222 Scientific Labors and Character of 
since inspired the greatest respect for his authority in regard to the 
composition of the bodies which he examined. Chemical analysis 
is a very difficult art, and few chemists ever attain to any high de- 
gree of excellence in it. A familiar knowledge of the peculiar prop- 
erties of all bodies—a discriminating eye to detect an individual con- 
stituent of a compound, as soon as it discovers itself by any of its 
properties, either physical or chemical—great ingenuity and address 
in conducting delicate manipulations—a sound judgment to draw the 
proper conclusion, as the principles of the compound are successively 
developed—great accuracy in estimating the respective quantities of 
the constituent elements—and unwearied perseverance in conducting 
tedious processes, which often last for several days or even weeks: 
these are some of the qualifications that unite to form such accom- 
plished analysts as Klaproth, Vauquelin, and Berzelius. 
But the most remarkable portion of this volume of Researches, is 
that which relates to the properties of nitrous oxide. So fully were 
these properties disclosed, that time has added scarcely any thing to 
their number ; and few examples can be found of more thorough and 
successful experimental investigations, than were exhibited in these 
researches into the nature of a substance, at that time just introduced 
to the notice of the chemical world. But the merit of these analyt- 
ical researches has been almost overlooked, in the astonishment that 
followed the discovery of the effects of nitrous oxide in respiration. 
So sudden and transforming, and sometimes indeed so appalling, are 
the effects produced by inhaling the “ exhilirating gas,” that even 
now, one can hardly encounter them without some slight emotions of 
fear. How undaunted then must have been the spirit, that first em- 
barked on this unknown sea! How few but would have recognised 
in the symptoms that attended the first inspirations, “ the giddiness 
and fulness of the head,” accompanied with “a loss of distinct sen- 
sation and voluntary power,” as admonitions that they were entering 
aregion of death! To plunge forward into the unknown abyss, re- 
vealed a spirit cased in more folds of brass than his, who first braved 
the open sea.* 
At is not the least remarkable among the circumstances of this eX- 
ploit, that it was performed in the face of an hypothesis which had 
“ Illi robur et ws triplex 
. Cirea pectus erat, qui fragilem truci 
isi m 
Commisit pelago rate: 
_ Prius. 
