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which I slioiikl like to introduce in its stead. But fortunately, the task 

 will be simplified, siace the same principles advocated during that long 

 criticism must now guide us in the second part of this paper. 



In my opinion, the student who ici tends studying Mineralogy .should 

 always folluw first, at least, an elementary course of Chemistry. Theo- 

 retical Clieinistry is the most necessary ; next in importance comes the 

 Descripti\ c, which gives him a notion of the various elements and their 

 principal compounds; finally, if he has studied Analytical Chemistry, 

 both qualitative and quantitative, he need not study Mineralogy — he 

 may almost be said to know it. So, as I do not want to make my work 

 too easy, I will suppose that he has studied very little Chemistry, or 

 even none at all, though such a student must, of course, be a little defi- 

 cient, and will never have a broad view of Mineralogy as a science. 



The course should be divided into two parts: namely, Synthetical 

 Mineralogy and Analytical Alineralogy. Here I must plead guilty 

 to the introduction of new words into the vocabulary of the science. You 

 must not be astonished ; innovations must be very slight not to affect 

 the language of a sci^^nce, and I know of no other sufficiently compre- 

 hensive heading. But you will better judge this question by yoiirselves 

 when I shall haye explained the object of each of these di\isions. In 

 the Synthetical, the general princi|.les of the science are laid down, 

 uniting together the multiplicity of facts and details under the few laws 

 which govern them. The Synthetical Mineralogy is itself subdivided 

 into three parts, explaining what the crystallographio, cliemical and 

 physical properties cf minerals aie. 



The chapter on Crystallography would be almost the same as is 

 found now in the best text-books. I know that many students will be 

 thankful to me for making no addition to that chapter. Yet its impoit- 

 ance can never be too well appreciated. 



The second chapter is devoted to Chemistry. The general prijici- 

 ples of the science are laid down, but with constant reference to " 

 Mineralogy. All speculative considerations are thrown aside, whilst 

 special attention is given to those laws which are well illustrated in the 

 composition of minerals, chemical nomenclature, symbols and formulas, 

 laws of combination, and especially the great law of equivalence. 

 Stoichioniftry would form the first part of the second chapter; whilst 



