38 Improvements in Physical Science [Jane 
have adopted views with which, at the time, I could not possibly be 
acquainted. If his views have not been adopted by the chemical 
world in general, the reason may be presumed to be that they have 
not been approved of. Some of them I have taken the trouble to 
examine and refute; and it may be presumed that my refutation 
was complete, as the points in dispute have been abandoned by 
Berzelius himself. Thus he now gives up his position that in the 
combinations of inorganic bodies one of the constituents always is 
present in the proportion of one atom; nor does he now contend 
for his whimsical assertion that if this opinion be rejected, the doe- 
trine of definite proportions cannot be maintained. He has likewise 
given up his grand doctrine, which, in his opinion, constituted the 
basis of the whole theory of definite proportions; namely, that the 
oxygen in the acid of every salt is a multiple by a whole number of 
the quantity of oxygen in the base; for he allows that this does not 
hold in the phosphates nor the nitrates ; and doubtless various other 
genera of salts will be found equally irreducible under it. Yet this 
law, demonstrated to be false, and admitted to be so by himself, is 
the only argument of any force, as far as I can perceive, which he 
has brought forward against the doctrine that chlorine is a simple 
substance. 
With respect to my own view of the atomic theory, I admit that 
it is founded upon a supposition which is in a certain sense arbitrary, 
namely, that water is composed of 1 atom oxygen + 1 atom 
hydrogen. I have given my reasons for adopting that conclusion, 
and I still think that these reasons have weight. But ina practical 
point of view the only part of the doctrine of definite proportions 
which is of great importance is the determination of the numbers 
which represent the preportions in which bodies enter into ¢om- 
pounds, numbers which Dr, Wollaston has denominated equivalenis. 
It would be better, { think, in the first place, to be satisfied with 
these numbers. We shall be able to advance a step further when 
we are accurately acquainted with the composition of all the salts, 
and not till then. From Berzelius’s analysis of the phosphates, we 
ean readily ascertain the equivalent number for phosphoric acid, 
The equivalents for the bases in the salts which he analysed are as 
follows :— 
Bar yies: cio cis wei hee ae Beste ee aie aH hs 
Yellow oxide of lead .......... cou. 14°00 
Oxide of silver ...... BSR ee i oF hs 
Sada. Wile Gets aise etches at OO ee 
MORE EATS 42 eed ee Re a Ds Arete NE? BAO 
Now the phosphates of these bases were found composed as 
follows :— 
Phosphate of Barytes. 
ACR soja ale aed woiseie’« ibis 8Q0 stoiee. aid ee 
Paes jesdawocth ches. 2I46 . vd 
