36 



relations. They have also been denoted by local 

 or antient terms which refer to nothing in their 

 characters. It is impossible to adopt all these 

 names and to preserve consistency : it is equally 

 impossible to make a partial selection, or to in- 

 troduce material alterations, without the greatest 

 inconvenience and confusion ; and, in the present 

 imperfect state of the science, it would be unjus- 

 tifiable to attempt an entire reform in the nomen^ 

 clature, could we even hope to supersede the use 

 of names so long popular, and so long associated 

 with all our ideas. It is better to submit to some 

 inconveniences, and to endure some repetition or 

 circumlocution, than to hazard the confusion 

 which is the invariable result of the frequent 

 changes and the ambiguous use of terms. Even 

 the attempts made by the advocates of the mi- 

 neralogical classification, to introduce new names, 

 have been ineffectual ; nor, without changes 

 equally numerous and important, would it be 

 possible to render that system, any more than the 

 other, perfect, or even intelligible. 



The chief inconvenience in the present no- 



