HASTY CONCLUSIONS A SOURCE OF ERROR. 137 



rium.' In 1852, Owen discovered ' thalium ;' and in 1853, 

 Ofenth discovered a metal of the platinum group, but gave 

 it no name. ' Dianum ' is another supposed new metal, ex- 

 tracted from tantalite by Von Kobell, in the year 1860. In 

 1861,Dupre discovered a supposed new alkaline earth. In 

 1862, Bahr considered that he had discovered 6 wasium;' 

 and Chandler, a nameless metal, of the platinum group. 

 Six different investigators also, viz. Svanberg, in 1845; 

 Sjogren, in 1854; Nylander, in 1864; Church, in 1866; 

 and Sorby and Loew, in 1869, considered they had found 

 a new earth or metal, in minerals containing zirconia, 

 and called it ' norium,' ( nigrium,' and ' jargonium.' 1 In 

 addition to these, Sonstadt has described, in 6 Weldon's 

 Eegister,' June 1863, p. 458, a supposed new element, 

 which he provisionally called ' x ; ' and an additional new 

 element has been said to exist in vanadic residues. 



Another way in which error may arise in original 

 research, is from imperfect analysis of the general truths 

 obtained from a partial or imperfect view of the results, 

 and this is liable to cause us to adopt a wrong or defec- 

 tive theory. 



But notwithstanding the imperfections of our reason- 

 ing powers, and the large number of errors we are liable 

 to fall into in the use of our intellectual faculties, many 

 of the ideas we obtain by means of inference are far more 

 to be trusted than those we obtain by mere sensuous im- 

 pressions, because they consist of those same impressions 

 corrected by means of comparison, judgment, reasoning, 

 and more extensive experience. 



In scientific research it is very useful to know the 

 common signs of error. Real contradiction or incon- 

 sistency is the most infallible sign. Of two contradictory 



1 See CJiemical News, 1870, vol. xxii. p. 208. 



