1814.] On the Discovery of the Atomic Theory. 



Oxygeft comlined with 100 Metal. 



METALS. 



Platinum 



Gold 



Iron (as hlnck oxide) ... 



Dilto (as red oxide) 



Copper 



Cob.ilt 



Manganese 



Zinc 



Nickel -j 



Antimony 



Tin 



Arsenic i 



Silver 



BismutU 



Biercury 



Lrad 



By precipitating 

 the inelals liy 

 one aiiclbrr. 



81-690 

 45-6ia 

 27 0(0 

 37 000 

 36 Of to 

 29- 190 

 21-I"'- 

 19-6 

 16-8.5 

 13-068 

 13-746 

 14-000 

 11-739 

 24-7'i3 

 10-800 

 9-622 

 80 

 4-470 



By calcination 

 u the open utr 



3-000 

 14-245 



19-328 



14-000 

 17-450 



7-750 

 7 750 

 9-000 



By solutioa in 



acids. 



15-85 



22-383 

 23-555 



14-190 



Mr. Higgins gives only the first and last columns of tliis table; 

 nor does it appear, fronti any thing that I can find in his book, that 

 lie knew any additional facts. Now I appeal to every person that 

 has the least information on the subject, whether it be possible from 

 this table to form any conception of the existence of the atomic 

 theory, or with what I call the grmid fact in my note, that metals 

 unite with various doses of oxygen, always hearing to each other 

 the ratios 1, 2, 3, &c. I do not believe that Mr. Higgins will 

 pretend that he possessed any such knowledge at the time ; but if 

 he should, 1 am very ready at any time to demonstrate, from several 

 passages in his liook, that he possessed no such knowledge. 



Mr. Nash refers to page 2^5, &c. of Mr. Higgins's book, and 

 says that J shall find the subject treated of there at full length. Now 

 I deny that there is one word upon the suliject of metallic oxides in 

 page 2^5, or from page 295 to the end of Mr. Higgins's book. He 

 treats of the distillation (or analysis, as he chooses to call it,) of a 

 urinary calculus, and of nothing else, from page 283 to the end of 

 the book. 



5. 1 was a good deal amused with Mr. Nash's fifth assertion. It 

 shows very clearly that he is but little, if at all, acquainted with the 

 philosojihical (Opinions of Cullen, Black, and Bergman. When I 

 published my paper on the atomic theory ir the seventh Number of 

 the ylimals of Philosophy, 1 received a letter from Dr. Pearson, 

 complaining of my conduct in not noticing the opinions of Cullen, 

 Black, and Fordycc, on the subject, and affirming that these 

 philosophers had taught the atomic doctrine, uiid that he himself 

 had learned it from them, and had taught it always from the 

 bi'ginning just as far as I had explained it. Now 1 must own, with 

 all due deference to Pr. Pearson, that this in my opinion was going 



