166 Dr. Kane's Notice on the Theory of the JEthers. 



and taking my chance for the rest. In fact, I still think the 

 matter of very little importance; and were it not that my si- 

 lence might be wrongly interpreted by evil-minded persons, 

 of whom this world does contain a few, I should have been 

 content to see without a murmur the ethyl theory ascribed to 

 Berzelius as long as it remains in chemistry, which I am very 

 much disposed to think will not be long; as yet, however, it 

 is the best we have. 



Setting out from the ammonium theory of Berzelius, I de- 

 veloped the theory of the aethers, assuming tethereum (ethyl) 

 as a compound radical. Three years' continued labour at the 

 ammoniacal combinations have given me a view of their na- 

 ture, which I hope the Royal Irish Academy will soon have 

 printed. In the mean time abstracts of my numerical results 

 and of my views have been published in the Proceedings of 

 the Academy.* This ammonia-theory modifying my views of 

 the nature of compound radicals, made me reconsider the 

 views of the aethereal combinations, and I declared myself to 

 Liebig when he was in Dublin as undecided about the con- 

 stitution of the asthers ; and being disposed to consider my 

 results about the ammoniacal combinations as likely to affect 

 considerably the existing theories of the aethers, I recollect 

 perfectly an expression which, though trivial, perhaps Liebig 

 himself may yet bear in mind. I said to him, that I had dis- 

 carded all aether theories, and that my ideas about them were 

 all mashed up together. He said. Let them ferment and we 

 shall see what will come out of it. This was trifling talk, 

 but it will be seen that his observation that I had gone from 

 one side to the other is by means of these facts deprived of 

 the force which, in an evil point of view, it might at first sight 

 be supposed to possess. 



With regard to the laurels, I have also a word to say. 

 There are two very different, but both important phases in 

 the history of the ethyl theory ; the first its proposition, 

 the second its {pro ta7ito) establishment. Anything in the 

 way of a leaf for the first, I would certainly lay claim to 

 equally with Berzelius ; but for the second, to which I consider 

 the greater part of the branch should be devoted, no person 

 can dispute Liebig's right. When I proposed the theory, 

 I did so from an examination of the results of others. I had 

 then never made an organic analysis ; I never made an or- 

 ganic analysis until Liebig showed me how in Giessen. 

 Neither did Berzelius deduce the theory from his own ob- 

 servations : the analyses by Magnus, by Liebig, and by Mar- 



[* Some of Prof. Kane's results on the ammoniacal combinations will 

 be found in L. & E. Phil. Mag. vol. xiii. p. 156. Edit.] 



