Chemical and 'Mhieralogical Nomenclature. SCO, 



to retain the fignification of raoft words in his own, and often 

 of thofe of feveral other languages : ehemiftry and mineralogy 

 together fcarcelv prefertt two hundred appertaining to them 

 alone; neither the feiences of aftronomy, law, or medicine^ 

 afford fewer. 



The fafhionablc rase of coining new words from the Greek; 

 without any ncccfflly, has been particularly baneful to mine- ' 

 ralogy, infomuch that foreigners, though well acquainted with 

 the received terminology, cannot, without being vcrfed in that 

 language, underftand the meaning of the new-fangled terms 

 lately introduced. It is well known that the mineralogical 

 knowledge of all Europe is chiefly derived from' the Germans 

 and Swedes, whofe nomenclature is in moft inftances the 

 fame, and where any ambiguity has arifen it has been re- 

 moved by the exertions of Werner. His nomenclature, 

 where not too difeordant with the language, or at open va- 

 riance with the received technical names of other countries, 

 {hould therefore, for the fake of precifion and uniformity, be 

 univerfally preferved. 



Abbe Hauv, who is now preparing a treatife of minera- 

 logy, of which the higheft expectations are juftly entertained, 

 fmce, in addition to his own fuperior intelligence and pro- 

 found phyfical knowledge, he is affifted with the chemical 

 abilities of Guvton, Vauquclin, Defcotilles, and many others, 

 and the extenfive refcarches of Dolomieu, feems convinced 

 of the propriety of retaining the received terminology, at leait 

 for the prefent, with the limitations and reftric.tions above 

 mentioned ; for, in his prefatory difcourfe, Journal des 

 Mines, XXVII. p. 224, he tells us, " that with refpecl: to 

 minerals of the fir ft elafs (that is, confifting of mere earths), 

 he left them thofe names which they had hitherto borne, and 

 did not take the liberty of impofing new ones, except in cafes 

 of ncceffitv, as where a new fpecies occurred, either formerly 

 unknown, or confounded with one of a different nature. We 

 have altered inch names only as were intolerably ambiguous." 



Yet after this declaration we find the following new-coined 

 nam 



Tele/id, for oriental rubies, fapphircs, and topazes. Thus 

 fepphire i-; called blue tct<jit, See. — Crni',['hant, for the chry- 



V6K. VIIL E« fube'rii 



