62 System of Chemistry, by Prof. Berzelius. 



I gave much time, in order to avail myself of the vast fund of use- 

 ful practical knowledge which it contains. I am of opinion that to 

 adepts in the science, this treatise is the most interesting and instruc- 

 tive compilation of chemical knowledge which has ever issued from 

 the press. It comprises much matter for which Chemistry is indebt- 

 ed entirely to the genius, skill, and industry, of the author, while 

 scarcely any subject in it, is so treated, as not to create a renova- 

 ted interest in the reader, however previously familiar with the sci- 

 ence. 



Sweden may with reason be proud of her Scheele, her Bergman, 

 and her Berzelius. The last, but not the least, of these great chem- 

 ists, aided by an Herculean intellect, and commencing at the point 

 at which his predecessors terminated their glorious career, may be 

 considered as possessing attainments which have never been excel- 

 led. Yet the sun is not without spots, nor is Berzelius without er- 

 rors ; unless indeed, those which I have ascribed to him, are phan- 

 toms of my own intellectual vision. 



I concur with those chemists who consider the relation ascertained 

 by Berzelius, between the quantities of oxygen in oxybases, and in 

 oxacids, as a necessary consequence of the laws of combination, on 

 which the Daltonian theory has been founded. I conceive also that 

 the interesting facts which demonstrate the existence of the relation 

 alluded to, would be more easily understood and remembered, if re- 

 ferred to the theory of atoms, than when made the basis of his doc- 

 trine of capacities for saturation, and of the numbers by which those 

 capacities are expressed. 



Moreover, I do not approve of his nomenclature. This is a sub- 

 ject highly interesting to me at this time. The last edition of my text 

 book is exhausted, and in publishing a new edition I shall be obliged 

 either to adopt the nomenclature of Berzelius, or to adhere to that 

 now generally used, with such improvements as may seem to me con- 

 sistent with its principles. 



I will proceed to state my objections to the Berzelian nomencla- 

 ture, and to suggest the language which I would prefer. I should be 

 glad if the promulgation of my opinions should call forth remarks, 

 which may enable me to correct, in due season, any errors into which 

 I may have fallen. I regret the necessity of making a final election, 

 before submitting my objections to Berzelius himself, whose disap- 

 probation it would grieve me much to incur. 



