of the Dichotomous System. 1 SB 



or less extensive, from hydrogen at the one extremity to 

 uranium at the other;" therefore there is no transition from 

 one form of organized matter to the other. Q. E. D. Nay, 

 he favors us with a reductio ad dbsurdum of equal value : to 

 wit; Let this law of continuity operate on the elements in their 

 mutual relations, then there cannot exist such a class of bodies 

 as chemical compounds: but these chemical compounds do 

 exist — ergo, there is no transition from one form of organized 

 matter to the other. Q. E. D. 



But although it be difficult to comprehend by what leger- 

 demain moons and hydrogen are, in the above manner, brought 

 to bear on the matter, I would ask how Dr. Fleming comes, 

 to know that in the universe there are not planets with one 

 two, three, or even a hundred of moons, or other bodies with 

 rings, besides Saturn? and, above all, I would ask how he 

 comes to know that minerals do not approach each other more 

 or less in nature? He is here at direct issue with one of the 

 most distinguished members of the French Institute, M. Am- 

 pere, as great a mathematician as chemist, who has published 

 a Classification Naturelle pour les Corps Simjrtes" and proved, 

 that " les corps sont tellement coordonnes Vun a V autre, qu'ils 

 ne forment non plus une serie mais un cercle /" As to the 

 Doctor's series of coincidences or starts, I can only say that 

 such an extraordinary coincidence is sufficient to make any 

 body start, and that I trust he will explain it when he pub- 

 lishes his Dictionary of Synonyms. 



The law of continuity, as it relates to forms of matter, may 

 truly be proved possible in itself, and, in the next place, to 

 exist in nature. The critic, however, really does not under- 

 stand what it means, and reminds me of an equally bright 

 acquaintance, who inquired, how there could be a law of con- 

 tinuity in the gradation of structure, unless all created beings 

 were glued together. His ideas of continuity, like Dr. Flem- 

 ing's, were taken probably from a string of mules, where one's 

 head is tacked to the other's tail; that is, continuity with 

 respect to space. Continuity in gradation of structure has 

 however nothing to do with space or time. Matter, with 

 respect to space, is capable of incontinuity, but with respect 

 to gradation of form, it is as clearly capable of continuity. I 

 will try to explain this truth to Dr. Fleming ; and for this 

 purpose let us return to the above-mentioned beautiful Grecian 

 temple, the kirk ofFlisk; and let us suppose it to have for 

 its neighbour a sublime specimen of the Gothic in the parish- 

 kirk of Frisk. Let us suppose, that between these two dif- 

 ferent kirks there is a transition made from one form to the 

 other by an infinite number of intermediate kirks, passing 



from 



