BLACK. 15 



The celebrated 'Preliminary Discourse,' to the 'En- 

 cyclopedic' makes hardly any mention of chemistry 

 among the sciences; and in the ' Arbre Encyclopedique,' 

 on which the authors (D' Alembert and Diderot) plume 

 themselves much, we find it not very distinctly repre- 

 sented, or in very good company. It is termed the 

 science of interior and occult qualities of bodies, its 

 objects being to imitate and rival nature, by decom- 

 posing, reviving, and transferring substances. It is 

 represented as holding among the sciences the place 

 which poetry occupies among other branches of litera- 

 ture. Its fruits are said to be alchemy, metallurgy, 

 natural magic, and chemistry properly so called, 

 which is stated to consist of pyrotechny and dyeing. 

 Strange to tell, pharmacy is not given as one of its 

 fruits, being referred wholly to the branch of medical 

 science. 



But the state of chemistry is better understood by 

 the article itself in the ' Encyclopedic,' the elaborate 

 work of M. Venel of Montpelier, well known for his 

 researches concerning mineral springs, and author of 

 most of the chemical articles in the original work, 

 as M. Morveau was of those in the ' Supplement,' 

 and whose mistakes on the subject of magnesia, aris- 

 ing from prejudice, have already been mentioned. He 

 begins this article with lamenting the low condition of 

 his favourite science; " Elle est peu cultivee parmi nous. 

 Cette science n'est que tres mediocrement repandue, 

 meme parmi les savans, malgre la prevention, a 1'uni- 

 versalite des connaissances qui font aujourd'hui le gout 

 dominant. Les chemistes forment un peuple distinct, 

 tres-peu nombreux, ayant sa langue, ses mysteres, ses 

 loix, et vivent presque isoles au milieu d'un grand 

 peuple peu curieux de sa connaissance, n'entendant 

 presque rien de son Industrie." He then goes on to 

 show that this " incuriosite, soit reelle, soit simulee," 

 is yet extremely unphilosophical, inasmuch as it leads to 

 a rash condemnation ; and that those who know any 



