Composition of the Waters of the St. Laivrence and Ottawa. 239 



Some are much siu'prised that I sliovild, as they think, venture 

 to oppose the conclusions of Newton : but here there is a mis- 

 take. I do not oppose Newton on any point ; it is rather those 

 who sustain the idea of action at a distance that contradict him. 

 Doubtful as I ought to be of myself, I am certainly very glad to 

 feel that my convictions are in accordance with his conclusions. 

 At the same time, those who occupy themselves with such mat- 

 ters ought not to depend altogether upon authority, but should 

 find reason within themselves, after careful thought and consi- 

 deration, to use and abide by their own judgement. Ne^vton 

 himself, whilst referring to those who were judging his views, 

 speaks of such as are competent to form an opinion in such mat- 

 ters, and makes a strong distinction between them and those who 

 were incompetent for the case. 



But after all, the principle of the conservation of force may by 

 some be denied. Well, then, if it be unfounded even in its ap- 

 plication to the smallest part of the science of force, the proof 

 must be within oui* reach, for all physical science is so. In that 

 case, discoveries as large or larger than any yet made may be 

 anticipated. I did not resist the search for them, for no one 

 can do harm, but only good, who works with an earnest and 

 truthful spirit in such a direction. But let us not admit the 

 destruction or creation of force without clear and constant proof. 

 Just as the chemist owes all the perfection of his science to his 

 dependence on the certainty of gravitation applied by the balance, 

 so may the physical philosopher expect to find the greatest 

 security and the utmost aid in the principle of the conservation 

 of force. All that we have that is good and safe, as the steam- 

 engine, the electric telegraph, &c., witness to the principle, — it 

 would require a perpetual motion, a fire without heat, heat 

 without a source, action without reaction, cause without efi'ect, 

 or effect without a cause, to displace it from its rank as a law of 

 nature. 



XXXVI. On the Chemical Comjjosition of the Waters of the St. 

 Lawrence and Ottaiva Riveis. Bij T. Stkrky Hunt, of the 

 Geoloyical Survey of Canada^. 



THE study of the chemical composition of the waters of great 

 rivers offers many points of interest, whether considered 

 in relation to the disintegration and solution of existing rock 

 formations, the formation of new deposits, or the part which 

 these waters play in the oeconomy of animal and vegetable life. 



♦ From the uapublighed Report of the Survey for 1854. Comniimicated 

 by the Author. 



