1. THE Science of Chemistry is of the 



rrnstry tell us . 



of Earth, Air, widest range. Air, Earth, Fire, and Water, 

 Fire, and Wa- a ll belong to its domain. 



It informs us of the composition of the rocks which 

 make up the mass of the Earth, and of the soil 

 which forms its surface. It tells us of what Air is 

 made, and how it supplies the wants of animal and 

 vegetable life. It separates Water into gases, and re- 

 produces it again by uniting them. It informs us of 

 the nature of Fire, and of the changes which take 

 place in combustion. 



2. It tells us of what plants are formed, 



What of met- 



als,piants,and and what becomes of them when they 

 decay and disappear. It tells us how to 

 produce metals from ores, wines from fruit, liquors 

 from grain, and shows us the changes which take place 

 in the formation of all these substances. Almost all 

 transformations which occur in the materials around 

 us, as, for example, of iron into rust, of wood or coal 

 into gas, of food into flesh, it belongs to Chemistry to 

 describe and explain. 



3. As all of these changes result from 



Wliy does it *''" , /. 



treat of at- the action oi the minute particles 01 mat- 

 ter on each other, it is necessary first to 



consider the subject of Atoms. 



1* 



