59 
a7id Mineralogy. 
to which characteristics the requisite degree of importance was 
given, because otherwise the distribution must have been altoge^ 
ther arbitrary, or destitute of satisfactory grounds. Possessing 
such importance, those characteristics communicate a portion of 
it to others, to the fracture, distinct concretions, transparency, &c. 
employed in settling the remaining species. In these circum- 
stances, when a species of great compass, and really capable of 
being settled, yet not particularly shewing the connection of its 
variations to the eye (ii. 31.), presents itself, what can we expect 
but to see it dissected, and a host arise in its stead, no individual 
of which possesses either the character of independence, or suffi- 
cient marks to distinguish it from the rest. 
10. How these defects mivst he remedied . — This procedure 
should have been inverted ; the importance of using any charac- 
teristic should have been appreciated according to those species, 
the arrangement of which can be maintained in conformity with 
the principles of natural history. It would thence have appear- 
ed, that, as those minerals (9.) were capable of no methodical 
arrangement, whatever natural history system admitted them, 
must of consequence fall to the ground, — as experience had al- 
ready shewn of the greater number. On the contrary, to reme- 
dy this evil, chemistry has been applied to ; the mischief, how- 
ever, has but become the more virulent on that account. Che- 
mistry has extended its influence to the higher steps of classifi- 
cation ; it has brought the principles of the whole science into 
confusion, and reduced mineralogy itself, to such a state, that it 
has necessarily ceased to be a portion of natural history. 
11. And, besides, chemistry has not been able to perform the 
service, which in this point was expected from it. On compa- 
ring together the analysis of such minerals as admit not natural 
history arrangement, nothing of a distinctive character is found 
to result from it. The reason of this lies in the nature of those 
minerals themselves, which, being either mixtures, or substances^ 
decomposed by nature, have sustained alterations, both in the 
quality and quantity of their component parts. A knowledge 
of the composition of such bodies, however valuable in itself, is 
yet unfitted for distinguishing them even empirically. 
12. Continuation of § 8. — The other source from which the 
defective settlement of species has originated, is the wavitfphy-^ 
