EUCALYPTUS TREES. 155 



laws, draws us in deepest veneration to tlje power 

 divine, Tliat is true scieqee ! 



" As into tints of sevenfold ray 



Breaks soft tlie silvery shimmering white ; 

 As fade the sevenfold tints away. 



And all the rainbow melts in light ; 

 So from the Iris sportive call 



Each magic tint the eye to chain, 

 And now let truth unite them all. 

 And light its single stream regain."^ 



—BvtweTlJ!iUon,from Schiller. 



Ji a series of experiments witli coloring principles 

 from coal-tar and bituminous substances led to the 

 invention of the brilliant aniline colors, and brought 

 about an almost total change in many dye processes, 

 how many new wonders may not be disclosed to tech- 

 nology by the rapid strides of organic chemistry ? 

 As is well-known, three or four chemic elements are 

 only engaged'in forming numberless organic com- 

 pounds, by a slight increase or decrease or rearrange- 

 ment of the atomic molecules, constructing, for in- 

 stance, from these three or four elements, ever pres- 

 ent and ever attainable, the deadly hydrocyanic acid, 

 the terrible atropin, or the dreadful aconitin at one 

 time ; or at another time, harmless ammonia com- 

 binations universally used for culinary and other pur- 

 poses of daily life. Our w^ood-tars, we may remem- 

 ber, are left, as yet, almost unexamined as regards 

 their chemic constitutents. Few of our timbers have 

 been chemically analyzed ; few other of our vegetable 

 products are as yet accurately tested. What an end- 

 less expanse for exploration does organic chemistry 

 thus offer us ! We are called on, among a thousand 

 things,, to trace out similar mutual relation and coun- 

 teraction gf such extremely powerful plants as the 



