DIAMOND A COMPOUND LATERAL ADHESION. 27 



President of its vegetable origin, and when we have already 

 had proof that gold has been obtained from the ashes of inci- 

 nerated vegetables, and that other metals, iron for instance, 

 has been produced by similar materials, and also from other 

 organized bodies belonging to another (the animal) kingdom, 

 and these metals and the diamond are still retained in the list 

 of original elementary bodies, we have no reason to be scep- 

 tical on the subject of the vegetable origin of the diamond. 

 Crystals and glass are both transparent, they are known com- 

 pounds, and why may not be the diamond, whose refractive 

 power of light is so well established, and if of vegetable con- 

 formation, why not partake of some, or most, nay, all of the 

 constituents of vegetable matter ? Glass holds in its composi- 

 tion the vegetable and mineral alkalies, and silex (a vegetable 

 product) , and metallic oxides ; and glass forms a very fair imi- 

 tation of the diamond, and holds a ratio of comparison some- 

 ichat inferior to that of terrestrial with celestial light. It 

 Avants two or three material essentials, brilliancy and adhesive 

 power, in its particles. 



With respect to adhesive attraction, it does not appear un- 

 reasonable to suppose, that a solid body, if formed of but one 

 original elementary constituent, and that each atom of such 

 constituent can only be retained by the union of opposite poles, 

 (the positive and negative?) supposing the formation to com- 

 mence with a central nucleus, and radiating, adjinitum, to the 

 extremity of the exterior surfaces ; or, supposing them to be 

 united in striated lines, laminarly, I ask, is it reasonable to 

 consider that the lateral attraction of cohesion can have a 

 chance of being so perfect as in a compound of three or more 

 constituents, each compound molecule of which may exert on 

 its lateral surfaces certain attractions from the polarity of its 

 original atoms towards each other LATERALLY, for, as the 

 constituents of compounds forming fixed bodies, are not con- 

 fined to the arbitrary law which appears unchangeable in the 

 constitution of light, but are left at liberty to unite with a v a- 



