330 Notice of a Manual of Chemistry. 
acter has long since been established, and its merits as a work of 
reference and a text-book have been admitted and duly apprecia- 
ted. Indeed, as a text-book it was introduced into many of our 
colleges, and continued to be employed in them so long as copies 
could be procured. The second edition was long ago exhausted, 
and although the demand for the work continued unabated to the 
last, such were and are the arduous duties of the author, as Pro- 
fessor of Chemistry in the University at Cambridge and in the 
Medical School at Boston, that we have been somewhat appre- 
hensive lest sufficient leisure should not be left him to prepare 
another edition, considering the labor required properly to digest 
the amount of material which has so abundantly accumulated of 
late years, and bearing in mind the many discoveries in, and im- 
portant additions to, the science that it was necessary to post up. 
We are however not only highly gratified to-find our fears at 
length happily and satisfactorily removed, but are also much 
pleased to observe the improved appearance of the work, and to 
notice the many important and judicious changes that have been 
made in it. 
This edition. may indeed be almost considered as an entirely 
new work, so thorough a revision is evident on every page; af- 
fording aiaphe evidence of the unremitted care, patient research, 
sound judgment, and nice discrimination, that were exercised to 
render it in all respects what a Manual siould be ; perspicuous, 
comprehensive, and withal concise. 'The author never sacrifices 
sense to sound ; he never leads the reader away from the subject; 
and as he is dealing with facts, he proceeds in a strictly philo- 
sophical manner. He avoids the two extremes ; being neither 80 
brief as to bewilder and confuse, nor so prolix as to weary and 
disgust. Frequently, whilst examining its pages, have we been 
forcibly reminded of the truth of a remark made by the celebra- 
ted surgeon, Pott. “Any man,” observed he, “may give a0 
opinion, but it is not every iid that is qualified to collect and 
arrange important facts.” All the great principles of the science 
are clearly laid down, and most of the recent discoveries are in- 
corporated in its pages. So solicitous indeed has Dr. Webster 
evidently been to present every thing of value that was made 
known in his favorite science to the moment of sending the last 
page t to Dpretis spat it will be found, by referring to the Addenda 
pel he has incorporated every discovery of any worth 
