l^aiural Historjj. 1^1 



minerdogical distinctions on characters peculiar 

 to themselves, and have pursued their inquiries, 

 founded on these characters, to a very curious and 

 instructive length. Rome De Lisle, of France, 

 in his Crystallographie, published a few years 

 since, made a very ingenious application of geo- 

 metry to the phenomena of minerals, and exhi- 

 bited a vv^ork in which they were subjected to all 

 the precise principles of mathematical calculation. 

 Since the publication of De Lisle's work, his 

 countryman, M. Hauy, has given a new theory of 

 crystallization^ in which mathematical skill and 

 persevering industry are still more eminently dis- 

 played than by his predecessor. This theory is 

 acknowledged by all to be a monument of inge- 

 nuity and labour; and is supposed by some to 

 give important light, and to promise much use- 

 fulness, both in mineralogy and chemistry. M. 

 Brisson, another distinguished mineralogist, of 

 the same country, proposed to found the leading 

 character of mineral bodies on the static principle, 

 or their relative specific gravities; and in the ex- 

 hibition of his plan displayed much ingenuity and 

 learning. Scarcely infei^or to any that have been 

 mentioned is the venerable M. Sage, also of France, 

 who, in the art of assaying, in tracing the connec- 

 tion between the mineral and the other kingdoms 

 of nature, and by his experiments in chemical ana- 

 lysis, has contributed much to improve this depart- 

 ment of natural history. 

 \ In addition to the great systematic writers 



I whose names have been mentioned, considerable 



j service has been rendered to mineralogy, within 



1 the period under consideration, by many others, 



who have either collected, analyzed, or discovered 

 mineral productions. Among these it is proper 

 I to enumerate, with some distinction, Lawson, 



I TowNsoN, Jameson, AVhitehurst,, Lewis^ Ax-^ 



