Life and Writings of Berzelius. 7 



on the character of the philosopher, and the merit of his pro- 

 ductions. 



What principally characterises the genius of Berzelius, 

 and what we especially recommend to the attention of the 

 future biographers of this great man, is his indefatigable 

 ardour for work, and his inexhaustible patience. Those who 

 wish to follow his steps, will do well to remark that these 

 qualities were rather an acquisition than a natural endow- 

 ment, and that they were indispensable to form the character 

 of the greatest analyst of the age. Experiment, long-con- 

 tinued, with admirable skill, was the powei'ful lever he em- 

 ployed to advance science and I'ender his name famous. A 

 sagacity as lively as it was patient and circumspect, a re- 

 markable clearness of apprehension, a skill, precision, and 

 accuracy of manipulation in experimenting, gave to the prac- 

 tical results he obtained a character of certainty universally 

 acknowledged by the learned world. 



Independently of his own personal discoveries, which are 

 numerous, and of his theories, almost equal in amount, not 

 an experiment of any importance was made in Europe for 

 forty years, which was not repeated, confirmed, rectified, or 

 combated by him. In the eyes of many of the learned, Ber- 

 zelius may perhaps appear of inferior rank when compared 

 with the originators of certain general ideas, bold theories, 

 and vast relations, which, like the world, comprehend every 

 thing within them, but he will be placed at the summit, among 

 the most illustrious, when judged of according to the immense 

 number and value of the positive facts with which his perse- 

 verance and penetration have enriched science. If we take 

 a glance at the works which he published, we will find a proof 

 of the perpetual activity which he exerted in his labora- 

 tory oi- in his cabinet. The periodical work of which we 

 have already spoken, extends over a period of twelve years, 

 and contains a condensed view of forty-seven original re- 

 searches made by himself. His great Treatise on Chemis- 

 try, in eight volumes, which has gone through five edi- 

 tions, rewritten almost as many times, is a monument of re- 

 search and skill. Besides, Berzelius commenced in 1822, at 

 the request of the Stockholm Acadomvof Sciences, an Annual 



