334 Notice of a Manual of Chemistry. 



position of these substances, and indeed of all other important 

 ones, is given in symbolic language after the name of each, as is 

 also the atomic weight. This plan is a decided improvement 

 over the tabular arrangement introduced by Turner. It saves 

 the student much trouble, and the vexatious labor he would have 

 to undergo in referring back to ferret out the name of a substance 

 contained somewhere, in a long table. The descriptions of the 

 metallic salts are selected mainly from the excellent ones of Tur- 

 ner and Liebig. 



The four remaining chapters treat of organic chemistry, under 

 which are embraced both animal and vegetable chemistry. This 

 reminds us to remark, that Dr. Webster has rejected the old di- 

 visions just alluded to, and recognizes in his Manual two great 

 divisions only ; viz. the chemistry of unorganized and that of or- 

 ganized bodies. Under the second general division, the author, 

 manifestly with great labor, has compressed within the compass of 

 one hundred and fifty pages, most of the important matter to be 

 found in the late elaborate and masterly volume of Dr. Thomson. 

 That volume contains upwards of one thousand closely printed 

 pages, and of course is a very unwieldy tome ; we therefore are 

 under no small obligations to Dr. W. for furnishing us with so 

 excellent an abridgment of it. He also introduces, in this part 

 of the work, the views and theories of Liebig. Although the 

 chemistry of animal substances is very important, still, as the 

 time devoted to this department in most of our institutions and 

 in almost all courses of lectures, is very short. Dr. W. has not 

 thought best to enter much into detail in the chapter appropriated 

 to this subject. In this portion of the work he has followed Dr. 

 Reid, and what has been furnished will be found amply sufficient 

 for all purposes of elementary instruction. 



As has already been incidentally mentioned, numerous impor- 

 tant addenda are placed near the end of the work, followed by 

 an Appendix, made up of tables and other valuable matter, a very 

 copious general index, and an index of cuts. 



We have also already alluded in very general terms to the fact 

 of this volume being liberally supplied with wood engravings ; 

 they amount to upwards of two hundred in number. The vast 

 number of experimental illustrations, and the careful directions as 

 to manipulations, many of which are, if we mistake not, original, 

 and many others we know have not hitherto been introduced into 



