173 Nbtkes respecting New Books. 



ijess or the propriety of entitling a work '* Chemical Philo- 

 sophy," in which there is no notice of pneumatic chemistry, 

 no classification or description of the qualities and characters 

 of gaseous bodies. A number of general result?, arranged in 

 the form of corollaries, with some regard indeed to their ge- 

 neral relations, should rather be denominated a concise view 

 oi practical chemistry, than the philosophy "of chemical 

 science. This error, however considerable, as it conveys a 

 false idea ol the nature and object of this treatise, wc should 

 not particularly notice, were it not followed by several 

 others of a similar origin, but still more injurious to the 

 general perspicuity and accuracy of our chemical knowledge. 

 Such errors are the more extraordinary and the more dan- 

 gerous, that the author boasts of the " numerous corrections 

 and important additions" which he has been enabled to 

 make in tins third edition, which, he presumes, from the 

 *' reception it has experienced in all enlightened countries, 

 may be ranked with classic books." He says it has been 

 ** translated into German, Swedish, Danish, English, Spa- 

 nish, Portuguese, Italian, and modern Greek j" but no men- 

 lion is made of Dutch and Russian. The chief additions 

 consist of an introduction, divided into ] 00 sections, occu- 

 pying 60 pages of this translation. It presents a view, much 

 more extensive than accurate, of the nature and '' general 

 means of chemistry, principles of bodies, attraction of ag- 

 oresation and composition, chemical oj^crations by means' 

 of fire or liq\'iids, vind the classification of bodies." 



The very lirst section of tliis introduction consists of two 

 propositions, neither of which is philosophically correct. 

 <' The especial object of chemical philosophy," says M. 

 Fourcrov: *' is, 1st. to apply the general theory of chemistry 

 to the phcenomena of nature and to the operations of art, the 

 cause and effects of which are entirely within the province 

 of this science." This is certainly the inverse object of true 

 " Chemical Philosophy," which, since the days of Bacon, 

 has been first to unfold the pharnomcna of nature which 

 exist and are cognisable inde[)cndent of all theory, and next 

 fo develop the r':lations of these phsenoni' na, so that the 



observef 



