S4 London Chemical Society. 



collected in the friendly intercourse of society, often lead to 

 investigations of the greatest importance. The student rinds 

 many ditficulties removed which impede his progress, by the 

 ready information he obtains from men of higher acquire- 

 ments, whilst those who are skilled in chemical pursuits 

 frequently receive important observations from the mere 

 lover of the science ; to this may be added, that men, how- 

 ever great their learning or ardour may be for any particular 

 branch of inquiry, yet, when deprived of the opportunity of 

 communicating their ideas to others, not only become neg- 

 ligent and uninterested in improving the stock of knowledge 

 they already possess, but are seldom solicitous about the 

 further cultivation of their mental powers. 



From a conviction of these truths, a number of gentle- 

 men who have a taste for philosophical chemistry are deter- 

 mined to form themselves into a society, in which the ta- 

 lents of a number mav be united, and become extensively 

 useful to each other, by mutual communication of their 

 views, their labours, and acquisitions. That their endeavour 

 may prove as interesting as possible, particularly to those 

 promoters of chemical science who cannot devote much 

 time to the perusal of literary journals and periodical publi- 

 cations, arrangements will be made to collect, as speedily as 

 possible, all the chemical news which issue from the labora- 

 tories of other operators, both at home and on the conti- 

 nent ; and correspondences will be established to obtain the 

 earliest and best information respecting whatever shall offer 

 itself as new and important in the departments of chemistry, 

 of natural philosophy, and the arts and manufactures, which 

 are dependent on these branches of knowledge. To keep 

 pace with the existing state of chemical science, the intelli- 

 gence thus collected shall be regularly detailed in their re- 

 spective meetings ; and a book of reference kept as a register, 

 containin"" the growing mass of philosophical information, 

 which will he laid on the table for the use of the members ; 

 too-ether with all those publications and academical journals 

 of repute which exhibit the transactions of ingenious men 

 in every part of the world. 



The views of this society, however, will not be confined 



to 



