33G THEORY OF THE SYSTEM. . 226. 



ral Kingdom. This evidently depends upon the very idea or 

 definition of a mineral. If we examine this idea as contain- 

 ed in most of the mineralogical works, we find several cha- 

 racters, which are not natural-historical ones, and which 

 therefore by no means can be an object of any natural-histo- 

 rical inquiry. If we omit all these as being foreign to the 

 science, the only character still remaining is that of an Inor- 

 ganic Natural Production ; so that the mineral kingdom con- 

 tains the inorganic natural productions altogether, and 

 among these consequently also the atmospherilia. 



Hence we cannot exclude Water, the different kinds 

 of Gas, of Acid, and of other productions of inorganic na- 

 ture, from the mineral system, because upon this sup- 

 position it would be impossible to define the idea of a mi- 

 neral, in conformity with the requisites of Natural History, 

 and containing therefore solely Natural-Historical Characters. 

 Moreover, it is impossible to say upon what should be 

 founded the difference between the Mineral Kingdom and 

 that of the Atmospherilia ; nor would the idea of Natu- 

 ral History itself allow to follow the example of most of 

 the naturalists, to pass with silence over the latter. 



With the assistance of all the ideas developed till now, 

 it cannot be difficult to decide, whether or not a natural 

 production belongs to the Mineral Kingdom. It will be 

 attended with as little difficulty to determine the species of 

 a mineral, if we know its genus. It is more difficult, from 

 the idea of the Mineral Kingdom to reach that of the 

 genus, that is to say, to determine the Genus of a Mineral , 

 and therefore some preparations are wanted, consisting in 

 several intermediate ideas, by which it becomes more 

 easy to descend, as it were, from the highest to the low- 

 est of these ideas. On account of their employment, 

 they have been called the Degrees of Classification. These 

 intermediate ideas must be founded upon the general 

 principle of classification in Natural History, exactly like 

 the idea of the genus itself. Their purpose is not to 

 illustrate, but only to render more easy the application of 

 the general ideas of the genus and of the species in the 



