ON THE ELECTRIC COLUMN, gg5 



sopiiers more and more attentive to all the circumstances, the airdesira- 

 that may lead to the discovery of new tests of the actual ^1^' 

 state of the «?>, in consequence of other impalpable Jiuids 

 mixed with it ; and also to the electric phenomena, that 

 may appear in chemical processes, since the electric jiuid is 

 always present on the bodies which enter into chemical com- 

 binations, as it is present on all bodies : in this diffused state, 

 it produces no known chemical effect ; but all the pheno- 

 mena before pointed out undoubtedly prove, that its com- 

 positions nnd decompositions have the greatest influence in 

 the terrestrial phenomena. 



The general character of the system above extracted from Substances 

 my works already published, by supposing a multitude of ^^'^^ ""^"'^^*"* 

 still unknown substances, will undoubtedly encounter the 

 disapprobation of those philosophers, who consider simpli- 

 city as the characteristic of the operations of nature : but if 

 this word has any sense, it must signify enough and nothing 

 more; therefore, the first condition is enough, and when, in 

 certain phenomena, we find a deficiency of known agents, 

 the chasm is not to be filled up by arbitrary hypotheses, 

 which are nothing; analogy is our only sure guide in the 

 investigation of hidden causes, as being a thread offered to 

 lis by nature itself. 



This is one of the precepts of the father of true philoso- Doctrine of 

 phy, the immortal Bacon, who taught us, in particular, Bacon, 

 not to dread the multitude of substances, when they are 

 war.ting for the production of phenomena accurately defined. 

 Among his remarks on this subject is the following, under 

 the 98th head of his Silva Silvarum ; which remark I have 

 the more admired, the longer I have studied the phenomena 

 of our globe. " Cognitio humana determinata hactenus 

 " fuit speculatione k. visu; ita ut, quicquid oculos fugeret, 

 •' sive propter tenuitatem corporis, aut partes exiles, aut 

 ** subtilitatem motus, parum sit exploratuui. Haec tamen 

 *' naturam maxime regunt, illisque posthabitis, vera ana- 

 ?' lysis institui nequit, aut indica rinatune processus. Spi- 

 *' ritus aut pneumatica (expansible fluids) quae omnibus 

 ^' tangibiiibus insunt, vix cognoscuntur . . . Spiritus enlni 

 f' nihil sunt prseter corpora natnralia, proportionaliter ra- 

 f' refacta, tangibiiibus corporum partis inclusa velut tegu- 



♦* raento : 



