One Thousand Experiments, <5fc. 366 



it has happened that chemical empiricism has of late begun to 

 rival the illustrious career of Brodum, Solomon, and Eady. 

 One-half, at least, of our chemical factories are committed to 

 the hands of quack-chemists, who, by offers of unlimited pro- 

 fits, dazzle the dark minds of their moneyed proprietors, and 

 supplant men of sound views and principles, who disdain such 

 base methods of delusion. What an instructive book might be 

 made by narrating the senseless schemes and expenditure of our 

 national fire and light companies, of various great printfields, dye- 

 works, glass-houses, sugar-houses, vitriol, alum, and soda 

 works, &c. 



We believe ourselves warranted, from an extensive range of 

 observation, in asserting, that a sum of money which would 

 make some figure amid the interest of our national debt, is an- 

 nually wasted by these crafty and improvident projectors who 

 infest the chemical arts of this country. It has been too much 

 the fashion of late to speak contemptuously of the arts and 

 manufactures of France ; but if our ingenious and active neigh- 

 bours possessed our constitution and our coal-mines, their com- 

 petition would soon leave the British manufacturer little to boast 

 of, and would compel him to have recourse, more frequently 

 than at present, to the lessons of real science. We beg leave to 

 hold out the following facts, as a slight check on these narrow 

 prejudices, which at once degrade and impoverish their pos- 

 sessors, by fostering notions of superiority on points where they 

 are grossly defective. We also trust that this small expose may 

 induce our operative and consulting chemists to study with a 

 little more industry the scientific principles of their art. 



To the manufacturer of sulphuric acid the wholesale price of 



In LoadoD. In Parii. 



Sulphur is, per ton £7 7 £11 4 



Nitre. 27 76 



and the wholesale price of sulphuric acid in London is 16/. Oi.Orf. 



and in Paris \2l. Os.Od. 



If we estimate, for the formation of that acid, 1 part of nitre 

 to 9 of sulphur, though we know some French manufacturers 

 employ only 1 to 10, we have the following proportions : 



9x£ 7 7=£66 3s. 9x£ll 4=£lOO 16*. 



I X 27 0= 27 1 X 76 0= 76 



£93 3 {'"" "' '" 'Touni""*""'* '" '"""} £176 16 



Thus we see that, at the present prices, the materials in France 

 cost about double what they cost in England; indeed fully so, 

 if we consider the superior quality of our nitre compared with 

 that employed in France ; yet the product resulting from tiicse 

 niatcriuU is sold 25 jitr ctnt. cheaper in France than in Eng- 

 land. Now, put our sulphuric acid manufacturers in the same 



