8 INTRODUCTION. . 12. 



This division of Natural History, is founded upon the 

 difference of the objects, to which the single parts of that 

 science refer. It has no influence upon the principles and 

 upon the method ; or, properly speaking, it is not a conse- 

 quence from these, which are identical for all the three 

 parts of Natural History. 



There is, however, another division required in Natural 

 History, which does not depend upon differences among 

 the objects considered, but is founded upon the being of 

 the science, and is therefore equally applicable in Zoology, 

 in Botany, and in Mineralogy. This is the division in 

 Determinative and Descriptive Natural History, which will 

 be explained more fully hereafter. It appears from the pre- 

 ceding observations, that respecting the mineral kingdom, 

 Anorgauography does not signify the same as Mineralogy, 

 but applies merely to the descriptive part of it. Oryctog- 

 nosy, however, means the doctrine of what is dug out of 

 the earth, that is to say, according to the mode of expres- 

 sion mentioned in . 9., of the fossils, and cannot therefore 

 be applied with more propriety than the other, to the Na- 

 tural History of the Mineral Kingdom. 



Mineralogy, or the Natural History of the Mineral 

 Kingdom, does not allow of any other subdivision than 

 that which has just been considered. Jience Geology is 

 not a part of Mineralogy, but of Physical Astronomy; 

 Mineralogical Chemistry is not a part of Mineralogy, but 

 of Chemistry ; Economical Mineralogy is not a part of 

 Mineralogy, but of Economy ; nor is Mineralogical Geo- 

 graphy a part of Mineralogy, but of Physical Geography, 

 which belongs to Physical Astronomy. 



. 12. PRINCIPAL HEADS OF NATURAL HISTORY. 



The method of Natural History in general, and 

 each of its departments in particular, is develop- 

 ed under the following heads : 1. Terminology, 

 2. Theory of the System, 3. Nomenclature, 4. Cha- 

 racteristic, 5, Physiography. 



