does not know 

 what differences there have hitherto been in the numbers re- 

 presenting the proportions? How many uses shall we find 

 also in chemical analysis for series of this kind, of which 

 probably there are many, and to what perfection might it not 

 bring the chemical system, if they could be used as tables of 

 affinities ? 



^* The two series of quantities, 1 and 2, § XXVI., are 

 really quantitative series of the affinity of alkaline earths 

 towards muriatic and sulphuric acid. Page 51. 



Page 56. " Determination of the decomposing forces, § 

 XXVIII. 



"A. The experiments now detailed enable us to state the 

 proposition that affinities are as the masses. 



" C. P. 61. If now in these cases of affinity the attracting 

 forces of the elements are as the masses of the elements, and we 

 take 3099 as the attracting force or affinity of baryta towards 

 muriatic acid, the numbers 1107, 858, 734, or the attractive 

 force of the elements represented is quite unaltered towards 

 muriatic acid, on the other hand we must calculate the affinity 

 of those earths to sulphuric acid from the numbers given 

 and the proposition adopted. According to the proposition, 

 1000 : 1394=3099 : 4320 and 1000 : 1394=734 : 1023, in the 

 same way 3099 : 734= 4320 : 1023. If, then, the attractive 

 power of baryta towards muriatic acid is 3099, towards 



