. 229. THEOKY OF THE SYSTEM. 343 



source of many differences of opinion, according to the cor- 

 rect or erroneous ideas attached to them by naturalists. 

 For more than one reason, it would therefore be advisable 

 to substitute in their stead, the expressive denominations 

 of syntJictical and analytical systems. 



Doubts have been raised against the possibility of arti- 

 ficial systems in Mineralogy. The experiments indeed 

 which had formerly been instituted, seemed only to de- 

 monstrate that these doubts were well founded. The sys- 

 tems of a mixed or double principle do not even belong to 

 these, for they are neither analytical nor synthetical, be- 

 cause they do not possess the unity of principle required 

 in every system. 



The production of any system requires the previous de- 

 termination of the species. The species therefore must 

 have already been established, if we intend to build also an 

 artificial or analytic system. Upon this supposition, any 

 analytic system in the Mineral Kingdom has to resolve one 

 single problem of importance, which is to effect the first 

 division, without impairing the unity, or destroying the con- 

 nexion within the species. There is no great difficulty in 

 this respect in effecting the subsequent lower divisions. 



If therefore we fix upon the systems of crystallisation 

 as a principle of the first division ; we obtain the base of 

 an analytic system of Mineralogy, in which the species 

 remains entire, and in which the farther subdivisions may 

 be effected without difficulty. 



The natural-historical similarity is entirely lost in ana- 

 lytic systems. Although systems of this kind, if well 

 managed, greatly facilitate the determination of individu- 

 als occurring in nature, yet they possess so very little of 

 the other requisites of a system, that they do not at pre- 

 sent deserve to be considered in greater detail. Analytic 

 systems may be compared to registers, in which the objects 

 follow each other according to certain single properties, like 

 words in a dictionary, without regard to signification; 

 whereas in the synthetic system, the succession of objects is 

 determined by their natural-historical resemblance, no at- 

 tention being given to single properties. 



