150 Natural History. 



From these, and other causes, the language of mi* 

 Jieralogy was long arbitrary, vague^, and ambigu- 

 ous; each author using that which his caprice, or 

 his convenience dictated. Many attempts were 

 made to supply this defect, and to obviate these 

 difficulties, by Linn.^us, Peithner, and others, 

 but without much effect. At length AVerner 

 undertook to make a radical reform in the descrip- 

 tive language of this science, and published the 

 result of his labours in 1774. This nomenclature 

 proved more precise, accurate, and scientific than 

 mineralogists had ever before possessed; and its 

 illustrious author, by afterwards uniting the de- 

 scriptions of external characters, which he had 

 formed with much taste and skill, with terms in- 

 dicating the chemical properties of minerals, was 

 enabled to publish, in 1780, the best system of 

 mineralogical language that is now extant/ 



Snce the publication of Werner's system, al- 

 most all the distinguished writers on mineralogy 

 have formed their arrangement and language on 

 the union of external characters and chemical pro-, 

 perties. This is the case with the learned and 

 indefatigable Dr. AYalker, of Edinburgh, Messrs. 

 Daubenton, Patrin, and Monge, of France, and 

 Mr. Kir WAN, of Ireland. All these gentlemen 

 have inquired much, and written with ability, 

 on this branch of natural history. The last named 

 philosopher, in particular, has rendered very im- 

 portant services to mineralogical science, and, 

 doubtless, deserves to be ranked among the greatest 

 of its benefactors now living.'^ 



Besides the systematic writers just mentioned, 

 several naturalists, of great eminence, have founded 



/ This latter publication was in the form of Notes on Cronstedt'§ 

 ^^ineralogy, 



1} See Elements of Mineralogy. By RicnARD KiRsWAN, F. R, S. &C. 

 a vols. 8vo. 1704. 



