Sect. III.] Miner alogij, 1^1 



den, and superintendant of the mines of that coim- 

 try, published an incomparable work, exliibiting 

 the elements of this science in a manner ^\nv^\u 

 larly clear, determinate, and jierspicuons*. Ihis 

 distinguished mineralogist assumed Mr. Pott's facts, 

 but improved much upon his labours, liu adopt- 

 ed a method of arrangement chiefly chemical ; and 

 has the honour of being the first w ho introduce<l 

 a natural classification, lie appears to have de- 

 rived a considerable portion of his knowledge from 

 van Swab, one of the masters of the mines, whose 

 name is little known in the scientific world, though 

 he communicated much information to almost all 

 the eminent naturalists of that country, who Nou- 

 rished during his time. 



Though Pott and Margraaf did much in the 

 chemical analysis of minerals, and shed new light 

 on the science by this means, yet they left much 

 still to be done. They w^ere followed by Scheele 

 and Bergman f, who, with great ingenuity, perse- 

 verance, and success, pursued the same course, hi 

 the hands of the^e great philosophers, mineralogy 

 mav be said to have first assumed that hii^h rank 

 which it now holds. They not only made large 

 additions to the lists of mineral substances which 

 had been before given, but they also pursued the 

 analysis of these substances to a greater length 

 than their predecessors, ascertained new and more 

 clear distinctions, and gave the whule science a 



* Wallcrius prouounccd Hiis \\*ork opus i'inc pari. It hns p.issed 

 through many editions, has been translated into niust of the Kary- 

 pean languages, and is still considered as one oi the bcai eleraifn- 

 tiny works on mineralog}' extant. 



f ^ia^rapliia Minaalii, 



