Notices respecting New Books. 55 



unite with the alkalies." Only fourteen lines lower down, however, 

 our author has so completely forgotten what he had written, and is 

 so totally destitute of facts to supply the deficiency of memory, that 

 he not only allows chlorine to possess acid properties, but even as- 

 serts, that'" it is the only acid that will dissolve gold and platinaj" 

 nor is this all, for he afterwards confounds chlorine with chloric acid, 

 stating that " with various bases it forms salts called hyperoxymu- 

 riates." 



Such, in our author's hands, is the fate of chlorine ! In the space of 

 less than twenty lines, chlorine is not an acid, and is an acid, and is 

 another acid besides itself. 



W'e trust we have now fully substantiated the charge of ignorance 

 against the author of this work ; and if any thing were wanting to 

 complete the character of the book, we shall do it by the charge and 

 proof of plagiarism — plagiarism the most unbounded. For this pur- 

 pose let the reader take in hand Forsyth's First Lines, and Parkes's 

 Rudiments of Chemistry (Third Edit. 1S22), and to these works we 

 shall refer him by the names of their respective authors. 



Forsyth, page 82. " Most of the acids owe their origin to the com- 

 bination of certain substances with oxygen, which has been called 

 the acidifying principle."— Taken from Parkes, p. 101. 



Forsyth, same page. " The substances which are combined with 

 oxygen to form acids (in all decomposable acids) combustible sub- 

 stances. Indeed several of the acids are the product of combustion : 

 witness the sulphuric, phosphoric, &:c. Four of the metals, and all 

 the other simple combustibles, except hydrogen, are convertible into 

 acids."— Taken from Parkes, p. 101 ; except that by the omission of 

 the word are before the sentence, in all decomposable acids, that 

 which in the original is intelligible, is, in the intended copy, non- 

 sense 5 and by stating that /our only of the metals instead oijive, and 

 by excepting hydrogen, instead of saying, as in his original " hydro- 

 gen not excepted," Mr. Forsyth has converted truth into error, and 

 convicted himself of ignorance. 



Forsyth, page 83. " Some acids may be decomposed, and de- 

 prived of tlieir oxygen ; and others may be formed by a direct com- 

 bination of oxygen with certain radicals."— Copied from Parkes, page 

 102; except that the word artif daily is omitted after/or/H«/. 



Forsyth, same page. " Some of these acidifiable radicals combine 

 with different proportions of oxygen, and consequently produce dif- 

 ferent states of acidity. When two acids have the same radical, but 

 contain different quantities of oxygen, they are distinguished by their 

 termination. The name of that which contains the most oxygen ends 

 in ic, the other in ous. Thus we say sulphuric acid, and sulphurous 

 acid, phosphoric acid, and phosphorous acid."— -From Parkes, p. 102, 

 literally. , i • i 



Forsyth, page So. " The mineral, the. vegetable, and the animal 

 kingdoms, all furnish bases or radicals, which become acids by their 

 union with oxygen. The mineral acids are generally formed with a 

 peculiar base and oxygen ; the vegetable acids, with carbon, hydro- 

 (Ten and oxvgen : while the animal acids are composed of the same 

 " . & ' substances 



