1814.] Scientific Intelligence. 46S 



history of Tantalus) will appear still more appropriate, when I add 

 that the metal, when in the state of the finest powder, is not 

 attacked by any acid, not even by the nitro-muriatie." 



I have only to observe, in answer to all this, that I have never 

 had an opportunity of making a single experiment on columbite or 

 tantalite, nor of perusing Mr. Ekeberg's experiments. In the last 

 edition of my System of Chemistry, the reader will find that I 

 omitted tantalum altogether, because I was not in possession of 

 accurate information on the subject. Supposing the preceding 

 statement correct, we cannot hesitate to admit Ekeberg to be the 

 discoverer of this metal ; but I own, the circumstance of neither 

 Mr. Hatchett nor Dr. Wollaston having observed the presence of 

 tungstic acid, throws some doubts on Ekeberg's statement. It is 

 possible that this may have been owing to the small quantity of 

 columbite examined by them. I trust Mr. Hatchett will stil! have 

 it in his power, by a new examination, to verify or refute the state- 

 ment of Ekeberg. Dr. Berzelius' views respecting nomenclature 

 differ so much from mine that we should seldom agree about terms. 

 If a name given to a chemical substance had no previous meaning, 

 I think it so much the better. I believe that oxygen, hydrogen, 

 plalina, and a multitude of others, have now lost entirely their 

 original meaning, and are used solely as the names of peculiar 

 substances. In like manner, I think strontian just as good a name 

 as larytes, and hornblende far better than amphibole. I conceive 

 too that Christopher Columbus has as good a claim to give his name 

 to a metal as King Tantalus. 



VII. Dr. Olinlhus Gregory. 

 Ltce itemm Crispitras. — Juv. 



In the last number of this Journal I mentioned this Gentleman's 

 attack upon the Editor of the Annals of Philosophy, explained the 

 nature of the dispute (if dispute it can be called, when there is 

 only one disputant), and the extraordinary lengths Dr. O. Gregory 

 had gone in order to wreak his vengeance on the Royal Society. 

 There still remain a lew particulars which injustice to myself ought 

 I think to be stated. 



1. It has been observed as a general law that the length of a 

 degree gradually increases as we advance from the equator to the 

 pole. The measurements in Peru, over all France, and at Torneo, 

 .ill ihow this. The Newtonian theory presupposed and requires 

 this law. But the measurement of a few degrees in the south of 

 England gives just the opposite result. They increase in length as 

 we proceed from the north to the south. When such an anomaly 

 occurs, we ought to be verv sure of the accuracy of the measure- 

 ment before we admit it. Every probable supposition ought to be 

 tried in the first place. Don Rodriguez has shown that if an error 

 of i;" had been committed at Aihury Hill, the anomaly would 



