404 Mr. Higgins’s Observations on Dr. Murray’s Statement 
metal in order to precipitate another metal in its metallic state, 
must not only unite to oxygen in greater quantities, and attract 
it more forcibly, but that this superiority of force must be very 
considerable *. 
The reader is to understand that this species of philosophy 
was not known before I published my Comparative View. Let 
us now attend to the Doctor’s next observation: ‘‘ The opinion 
was not extended, &c.” It was not a fanciful business, or mat~ 
ter of mere opinion ; what I advanced was prominently distin- 
guished, being supported by experiments and demonstrations ; 
it stood the test of subsequent investigations, and is now adopted 
by all the philosophers of Europe; and the opinion was extended 
beyond the few facts which the Doctor was pleased to bring for- 
ward, as the foregoing extracts will sufficiently prove. ‘It accord- 
ingly attracted no attention.’’ The work, it is true, did not attract — 
that attention which the doctrine it established and elucidated 
merited; but this is not to be wondered at, when we consider that 
at the time it was written, chemistry had not obtained the rank 
of a science, and had not a fixed doctrine to guide it. ‘* And Mr. 
Higgins himself never prosecuted it, nor announced it further, 
until, &c.”’ 
. So far as relates to the development of fundamental principles 
it could not be advanced a single step, even at this day, be- 
yond the limits at which I left off in my Comparative. View. 1 
have indeed applied it a little more extensively in my Atomic 
Theory, and also in a paper on the connexion of light and ca- 
loric, published in this Magazine, vol. 51, page 81. There is as 
much originality in this paper, and perhaps it is as interesting 
as any of the principles developed in my Comparative View ; and 
yet it has not been noticed, nor should I myself mention. it, had 
not the subject in question Jed me to it. Probably in about twenty 
years’ hence some writer will announce it as his own, together 
with my hypothesis on electrical phenomena. And to give it 
greater publicity was impossible, unless I were to puff it off in the 
daily prints or mouthly magazines, which would be a species of 
quackery beneath any man of science: besides, I had not the 
smallest doubt but it would sooner or latter make its own way, 
as I predicted in the preface. 
The work was presented to the public in as simple and con- 
spicuous a style as the nature of the subject would admit of ; and 
if the period at which it appeared was not sufficiently matured to 
appreciate its merit, it could not be the fault of the author. As 
to advancing my pretensions subsequent to Mr. Dalton’s publi- 
cation, | am surprised the Doctor should make use of such ex- 
pressions, having the date and facts of my Comparative View 
* Comp. View, pages 275, 276. 
before 
x 
