190 STASIAN FOLLY AND FRAUD. 



The general fact here brought out is that the further the 

 work, not in itself admitting of exact determination, is 

 pushed beyond its true value, in order to secure concordance, 

 the greater will be the constant error. 



By the lines A B and C D (always lower half of Plate I) 

 limiting the Stas values, we also include all those of 

 Marignac, for the fused nitrate. 



In the same way, the dotted lines marked with the 

 accented letters include all determinations on dried nitrate, 

 whether made by Penny or by Stas. 



The true mean of the determinations for c( dried " atoms 

 of nitrogen is in N', taking all determinations made. Its 

 value is 13.906. 



The true mean of all determinations for (( fused" atoms 

 of nitrogen is at N, taking all determinations. Its value is 

 evidently 13.894. 



It is absurd to avoid a decision as to which of these 

 values should be considered the most reliable. 



The " drying" did not affect the " nitrate " we are made 

 to understand. Hence, the "fused nitrate"*" 1 is the one 

 alone to be considered. 



But what is the value of this N = 13.894 in the ridiculous 

 units of Clarke, which we here are condemned to use? 



Dividing this value by 14, we obtain the quotient 0.9924. 



Dividing Clarke's assumed value of oxygen, in which all 

 values are de facto expressed, namely 15.879, by 16 we obtain 

 the quotient 0.9926. This is practically the same. 



The mean of both quotients is 0.9925 ; in other words, 

 the most reliable mean value of all determinations on fused 

 nitrate of silver give for N a value exactly \% of that of 

 oxygen. 



The mean N' for the dried silver nitrate is about the 

 constant value too high, and would upon drying have come 

 down to about N. The dotted lines on our diagram would 

 then about coincide with the full drawn lines A B, C D 

 passing through the heavily marked point N. 



Hence, taking all determinations, considering all about 

 equally well made, supposing that Marignac and Penny were 

 good chemists as well as Stas, possibly less biased; and 



