225 



vanced in the history of the ammoniacal combinations an im- 

 portant stage beyond the ammonium theory of Berzelius, it 

 becomes of great interest that the nature of the ethers should 

 be investigated with the aid of the lights furnished by this 

 novel analogical point of view. This Dr. Kane purposes to 

 do ; and in the mean time, while he looks upon the Ethyl The- 

 ory as the most consonant to all facts at present known, and 

 while, consequently, he will use on ordinary occasions its lan- 

 guage and formulae, he holds himself free of all implicit 

 belief in any theories, which might only serve to embarrass 

 him in his future investigations. 



Dr. Kane grants fully to the continental chemists the 

 honour of having developed the detailed evidence for the 

 truth of the Ethyl Theory, so far as it has been proved, and 

 claims no share whatsoever in that meritorious work. But 

 he cannot abandon his claim to having been the first to sug- 

 gest the theory ; and he affirms that in the form in which he 

 brought it forward, it was not merely more complete than 

 that ofDumas, but even than that of Berzelius, and in fact 

 identical with that now held by Liebig, Berzelius, and most 

 of the continental and British chemists. 



DONATIONS. 



Transactions of the Royal Academy of Sciences of Copen- 

 hagen, Vols. I to VII. Presented by the Society. 



Memoires de VAcademie Imperiale des Sciences de St. 

 Petersbonrg. 6me Serie. Sciences Mathematiques, Physiques et 

 JVaturelles. 6 Tomes. Presented by the Academy. 



Memoires de VAcademie Imperiale des Sciences de St. Pe- 

 tersbourg. 6me Serie. Sciences Politiques, Histoire, Philo- 

 logie. 3 Tomes. Presented by the Academy. 



Memoires presentes a VAcademie Imperiale des Sciences 

 de St. Peter sbourg par divers Savans, et lus dans ses Assem- 

 blies. 3 Tomes, etlreet^me Livrajsons du Tome Quatrieme 

 Presented by the same. 



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