New Outlines of Chemical Philosophy. 101 
tegral multiple, or, as in the cases of the citric acid, and the 
subcarbonate of the oxide of copper, an integral submultiple of 
the oxygen of the base.” 
If we compare the oxygen of the water of crystallization with 
that of the acid, we do not always find the same law observed : 
_ thus, in the sulphate of soda, for example, the oxygen of the wa- 
ter of crystallization is to that of the acid as 34 to 1, and in the 
sulphate of ammonia it is ¢ of that of the acid. Hence I have 
been led to the following rule : “ In combinations of several oxy- 
genized bodies, the, oxygen of the component part, which con- 
tains the least of it, is an aliquot part of that of each of the 
other component parts.”’ 
But may not we discover, in combinations of this kind, a pre- 
valent component part, of the oxygen of which, although its 
quantity may not be the smallest, that of the other parts must 
be multiples or submultiples? If, for example, in a subsalt, the 
acid contained one-third, and the water half as much oxygen as 
the base, the oxygen of the two former would stand in a regular 
relation to that of the latter, which might be regarded as the 
prevalent component part ; but the oxygen of the water would 
not be a multiple of that of the acid, which in this ease would be 
the least of the three. Among the few substances which I have 
had occasion to examine, I have met with no instance of this 
kind; but it does not follow that the latter view may not be a cor- 
rect one. Since however every combination depends on the whole 
sum of the attractions of each of its component parts, the former 
mode of representation appears to me to be the more probable. 
1 confess that we have at present too little experience to be 
able to set up such inferences as demonstrated laws. But we are 
obliged to adopt them at least as teniporary suggestions, in order 
to our advancement towards a more certain theory: and I am 
convinced that all the opinions which I have here expressed will 
in general be confirmed as truths ; although they may require 
numerous corrections, in proportion as more and more of the in- 
finity of matter, which has hitherto eluded our researches, shall 
be made known by future investigations, 
[Yo be continued. | 
XXI. New Outlines of Chemical Philosophy. By Ez.Wa.ksr, 
Esq. of Lynn, Norfolk. 
. [Continued from p. 25.] 
Combustion. 
Taree are very few bodies in nature, that do not contain either 
thermogen or photogen, All those bodies which are called com- 
G3 , bustibles 
