284 ORGANIC CHEMISTRY. 



one or other of the elementary principles. The chemist 

 is now enabled by simple processes, from the refuse of 

 manufactories to produce fruit essences which are 

 equal in flavour to the natural production ; and from 

 benzoic acid,, which is obtained in great abundance from 

 the houses in which cows are kept,, the most delicate 

 essences are produced, which are given to the world as 

 the distillations of a thousand flowers. By the impulse 

 given to organic chemistry by Liebig, our knowledge of 

 the almost infinite variety of substances, in physical 

 character exceedingly dissimilar, which result from the 

 combination of oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon, in varying 

 proportions, has been largely increased. And the 

 science is now in that state which almost causes a regret 

 that any new organic compounds should be discovered, 

 until some industrious mind has undertaken the task of 

 reducing to a good general classification the immense 

 mass of valuable matter which has been accumulated, 

 but which, for all practical purposes, remains nearly use- 

 less and unintelligible. 



These combinations, almost infinitely varied as they 

 are, and so readily produced and multiplied as to be 

 nearly at the will of the organic analyst, are not, any of 

 them, accidental : they are the result of certain laws, 

 and atom has united with atom in direct obedience to 

 principles which have been through all time in active 

 operation. They are unknown ; the researches of 

 science have not yet developed them, and the philosopher 

 has not yet made his deductions. They are to be re- 

 ferred to some secret fixed principles of action, to a force 

 which has impressed upon every atom of the universe its 

 distinguishing character. Chemistry makes us familiar 

 with a system of order. The researches of analysts 

 have proved that every body has a particular law of com- 

 bination, to which it is bound by a mathematical pre- 

 cision ; but it is not proportional combination alone we 



