142 ONTOLOGY. 



along with it and appears as carbonic acid; but the 

 carbon of the earthy lays claim to some of the hydrogen 

 and oxygen to combine with it and appears as corrosive 

 or calcareous earth. 



644. The acid is therefore a half of the earth, which 

 passes over into water, and the corrosive earth is also a 

 half of the earth that has lost its Aqueous. The former 

 is the Aqueous in the earths, the latter the Earthy itself 

 separated from the former. 



645. The corrosive force is therefore no peculiar action 

 in nature, but only the effort made by the earths to 

 complete themselves and imbibe water or acid. The 

 corrosive force is no synthesis, but a moiety. 



646. A total earth may be therefore regarded as a 

 combination of acid and corrosive body. These two com- 

 ponent parts are separable in the calcareous and talcose 

 earths ; but in the argillaceous and silicious earths they 

 are so intimately dissolved, that they can not be sepa- 

 rated from each other. 



647. Carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen, but not oxygen, 

 fall or range upon the corrosive side of the earth in 

 question. 



648. Regarded in this general manner the corrosive 

 principle stands opposite "to the principle of combus- 

 tion, and what is combustible, is in idea corrosive. The 

 corrosive power is, however, but feeble in the gaseous 

 nitrogen, stronger in hydrogen and finally strongest in 

 the body of earth. The earthy carbon is the proper cor- 

 rosive principle. The direct antagonism is not therefore 

 between the corrosive body and oxygen, but between it 

 and the carbonic acid, and therefore between it and all 

 the acids, or acidity generally. The last earthy antago- 

 nism is that between the corrosive body and acid. 



649. The corrosive body regarded specially as simply a 

 pure earthy body, must stand opposite to the two moveable 

 elements. The corrodent is therefore constantly striving 

 to draw water and air into itself, and upon this depend 

 also the effects produced by the corroding matters. The 

 corrosive calcareous earth acts in a destructive manner, 



