354 NOMENCLATURE. . 235. 



logy upon the genus, or the name of the genus receives such 

 an arrangement, that it expresses at the same time the or- 

 der ; a contrivance which cannot be considered as objection- 

 able, according to the principles of Zoology or Botany. 



. 235. SELECTION OF THE NAMES OF THE ORDERS. 



The simple names are the foundation of the 

 whole nomenclature. In their selection, therefore, 

 we must proceed with the necessary precaution and 

 attention. 



I have endeavoured to introduce as few new names as pos- 

 sible, and I have derived therefore as many from ancient Mi- 

 neralogy, as I found to answer the purpose. Nomina veternm 

 plantis imposita lando, ad conspectum vcro recentiorum plurhtm 

 horreo. Hcec cnim maximam partcm stint nihil nisi Chaos 

 confusionis, cujus Mater barlaries, Pater anthoritas, Nutrix 

 praejudicium. LiNNi Crit. Bot. Several of these ancient 

 names have been of late severely censured, others have 

 been entirely rejected : yet I have thought it right to select 

 some of them which possessed the necessary qualities, and 

 to introduce them into the systematic nomenclature of the 

 present work. These names are, Gas, Water, Acid, Salt, 

 Baryte, Malachite, Mica, Spar, Gem, Ore, Metal, Pyrites, 

 Glance, Blende, Sulphur, Resin, and Coal. These names are 

 sufficient for all the orders hitherto known, except two ; 

 and it seems that a spirit of innovation cannot be with pro- 

 priety reproached to a new nomenclature, if it does not 

 contain more than two new names, particularly if we re- 

 collect that it refers to a new system, or rather to a sys- 

 tem in which a new application of principles has been made, 

 which, though not new in themselves, have yet been ne- 

 glected in Mineralogy. These new names are Haloide and 

 Kerate. They would not have been made use of, had any 

 others of a similar signification occurred in the older mine- 

 ralogy. 



