ON THE NEW METALS. ^33 



^ords are, in my translation of the last edition, vol, II, jp, 

 27:2, art. barytes*, " the opinion relative to the pretended 

 metallic nature of barytes, as well as of the other salifiable^ 

 and particularly earthy bases, will be nothing but a mere hy- 

 pothesis." Now rs the term salifiable bases is used by 

 Fourcroy to signify the earths and alkalis; and as it cannot 

 by any means in this passage be confined to the earths, since 

 he immediately particularizes these, as if the opinion of their 

 metallic naturp had beten more prevalent, which is undoubt- 

 edly the fatt; he clearly alludes to the opinion, that potash, 

 soda, and even arifmoiita were of a metallic nature. The 

 very sljght way in which he records this opinion is owing to 

 his considering it highly improbable. 



But the game opinion is given more decidedly and di- 

 rectly by a writer of our own country, Mr. Robert Kerr. 



Ill his translation of Lavoisier's Elements of Chemistry, andisadvancra 

 2d edition, Edinburgh, 1793, p. 217, the following passage fjr o'fVavS'^" 

 occurs in the text. " We are probably only acquainted as sier, 

 " yet with a part of the metallic substances existing in na- 

 *' ture, as ail those which have a stronger affinity to oxigen 

 ** than carbon possesses are incapable hitherto of being re- 

 •' daced to the metallic state, and consequently being only 

 ** presented to our observation under the form of oxides, are 

 " confounded with earths. It is extremely probable, that 

 ** barytes, which we have just now arranged with earths, 

 *' is in this situation; for in many experiments it exhibits 

 *' properties nearly approaching to those of metallic bodies. 

 *' It is even possible, that all the substances we call earths 

 *' may be only metallic oxides, irreducibleby any hither to 

 *' known process." 



And the translator adds, p. 219, an entirely new section, 

 sect. 6. On the metaUic nature of the earths, in which he 

 relates the experiments of Rupvecht and Tondi, taken from 

 *' Baron Bom's description of the Cabinet of Mademoiselle 

 ** Raab;" who, as is well known, obtained metallic masses 

 by treating barytes, magnesia, and lime severally with car- 

 bonic luatter in a strong heat. This history need not be 

 here again revived, but it is material to add, that the lumi- 

 nous speculations of the translator, who expressly, p. 214, 



« Original, vol. II. p. 196. 



mentions 



