various dropsical Fluids, and ilie Scrum of the Blood. 71 



potash was present in the nulissoUihle residue, it was inost 

 important to have exhibited the state in which it existed. 

 It was not difficult to dcttrmine, if doubted, the state of 

 the potash in the alcohol, by burning the residnc left on 

 evaporation, which would have denuded it if united to the 

 acetic acid, but not if united to the muriatic acid. Sup- 

 posino it be judged riaht to receive these experiments as 

 evidence of the facts asserted by the adverse party, 1 b*^g 

 to claim the riaht also of opposing the contravening evi- 

 dence above delivered, in stating the results of a sinnlar 

 experiment. 



From this representation, I submit to our judges, whe- 

 ther or not I am entitled to object to the enumeration of 

 Eubcarbonate of soda as one of the impregnating ingredients 

 of scrum, and especially to the proportion denoted in cen- 

 tesimal parts of a grain, iii a mass amounting to seven or 

 eight grains, consisting of seven different substances. 

 Having communicated merely the inforn)ation of the 

 senses* through the intermedium of experiments, the che- 

 mical world wdl determine whether or no*: the opposing 

 party have demonstrated errors in observaiion, or illegiti- 

 mate conclusions. I am of opinion, that the best founded 

 conclusions are but provisional, and of course, that che- 

 mistry has not vet attained the rank of a science, or at 

 least not of a demonstrative science. This opinion seems 

 just, from a retrospective view of the varying states of che- 

 mistry during the last hundred years. Many of the theo- 

 ries of the illustrious Stahl were for half a century admitted 

 •IS demonstrations of the agency of phlogiston. 'I'bat these 

 doctrines were erroneous, was evinced by the succeeding 

 discovery of the agency of oxygen, especially manifested 

 by the ever-to-be-laoiented Lavoisier. And the pneumatic 

 doctrine in some parts has lately been rendered doubtlul, 

 if not exploded, by the wondrous achievements of proies- 

 ijor Davy. Contemiilaling the prospect of the progres- 

 sion of this branch of natural knowledge, I offer the 

 conclusion, that potash, and not soda, is the alkali united 

 to amnial matter in the fluids 1 cx.imined, merely as pro- 

 visional. 'I'hat potash does also exist in lliese fluids, united 

 to muriatic acid, is not inconsistent v\ilh mv txperimcnts ; 

 but the experiments of my learned friends do not appear to 



* Sc■ll^us cnim per sc ics iniiriiia c"it cf abosi.-in',; ne jiio organa ml ampli- 

 <kaiid()s scnsus aut aciieiw^cis ji.'-Jiuni valeiit ; fed umi'.is vcric.r jn'cr|>iO»i'.iio 

 naturx lonlicitur per iiistuntias et t> p. rimcut:; id:,ncy cl appcisiia ; l:hi son 

 8US dc espcrimcnto lautuni, cxpcrimciituin dc uavuiu cC ic ipsa judlcat. — h.i- 

 Coiv't .V vani (Jrg/iiaiiK. 



E i authorize 



