Ee 
Intelligence and Miscellanies. 171 
great reluctance, that I offer the above for publication, in the 
next No. of your Journal, and 
ith sentiments of regard and esteem, 
I remain your obedient servant, 
ENRY SEYBERT. 
Pror. Sittiman, Yale College, New-Haven. 
Letter of Mr. Nuttall. 
Philadelphia, Dec. 15, 1822. 
Dear Sir, ‘ 
I have hitherto avoided controversy, . of occasionally 
borne the lash of unjust criticism, in silence, rather than run 
oat ble by e of trespassing on the patience - cause’ of the 
Tet that imperious circumstances, and suc ay as are connect- 
ed with the support of moral Seney should have urged me 
to this unwelcome task. 
I believe no man can more highly or ust appreciate ie 
scientific character of your correspondent t ther 
wise I should have suffered his assertions to have passed un- 
eded. . 
= I am called upon, as you are.aware, by Mr. H. Sey- 
when and where | had heard of the existence 
of Fluoric acid in the Brucite or Chondrodite I might refer 
him back to a period when he was too young to have been 
uainted with even the name of Chemistry. I might bring 
ry recollection, the name of an amiable and scientific man 
tos late Dr. Bruce) in honor of whom it was calle Co- 
lonel Gibbs, and in whose laboratory this result was obtain- 
ed by Doctor Langstaff,* of New-York, then his pupil. It 
* On the subject of this experiment, I received the following note from 
Doctor L, dated Nov. 27th, 1822. “* Agreeably to your request of the 25th 
inst. I have referred to my notes made on the Sparta mineral, (Brucite) and 
that my experiments on the composition of that su tance were made in 
the fall of 1811. A want of time prevented me from making an accurate 
analysis, — from the sreernans | then sande, I find - yieldees about, 
Oxid of iron, - - - - - % 
