294 Professor Mohs’s General Reflections on 
If, according to the same idea, we endeavour to construct the 
science, we shall obtain only Natural History , most completely 
established , which is the best demonstration of its correctness. 
The endeavours of naturalists, in all the three natural kingdoms, 
are directed toward the same point, in so far, at least, as their 
object is really Natural History, though it should not always be 
so clearly expressed. For, if we take away from their labours 
some extraneous additions, which do not regard the essence, but 
which yet may very often contain information of the highest 
importance, nothing but pure Natural History remains, and ex- 
actly corresponds with the general ideas developed above. 
In order to find the denomination, when the properties of the 
mineral are given, we employ the characteristic , which consists 
of an assemblage of general ideas , corresponding to the system, 
and expressed by single distinctive marks. With these ideas 
are connected the names and denominations, as far as the no- 
menclature extends and requires, not above the order, nor be- 
low the species ; and they are by degrees transferred to the in- 
dividual, in proportion as it is found to enter by degrees within 
the compass of those general ideas. The single assemblages of 
distinctive marks, are the characters of the classes, orders, gene- 
ra, and species. 
Those who have proceeded consistently throughout the whole 
science, will not be disposed to introduce properties among those 
characters which are not natural-historical ones, even though 
certain advantages might be derived from them for the charac- 
teristic, particularly in regard to brevity. These advantages, 
however, may depend, in a great measure, upon the state of our 
mineralogical information at the time, as to extent and detail ; 
and may therefore be liable to disappear, whenever our infor- 
mation becomes enlarged. The first law in every science is, 
that it remain consistent in all its departments ; and Natural 
History being so very simple in its development and application, 
is, in particular, calculated to derive the greatest benefits from a 
strict adherence to this principle. The characteristic refers in 
every instance only to the individuals ; it yields the means of 
recognising or determining them, as it is commonly called, by 
the distinctions introduced in the characters of the different 
classes, orders, genera, and species; it presupposes our having 
