06 



Analyses of Boohs. 



ralogy and geology, whose title stands at the head of this article. 

 The first volume consists of a description of 509 different species of 

 minerals ; the greater proportion of which have been subject to an- 

 alysis, either by the author himself, or under his superintendence ; 

 and those, alone, can judge of the activity and enthusiasm with 

 which, during the last ten years, these labours have been engaged 

 in, who have been employed as fellow-workmen in the delightful, 

 though arduous task. Before a properly arranged system can be 

 formed, the elements of that system must be examined. Not only 

 have the elements been scrutinized in the present instance, but they 

 have been reduced into order, and of such a nature, as, we conceive, 

 infinitely surpasses any which has been previously proposed. By the 

 systems hitherto propagated the most dissimilar bodies have been 

 associated. The classification of minerals, as of salts, should be 

 simple, not complicated. The arrangement in the British Museum 

 belongs to the latter class, and must be pronounced bad. The acids 

 there distinguish the classes, and hence, the greatest confusion is 

 produced ; for the salts of each base constitute as many classes as the 

 base forms combinations with acids. Thus lead is found in combina- 

 tion with at least seventeen different acids. These different minerals 

 will, therefore, according to this arrangement, be deposited in seven- 

 teen different places. The base, however, of a salt, gives character, 

 generally, to all the bodies into which that base enters as an element; 

 the acid does not afford any such general character. If we class 

 together the different sulphates, for example, we have bodies associ- 

 ated of allhues and dyes ; but if we place the salts of copper in juxta- 

 position, the merest tyro would instantly discover the propriety of 

 such an arrangement. This is the plan which has been adopted in 

 the present work. We shall give a short view of the arrangement, 

 in a tabular form, with the symbols : 



CLASS I.— Acid Bases. 



Genu*. Symbols. 



I. Carbon. C 



Carbonic acid. C 



II. Boron. B 



Boracic acid. B 



III. Silicon. 



Silica. S 



IV. Phosphorus. Ph 



Phosjmoric acid. Ph 



V. Sulphur. SI 



Sulphuric acid. SI 



VI. Selenium. Sel 



Selenic acid. Sel 



VII. Tellurium. Tl 



VIII. Arsenic. As 

 Arsenic acid. As 

 Arsenious acid. As 



IX. Antimony. St 



Protoxide of antimony, st 

 Deutoxide of „ st 



X. Chromium. Ch 



Oxide of chromium ch 



Chromic acid. Ch 



XI. Molybdenum. Ml 



Molybdic acid Ml 



XII. Tungsten. Tn 



Tungstic acid. Tn 



XIII. Columbium. CI 

 Colu mbic acid. Cl 



XIV. Titanium. Tt 

 Titanic acid. Tt 



XV. Vanadium. Vn 



Vanadic acid. Vn 



