6 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION. 



f Sulphuric acid 5 

 sulphate or lime -I _ . 



\ Lime 3-5 



8-5 



And these new salts are neutral, because 

 nitric acid are^neutralized both by 6 potash and 

 3%5 lime, and 5 sulphuric by 6 potash and 3*5 

 lime/ 



It would appear a very extraordinary circum- 

 stance, if we were ignorant of the almost despo- 

 tic power of fashion and authority over the 

 minds even of men of science, that this luminous 

 explanation of Wenzel, confirmed by the most 

 accurate experiments which chemistry possessed, 

 I do not say merely at the time when they ap- 

 peared, but for many years after experiments, 

 which will even bear a comparison with those of 

 Berzelius, made on purpose to demonstrate the 

 truth of the very same principle which Wenzel 

 first suggested it would appear very extraordi- 

 nary indeed, that neither the principle of Wen- 

 zel, nor the experiments by which it was con- 

 firmed, are noticed by any of the contemporary 

 chemists, or seem to have attracted the smallest 

 attention. Bergman was at that time in the 

 height of his reputation. He published analyses 

 of several of the salts, greatly inferior in point of 

 accuracy to those of Wenzel. He, of course, 



* I have not employed Wenzel's numbers to illustrate his opinions ; but 

 the more accurate numbers determined in the succeeding chapters of this 

 work. 



