Oti the Nomenclature of the Cornish Each, 103 



the history of a science, when a genius like his was most wanted 

 to give strength and consistency to its advances. It was he 

 who first methodized and depurated the labours of his prede- 

 cessors, created a new mineralogical language, taught a more 

 natural method of observing, and pointed out a proper divi- 

 sion of labour in these pursuits. 



Placed at an active period of life in the mining and minera- 

 logical chair of Freyberg, and in the very centre of the Saxon 

 mines, those abundant sources of geological instruction; he 

 had all the means of effecting whatever his zeal or his genius 

 suggested. The eloquence of his delivery, his scientific pre- 

 cision, his enlarged conception of things, his attention to the 

 wants of his hearers, soon drew around him pupils from all 

 the countries of Europe, and made Freyberg the centre of in- 

 formation in all that relates either to the art of mining, or to 

 the science of mineralogy. It was frequented by the natives 

 of every part of Germany, (with the exception of the Austrian 

 states, which had a school of their own,) most of whom were 

 deputed by their respective Governments to perfect their 

 mining education there. At the academy of Freyberg were as- 

 sembled Russians from the furthest part of Siberia, Swedes 

 and Norwegians, Poles, Frenchmen, Italians, Spaniards; 

 and in the year 1793 I found there two Brazilians.. When 

 the Spanish Government in 1786 judged it advisable to intro- 

 duce the improved pi'ocess of amalgamation into the countries 

 of South America, most of the young mining proficients, who 

 were selected for that purpose, were the pupils of Werner, 

 and my fellow students. 



From these causes has arisen that general diffusion of the 

 mineralogical language and method of Saxony, which, by 

 giving such an uniform direction to geological inquiries, has 

 so much conduced to the advancement of this science in the 

 last thirty years ; and hence it is, that the name of Wenier is 

 become so well known in every region of the globe, fi-om the 

 mines of Siberia to those of Peru and Mexico. 



If I should be asked in what jiarticular department of sci- 

 ence I feel most partial to the merits of my instructor, I would 

 point out that of geology. It is here that I think them pre- 

 eminent His acciu'ate mode of investigation, the facilities 

 which lie enjoyed for j)ersonal observation, and the numerous 

 oj)portunities which presented themselves fbr collecting infor- 

 mation through others, enabled him to classify and to arrange 

 all the known strata of the earth, and to unfold, as it were, tiie 

 order of nature in their formation. 



'I'he language of his country was, I tliink, particularly fa^ 

 vonrable to these views. It is i-icli in worils both sim|)le ami 



compound. 



