234 



CHAPTER IV. 



ESTABLISHMENT OF THE DISTINCTION OF SYSTEMS OF 

 CRYSTALLIZATION. WEISS AND MOHS. 



IN Haiiy's views, as generally happens in new sys- 

 tems, however true, there was involved some- 

 thing that was arbitrary, something that was false 

 or doubtful, and something that was unnecessarily 

 limited. The principal points of this kind were ; 

 his having made the laws of crystalline derivation 

 depend so much upon cleavage; his having as- 

 sumed an atomic constitution of bodies as an essen- 

 tial part of his system ; and his having taken a 

 set of primary forms, which, being selected by no 

 general view, were partly superfluous, and partly 

 defective. 



How far evidence, such as has been referred to 

 by various philosophers, has proved, or can prove, 

 that bodies are constituted of indivisible atoms, will 

 be more fully examined in the work which treats of 

 the Philosophy of this subject. There can be little 

 doubt that the portion of Haiiy's doctrine which 

 most riveted popular attention and applause, was 

 his dissection of crystals, in a manner which was 

 supposed to lead actually to their ultimate material 

 elements. Yet it is clear, that since the solids 

 given by cleavage are, in many cases, such as cannot 

 make up a solid space, the primary conception, of 



