Chap. II.J Chemical Philosophy. 115 



sulphuric, and all others ditVerent combinations ol' 

 this primitive one: while, according to th(.' latter 

 doctrine, the acids are many in number, and rc- 

 sidt from the union of oxygen to dilTerent acicUfia- 

 ble bases. In short, while the disciples of Staid 

 undertook to account for almost all the phenomena 

 of chemistry by the aid of phlogiston, the associ- 

 ated academicians considered it as a creature of ^. 

 the fancy, which had no real existence; and taught 

 that all the facts and appearances in this science 

 may be more satisfactorily explained without the 

 aid of this imaginary substance. To these parti- 

 culars it may be added, that, in this new tlieory, 

 the number of chemical objects is greatly increased, 

 and that articles which had occupied an inferior 

 place in the old tables, are here made to hold a 

 more conspicuous and important station. 



The nomenclature in which this new theory was 

 clothed, also deserves our notice. It was formed 

 on the five following principles, laid doivn ]>y 

 Gu3^ton in the memoir above mentioned — viz. 

 1. That every substance should be denominated 

 by a naine, and not by a phrase. 2. That the 

 nanoes should be, as much as possible, expressive 

 of the nature of the things intended to be signified 

 by them. 3. That when the character of the sub- 

 stance to be named was not sufficiently known 

 to determine on a denomination expressive of its 

 nature, a name without meaning should be pre- 

 ferred to one which might give an erroneous idea. 

 4. That, in the choice of new denominations, those 

 wdiich had their root in the most generally know n 

 dead languages, should be prefeireJ, in order 

 that the word might be suggested by the sense, and 



Vol. I. I 



