INTRODUCTION. 



the ingenious crystallogist Rome de Lisle 5 and formed the 

 foundation of the singular production of Dolomieu on the 

 Mineralogical Species/ in which he goes so far as to assert 

 that this species can propagate itself ! This nugatory propo- 

 sition seems merely to have been advanced, because he allows 

 that without this quality no species in natural history can 

 exist. Let it not be imagined that such observations, ex- 

 torted merely by the impulse of truth, are intended to violate 

 the respect due to those great writers in other departments 

 of the science, which is sufficiently wide for the developement 

 of various talents $ and though the eagle requires a whole 

 province of rocks for his immediate domain, there is in this 

 science ample space for invention and ability, without enmity 

 and without envy. 



It is hoped that the nature of the several domains con- 

 tained in this volume will be found to be sufficiently illustrated 

 by the observations at the head of these divisions. One of 

 the most important, in every point of view, is the Volcanic, Volcanic 

 an object of ludicrous neglect and contempt to the German 

 mineralogists, whose confined ideas have been the more im- 

 plicitly followed, because the Germans are the fathers of mo- 

 dern mineralogy. It will here be found to be treated with 

 the details, and it is hoped with the accuracy, which the sub- 

 ject deserved, not only from its own importance, and contra- 

 distinction from all the other domains, but on account of the 

 infinite contestations which have arisen on this topic among 

 the most eminent writers in the science. Diffident, however, 

 of his own ideas, it gave the author singular satisfaction to 

 find them confirmed by those of the first chemist of this or 

 any age, as may be judged by the following extract from one 

 of our weekly journals*. 



* Observer, June 2d, -1 8 1 1 . 



