Scientific Lectures. 123 



SCIENTIFIC LECTURE-YIII. 



ON PKIMEYAL CHEMISTKY. 



By T. Sterrt Hunt, F. K. S. 



The eiglith lecture of the course before the American Institute, was 

 delivered on Wednesday evening, January 13tli, 1SG9, by Dr T. 

 Sterry Hunt, of Montreal, Canada, at Steinway Hall, subject, Pri- 

 meval Chemistry. The President of the Institute introduced the 

 lecturer, who said : 



Mk. President, and Ladies and Gentlemen: You have already 

 been informed that the subject of this evening's lecture is Primeval 

 Chemistry — the chemistry of the earlier condition of the world's 

 history — chemistry before there were chemists, before there was any 

 eye, except the eye of its great all-seeing One, to investigate or to 

 study His marvelous phenomena. As this has reference more especi- 

 ally to the history of this earth, it may be well spoken of as chemical 

 geology, a term whicli has been very frequently applied. We speak 

 of geology as if it were a science; but in reality under that name we 

 include a whole group of sciences. In the first place, to the astrono- 

 mer this world is one of a system revolving around our sun — the 

 so-called solar system — and that so-called solar system is but one of 

 many more such great systems, thus occupying a very insignificant 

 position in the great cosmos. Thus our world appears to the astrono- 

 mer. To the physicist, again, who studies it in relation to the laws 

 of gravitation, with regard to the laws of light, it appears altogether 

 in another light. Then comes the chemist, who examines the compo- 

 sition of its rocks, its waters and its atmosphere. He has also his 

 history of the globe. Then comes one who studies the changes in its 

 crust, the movements which give rise to mountains, which cause all 

 the geographical diversities of the earth's surface. Later conies a 

 period in the history of the planet, in which life appears upon the 

 surface, animal and vegetable, and already Dr. Dawson has explained 

 to you the laws which govern the evolution of vegetable life, how 



