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XXVIII. OntlLe Atomic Theory. 5y William Higgins, £5^. 



To Mr. Tilloch. 



Sir, — 1 BEG leave to transmit to you the follouinp; ol)serva- 

 lions, which T request vou will insert in your Magazine. The 

 first part relates to the article Atomic Theory, published in Dr, 

 Rees's new CvclopcTiIia, vol. xxxv. part 2. The author I know, 

 for it is impossible to nii'-take his prejudiced style of writing. 



The writer begins by giving a definition of the /liomic Theory 

 of Chemistry. " It is the means of explaining the composition 

 and decomposition of chemical bodies, by considering their ulti- 

 mate atoms* or particles as peculiar and distinct elementary 

 solids, never changing in their figure, weight or volume, under 

 any circumstance." 



The definition is very fair : and 1 will say with confidence that 

 I was the inventor of this theory, and the first that applied it in 

 the manner above descril)ed ; and I defy any person to produce 

 any thing to the contrarv, — I mean any person that will step for- 

 ward without confounding dates and facts, as has been tlie case 

 repeatedly on the subject of the Atomic Theory. 



The writer proceeds in continuation, on the supposition of the 

 infinite and definite proportions in which elementary mattex* 

 might, or might not, combine. Tiiis I m.ust pass over, as it has 

 nothing to do with the present discussion. 



" Philosophers," says he, " were always satisfied to consider 

 this fact of the limitation of the proportions of bodies, as one of 

 the hidden secrets of nature, as difficult to conceive as the na- 

 ture of the attraction I)y which their elements were held to- 

 gether. Rerlhollet ajDpears to have been the first to attempt this 

 arduous task, in his ingenious work entitled Chewical Statics." 



As Count Rerthollet's work does not mateiially relate to my 

 Atomic Tlieory, and as lie had written some years alter me, I 

 shall make no comments on this part of the subject: I will only 

 say that my Cnmixirnliue Fiew slioaid have, in tlie history, a 

 piecedency of tlie Chemical Slntics, where this arduous task, as 

 he calls it, was fnsi; attempted with perfect sneers'^. 



" Chemists luive froja the earliest times l)een accpiainted with 

 those points v.hich we call mutual saturation, and have been 

 long familiar with those limited augmentations of tiieir propor- 

 tions called by some doses, and by others particles." 



The ancient chemists were v.-ell aware tliat one body required 

 a given portion of another body to saturate it so as to form a 

 neutral compound; but their kijDwledge went no further, — they 



• He should leave out the word atom, m being a compound. 



Vol. 5 1 . No. 239. March 1818. L had 



