Chemical and Minerahgical Nomenclature. 205 



Prieftley called dephlogijlicated nitrous air, at leaft until its 

 nature is better developed. 



It is in vain that the authority of Bergman is invoked to 

 countenance the fuppreflion of the antient names «f Glauber, 

 Epfom, 8cc. rejecting only the oftentatious additions made 

 to fome of them, as fal admirabile Glauberi, &c. 4 Bergm. 

 p. 257. It is true he affirms that the bejl names are fucb 

 as indicate the compojition, or fome ejjenhal property ; but of 

 this fort he gives no example, nor rejects any old names 

 merely on this account : on the contrary, where exprejjive 

 names cannot eaiily be had, he tells us it is better to apply 

 fome that convey no determinate expreffion, p. 259 ; and 

 this is often the cafe where different proportions or numerous 

 ingredients are to be denoted. 



Hence I am far from rejecting, but on the contrary ap- 

 plaud the ingenuity of the inventors of the terminations of 

 at and ite to denote the different proportions of oxygen in 

 the acids contained in different compounds, as fidphats, ful- 

 phitcs, nilrats and nitrites, &c. as fuch general names were 

 undoubtedly wanting, and the old fchool afforded none. But 

 the welcome admiffion of thefe does not require nor imply 

 the difmiffal of fuch of the old as were faultlefs, and enfran- 

 ehifed by prefcription. 



A highly valued friend fuggefted to me, that the ufe of 

 the old names was a departure from the fyftem on which the 

 new denominations were founded. I replied, that fyflems 

 were the creatures of convenience, and mould be adhered to. 

 only as far as they promoted it; nitre, epfom, borax, &c. 

 are much fhorter (and equally well known) than nitrated pot- 

 afh or fulphat of magnefia ; and Lavoifier himfelf preferves 

 the name borax ; he might as well have preferved that of 

 epfom. 



The fifth rule (very properly) laid down by Morveau with 

 rcfpetl to names is, that they ihould be adapted to the genius 

 of the language ; conlcquently, if old names be retained, they 

 fliould be employed in the true ufual fenfe of their own fig- 

 mfrcation in that language, and neither extended beyond it 

 nor reflric"led within narrower bounds : on this ground I re- 

 ject the term potajh, employed to denote the vegetable fixed 



alkali 



