On Meteorological Nomenclature. 109 
the circumstance, it will appear to him as unadvisable to force 
a set of Saxon terms upon our fellow-labourers on the continent, 
as it would be in ourselves to injure our masticating apparatus, 
by ineffectually endeavouring to become masters of the German 
mineralogical dissonance t. 
I by no means wish this to be considered as the commence- 
“ment of a controversy, but as containing a statement of the 
opinion of one whose want of knowledge is, perhaps, only 
equalled by his regret that his knowledge is not more extended. 
I have the honour to he, sir, 
Your most obedient humble servant, 
- Old Brompton, Feb. 12, 1816. i P. J. Brown. 
P. S.—The snapping of sulphur when held in the warm hand, 
as noticed by your correspondent J. F., is a property which has 
Jong been known: it is mentioned by several authors to whese 
works I have not the opportunity of immediate reference; but 
I can venture from memory to refer to the lesson on Sul- 
phur in Lagrange’s Manual of Chemistay: for J. F’s ingenious 
observations on the subject he has full credit. 
” 
with those inserted in your Magazine: and with respect to the difficulty of 
impressing on the minds of mere English readers, names derived from the 
Latin, it is presumed that the term cumulus will as readily convey the idea . 
of a heaping up, or accumulation (ad cumulus) of clouds, as the proposed 
- one of stackencloud : indeed, if new terms must be acquired, the trifling 
additional difficulty (should any erist) will be no impediment to those sti- 
mulated by a desire to learn. 
*+ As many of your young readers who are pleased with the study of 
_ mineralogy may not haye entered into its investigations five years ago, I 
sball consider no apology necessary for recommending to their perusal 
Mr. Chenevix’s “ Reflections on some Mineralogical Systems,” published 
in your xxxvith and following volumes. In volume xxxvith, and last paras 
graph of page 379, I would suggest a manuscript reference to be made to 
vol, xlii, page 25, where Professor Stromeyer’s Observations on the Com- 
‘position of Arragonite will add force to Mr. C,’s arguments; by removing 
_ the only objection of any weight which remained opposed to the system 
of M. Maiiy. Newton incurred the ridicule of the pseudo-philosophers of 
his day, by arguing from thecry, that diamond ought to be infammable, 
and that water itself should also contain much inflammable matter. Those 
whose ridicule he experienced had long rested in their graves, when the 
brilliant discoveries of modern chemistry proved the correctness of his 
assertion. Can M. Haiiy’s principles need a more honourable comparison ? 
They pointed out to him that arragonite ought to differ from carbonate of 
lime; the most celebrated chemists of the early part of the 19th century 
were lony unable to detect the difference; it is at length discovered, to the 
‘immortal honour of the French philosopher, and I trust to the sad discam- 
- fiture of the partisans of external characters and mineralogical instinct, 
At) XXIV. On 
