OF THE LATE PROFESSOR ROBISON. 533 



tion which it deserved. Chemical theories had of late under- 

 gone great changes, and the language of the science was entirely 

 altered. Dr Black, on the subject of these changes, had corre- 

 sponded with Lavoisier, and the mutual respect of two great 

 men for one another, was strongly marked in the letters which 

 passed between them. The Doctor had acceded to the chan- 

 ges proposed by the French chemist, and had even adopted 

 the new nomenclature ; but his notes had not undergone the 

 alterations which were necessary to introduce it throughout. 

 It would now have been difficult to make those alterations ; 

 and Mr Robison, who was not favourable to the new chemistry, 

 did not conceive that by making them, he was permanently 

 serving the interest of his friend. He conceived, indeed, that 

 there was unfairness in the means employed by Lavoisier, for 

 bringing Dr Black to adopt the new system of chemistry, and 

 has thrown out some severe reflections on the conduct of the 

 former, which appear to me to rest on a very slight founda- 

 tion. 



It was quite natural for a man, convinced, like Lavoisier, of 

 the importance of the improvements which he had made in 

 chemistry, to be desirous that they should be received by the 

 most celebrated Professor of that time, — by the very man, too, 

 whose discoveries had opened the way to those improvements. 

 His letters to Dr Black, contain expressions of respect and 

 esteem, which, I confess, appear to me perfectly natural, and 

 without any thing like exaggeration or deceit. Indeed it is 

 not probable that M. Lavoisier, even if he could himself 

 have submitted to flatter or cajole, could conceive that any 

 good effect was to arise from doing so, or that there was any 

 other way of inducing a grave, cautious, and profound phi- 



VoL. VII. P. II. 3 Y , losopher, 



