EPOCH OF DAVY AND FARADAY. 193 



But there is one which so evidently promises to 

 have an important bearing on future chemical theo- 

 ries, that I will briefly mention it. The class of 

 bodies which are capable of electrical decomposi- 

 tion is limited by a very remarkable law : they are 

 such binary compounds only as consist of single 

 proportionals of their elementary principles. It 

 does not belong to us here to speculate on the 

 possible import of this curious law ; which, if not 

 fully established, Faraday has rendered, at least, 

 highly probable 42 : but it is impossible not to see 

 how closely it connects the atomic with the electro- 

 chemical theory; and in the connexion of these 

 two great members of chemistry, is involved the 

 prospect of its reaching wider generalizations, and 

 principles more profound than we have yet caught 

 sight of. 



As another example of this connexion, I will, 

 finally, notice that Faraday has employed his dis- 

 coveries in order to decide, in some doubtful cases, 

 what is the true chemical equivalent 43 ; "I have 

 such conviction," he says, "that the power which 

 governs electro -decomposition and ordinary che- 

 mical attractions is the same ; and such confidence 

 in the overruling influence of those natural laws 

 which render the former definite, as to feel no hesi- 

 tation in believing that the latter must submit to 

 them too. Such being the case, I can have no doubt 

 that, assuming hydrogen as 1, and dismissing small 



42 Art. 697. 43 851. 



VOL. III. 



