I 



ON MR* DALTON's PRIirCIPLK OF COUBINATIOK* 281 



who are in the habit af phitosopiiical investigation, it will 

 ijot be supposed, that any degradation of Mr. Dalton's doc- 

 trifje is intended by this statement of what I conceive tote 

 the corp**ct view, in which it ought to be regarded; some of 

 the most important discoveries of modern times have origi« 

 nated from mere hypothesis, nor does it appear that any 

 objection can be urged against the use of it, providejd only 

 we bear in mind the nature of the ground on which it is 

 founded, and recollect that its proof depends entirely upon 

 the strength of the facts that are adduced in its favour. 



1 shall otier a few remarks upon the terms that are em- Remarks f^r\ 

 ployed by Mr. Dalton, and first upon the word atom, which J^^''^^'^*'"'^ 

 hoids so prominent a place in his pa<ief;. Considerable merit ^ 

 is due to him for the clear manner in which this part of the 

 subje6l is brought into view, and th?s, i conceive, is in no 

 small degree owing to his having employed a term, the 

 meaning of which was established both by custom and ana- 

 logy, so that it could scarcely be misunderstood *, whereas 

 the words particle f, generally employed by the English 

 chemists, and still more, moie<:uIe1(.i employed by the 

 French, were obliged to be altered and retracted from their 

 popular acceptation, before they could be employed in a 

 scientific discussion. To the word tifiOwt'iio dfcjjiectJon eAh^ 

 attach. I cannot, however, assent to the manner in which 

 Mr. Dalton has used the words ^iworj/, ternary, &c. ; be-, Binary, tern- 

 cause, I think, it is calculated to introduce confusion into ^"^y* ^'^' 

 chemical language. The words themselves are modern, 

 they are confined to the writing of the chemist, and were- 

 formed to express a peculiar constitution of bodies, yet Mr. 

 Dalton employs the terms in a sense essentially different 

 from that originally imposed upon them. I am not fond of 

 proposing new terms, being aware of the difficulty of in- 

 venting such as may be unexceptionable, yet I shall venture 

 on the present occasion to suggest, that binatCy trindte^ &c. Other ternrj 

 may serve to denote that the substance in question consists, J'J"''^^^*''^ ^^^ 

 of 2, 3, or more atoms, without the liability to errour, 



• ArofAOSy insecabUis, indivisibilis. 

 •f" Dih^inutive of pars, a little part, 

 "^ Diminutive of moles, a little mass. 



that 



