some new Objects in Chemical Philosophy. 69 
suspicion of their being metallic. The salifiable bases might 
be considered either as protoxides, deutoxides, or tritoxides : 
and the general relations of salifiable matter, to acid matter, 
might be supposed capable of being ascertained by their rela- 
tions to oxygene, or by the peculiar state of their electrical 
energy. 
The whole tenour of the antiphlogistic doctrines, necessarily 
points to such an order ; but in considering the facts under 
other points of view, solutions may be found, which if not so 
simple, account for the phenomena, with at least equal facility. 
If hydrogene, according to an hypothesis to which I have 
often referred, be considered as the principle which gives 
inflammability, and as the cause of metallization, then our list 
of simple substances will include oxygene, hydrogene, and 
unknown bases only; metals and inflammable solids will be 
compounds of these bases, with hydrogene ; the earths, the 
fixed alkalies, metallic oxides, and the common acids, will be 
compounds of the same bases, with water. 
The strongest arguments in favour of this notion, in addition 
to those I have before stated, which at present occur to me, 
are, First. The properties which seem to be inherent in certain 
bodies, and which are either developed or concealed, accord- 
ing to the nature of their combinations. Thus sulphur, when 
it is dissolved in water either in combination with hydrogene 
or oxygene, uniformly manifests acid properties ; and the same 
quantity of sulphur, whether in combination with hydrogene, 
whether in its simple form, or in combination with one pro- 
portion of oxygene, or a double proportion, from my experi- 
ments seems to combine with the same quantity of alkali. 
Tellurium, whether in the state of oxide or of hydruret. 
