118 Chi Chemical Philosophy. 



heat or flame, separately or combined. In this way all descriptive 

 names are given ; and the reason this power has had such an in- 

 finite number applied to it, is, that as one grand cause produces 

 all the infinity of eft'ects in nature, the mind of man has been 

 directed to one part of its operations at one period of the world, 

 and to another part at some other time. It was in this way that 

 the word attraction was introduced, and has been more particu- 

 larly adopted in modern times, because the mind was directed 

 to Newton's theory of planetary motions, as well as to that of 

 chemical affinity: — it is from these causes there appears, on a su- 

 perficial view, so nmch contradiction in the different systems that 

 have prevailed in the world. This contradiction, however, arises 

 not so much from direct and absolute error, as from the divisions 

 and separations of that which is true : — it is from dividing that 

 which ought to be joined together j from some men at one pe- 

 riod directing their attention to one part of the operations of 

 this power in particular, while others at another time have had 

 their thoughts directed to an opposite point. This has tended 

 not merely to the exclusion of a comprehensive view of the whole, 

 but each of these parts has been and still is carried by both 

 ])arties to the utmost extreme. Such must for ever remain the 

 fate of science and of every other subject, so long as terms which 

 were originally descriptive of some partial and particular effect 

 or peculiarity continue to be applied to a whole of which they 

 form only a part : for though these terms may at first be received 

 as descrijjtive, they are soon considered as expressive of the nature 

 and essence of the power, &:c. of which they are thus arbitrarily 

 adopted as signs. Newton saw this in adopting the word at- 

 traction, and which has, notwithstanding his anxiety to guard 

 others against it, become its present meaning in the common 

 acceptation of the word. It is from considerations of this nature 

 that I have preferred the terms " The Grand Agent," '* The 

 Grand Power,&c." The proofs why I conceive the word Che- 

 mistry had originally been applied in the same way, are not 

 merely that such words as chamiah, shaniah, lar,ia,Jiamma, and 

 an immense number of other words, — all expressive of heat and 

 flame, singly or jointly, throughout Asia and Europe, — have such 

 a striking resemblance to each other, and in fact identity, con- 

 sidering the different shades of pronunciation produced by sub- 

 stituting the letters s, c, g, k, cli, sh, w, v, p,f, ^, &c. for each 

 other ; but several other considerations are connected with their 

 views of the subject, and their notions of the general principles 

 of science. I am aware of this view differing in some measure 

 from that given in Dr. Thomson's History of Chemistry (last 

 edition of his System), and any hitherto adopted. I have not ven- 

 tured to state this, however, without grounds, and grounds so 



extensive 



