Fan Mons. 231 



•organized matter. Besides, in such a kind of composition, am- 

 monia, instead of being a metallic oxide, will be a, reduced metal; 

 for primitive matter, rather than hydrogen, forms the metals. 

 I have written to Berzelius, who has not yet informed me of this 

 discovery for the details of his processes. 

 [To be coiitiiiutd.j 



Extract of a Letter from M. J. B. Van Mons to jSIr. Singer. 



" You will find interspersed through the first and second vo- 

 lumes of my Translation of Davy, which I have now the honour 

 to present to you, some fragments of my System of Meteorology. 

 I consider atmospheric air as a fourth kingdom, having organized 

 tizote for its basis ; as the vegetable kingdom has for its basis 

 organized carbon ; and as the animal kingdom has both organi- 

 zations. Organization consists in being hydrogenated by water, 

 instead of being so by reduced hydrogen ; and the atmospherical 

 organized body can hydrate itself and suroxygenate itself, in the 

 same manner as the organized vegetable body hydrates and sur- 

 liydrogenates itself. Aiiimal life consists in causing a cessation 

 of this suroxygenation and surliydrogenation of the organized 

 matter of the otlier two kingdoms, by the formation of water, 

 which at the same time causes animal heat. The changes 

 of weather whicli take place from the varying infiuence of the 

 planets*, and from the electrifying and unelectrifying in.^luence 

 of the sun, consist in the oxygenation and hydrogenation, some- 

 times alternate, but more frequently concomitant, of organized 

 atmospherical matter. As the oxygen in separating itself from 

 this matter is not quite in the state of gas, it is obliged to supply 

 its deficiency of caloric by the vapour of wat€r. Air perfectly 

 hydrated, and in wlilch the oxygen is so also, may likewise be 

 dissolved by water ; it is when the barometer ascends, and when 

 at the same time the thermometer descends, and when the con- 

 trary march or ])rogress of these two instruments takes place, that 

 hydrated air dedissolvesf itself. Azote, hydrogenated by water, 

 is the oxide of the metal ammoniiim, of which ammonia is 

 the oxidule, and organized azote is consequently a sort of gas- 

 eous alkali, which like the other alkalies can oxygenate itself, 

 hydrate itself, bydrato-oxygenate itself, dissolve, and then take 

 up hygrometric water. There is no meteorological phenomenon, 

 however complex, which may not be clearly explained by these 

 principles. Temperature depends on changes in the combina- 

 tions that take place in air; and winds are the effects, not 

 the causes, of these changes. And this explains hov/ all the va- 

 riations are announced beforehand by the indications of our api. 



* L'injlucnce tcndant et distendant des astres. t •S'e dcdissout 



IM 



