. 216. TIIEOEY OF THE SYSTEM. 315 



or in specific gravity, &c., so as to differ only in one of these 

 properties, nevertheless they will not be identical. For 

 the above mentioned properties are natural-historical ones, 

 and upon these depends their identity or their difference 

 (. 214.). Hence the difference among individuals may be 

 produced by a difference, however small, in any one of their 

 natural-historical properties; and in this case, from the 

 one nothing can be argued in respect to the other. It is 

 almost superfluous to observe, that accidental differences 

 also in the present place cannot have any influence upon 

 the difference or identity of bodies. 



The Natural History of the Mineral Kingdom does not 

 require any foreign assistance for determining what is acci- 

 dental or not, and agrees in this respect with the Natural 

 History of the Vegetable and of the Animal Kingdoms. 



. 216. DEGREES OF DIFFERENCE. 



The difference among those individuals which 

 are not identical (. 215.), does not everywhere 

 take place in the same degree. 



Suppose two crystals of dodecahedral Garnet, to agree 

 in all their natural-historical properties except in their 

 crystalline forms ; the form of the one being the dodecahe- 

 dron, while that of the other is a digrammic tetragonal- 

 icositetrahedron. These individuals are evidently different. 

 Now, suppose one of those crystals again, to be compared with 

 a crystal of hexahedral Gold. There is also a difference be- 

 tween these two individuals ; and nobody will hesitate in 

 pronouncing the degree of difference in the latter case to 

 be higher than that in the preceding one ; even though 

 the form of the crystal of hexahedral Gold should be exact- 

 ly the same as that of the crystal of dodecahedral Garnet. 

 Many examples of this kind might be quoted, which indubit- 

 ably demonstrate the degrees of difference not, to be the same 

 in every two different individuals. We may very easily 

 perceive what influence this must have upon tfce further 



