Chemical and Mincratog'ical Nomenclature, 1 7 <J 



the fenfe." It is for this reafon, combined with the fir ft, 

 that I prefer finale names, already underftood, and well 

 known by all thofe that have attained any knowledge of 

 chemiftry, to new names derived from the Greek or new 

 unknown barbarous Latin names. Hence I prefer the term 

 hepar, denoting in all chemical authors a combination of 

 fulphur to every balls except a metallic, to the barbarous 

 unknown Latin term fulphuret; and, with refpect to metals, 

 I prefer the well known terms pyrites and galena, to the 

 newlv-devifed fulphuret of iron, or copper, or lead', the former 

 has the advantage of denoting the particular fpecific combi- 

 nations of fulphur with iron, copper, arfenic, or cobalt, and 

 of excluding not only other fulphurated metals that do not 

 give fire with ftcel, as the vitreous (ilverore, fulphurated anti- 

 mony, or lead, cinnabar, blende, fulphurated bifmuth, &c; 

 but alfo fuch compounds even of copper and fulphur as do not 

 give fire with ftcel, as the vitreous copper ore and the gray 

 copper ore, and the purple. On thefe, and many other confi- 

 derations which will prefently be mentioned, I hope the inge> 

 nious Mr. Muihet will recall his with that I had modelled my 

 Nomenclature on the principles of the French fchool. Phil. 

 Mag. II. p. 156. C. Faujas, though of that 'fchool, remarks 

 that thefe ufual names (when otherwifefaultlefs) cannot, with- 

 out great inconvenience *, be changed for others either eru- 

 dite or barbarous. Journal des Mines, XXXV. p. 894. Nor is 

 his opinion in the leaft invalidated by the note of C. Coque- 



This purs me in mind of fome Latin purifts who change known 

 modern names into what they efteem purer Latin ones. Thus, infiead 

 of cancellarius, thty fay prafeflus juris; and for which Lipfius Not. ad 

 Lib. I. Poiiticorum cap. 9. juftly cenfures the hiftorian Faulus JEmilius. 

 " Vetuftatis etiam nefcio quid affeftat in nominibus hominum, locorum, 

 viibium immutamlis cr in veterem formam rudigendis, fsepe erudite, ii - 

 terdum vane, fed, ut ego judico, femper indecore, quorium cbdriierivs, 

 Gallorum cancellarius, quadrigarius mini fit f et ille ipfe cancellarius ap- 

 pellatur prtfaflus jurh ? et ubique Rex Tarraconenfis, qui nobis et raa- 

 joribus fuit Arragonix? talis inlinita fuiit audaifer et ambitiofe innovata et 

 cum fraude pariter ac cruce lecloris." The Greek and Roman hiftoiians 

 were frequently guilty of the fume fault, which occ^ficns at this day much 

 perplexity. , 



bcrt, 



