266 MEMOIR OF DR. DALTON, AND 



belongs the distinction of first unequivocally calling the atten- 

 tion of philosophers to this important subject. Finding that in 

 certain compounds of gaseous bodies, the same elements 

 always combined in the same proportion ; and that when 

 there was more than one combination, the quantity of the 

 elements always had a constant relation, such as 1 to 2 or 

 1 to 3, or to 4, he explained this fact on the Newtonian 

 doctrine of indivisible atoms, and contended that, the rela- 

 tive weight of one atom to that of any other atom being 

 known, its proportions or weight in all its combinations 

 might be ascertained ; thus making the statics of chemistry 

 depend upon simple questions in subtraction or multiplica- 

 tion, and enabling the student to deduce an immense number 

 of facts from a few well authenticated, accurate, experimental 

 results." He then mentions Bryan and William Higgins 

 and Richter, saying, that *' it is difficult not to allow the 

 merits of prior conception as well as of very ingenious 

 illustration to" W. Higgins. He expresses Richter's views 

 very neatly, saying, " In his New Foundations of Chemistry, 

 published in 1795, he has shewn that when neutro-saline 

 bodies in general undergo mutual decomposition, there is 

 no excess of alkali, earth, or acid; and he concludes, that 

 these bodies are invariable in their relation to quantity, and 

 that they may be expressed by numbers." He, however, 

 continues to say,* " Mr. Dalton's permanent reputation will 

 rest upon his having discovered a simple principle univer- 

 sally applicable to the facts of chemistry, in fixing the 

 proportions in which bodies combine, and thus laying the 

 foundation for future labours respecting the sublime and 

 transcendental parts of the science of corpuscular motion. 

 His merits in this respect resemble those of Kepler in astro- 

 nomy. — Mr. Dalton has been labouring for more than a 

 quarter of a century with the most disinterested views. With 

 the greatest modesty and simplicity of character he has re- 



* Page 129. 



