1876=] 
Notices of Books, 
529 
The Argonaut. Edited by G. Gladstone, F.R.G.S., F.C.S, 
London : Hodder and Stoughton. 
The “Argonaut” is a periodical differing from others of its class by 
the relatively large share of space it devotes to Science. Still 
we seem, in turning over its pages, to breathe a strange atmo- 
sphere. Much of the volume, too, lies fairly outside our sphere 
of criticism. Thus we find a series of papers on the “ Use of 
the Supernatural in Art.” We doubt not the ability here dis- 
played, but in how far the author’s views are sound we cannot 
venture to pronounce. 
In a paper on the “ Birth of Alchemy,” by Prof. Gladstone, 
F.R.S., we find this strange pursuit traced much further east- 
wards than Egypt or Arabia, namely, to China, where it flourished 
from the sixth century before Christ. A work on the preparation 
of the Elixir, entitled the “ Uniting Bond,”* was written by 
Wei-peh-yang during the Eastern Han Dynasty, some time from 
a.d. 25 to 221. An epitome of this work has been published by 
the Rev. Dr. Edkins in the “ Miscellany or Companion to the 
Shanghai Almanack for 1857.” We extracft the following passage, 
which shows a strong resemblance to the alchemical writings of 
Western Asia and of Europe : — “ The cauldron is round, like the 
full moon, and the stove beneath is shaped like the half moon. 
The lead ore is symbolised by the white tiger, which, like metal 
among the elements, belongs to the West. Mercury resembles 
the sun, and forms itself into sparkling globes. It is symbolised 
by the blue dragon, belonging to the East, and it is assigned to 
the element wood. Gold is imperishable. Fire does not injure 
its lustre. Like the sun and the moon, it is unaffected by time. 
Therefore the elixir is called the golden elixir. Life can be 
lengthened by eating the herb called hu-ma ; how much more by 
taking the elixir which is the essence of gold, the most imperish- 
able of all things. . . . Lead-ore and mercury are the basis of 
the process by which the elixir is prepared. They are the hinge 
on which the principles of light and darkness revolve.” 
The Elixir was not, however, as we may judge from its mate- 
rials, found very successful in practice. Indeed two Emperors 
of the Tang Dynasty are said to have died from its effects-— a 
result which very naturally ruined its prestige. The whole story 
has a double interest : not merely does it throw a new light on 
the origin of one of the strangest phases of the chemistry of the 
past, but it proves that China was not always the swamp of 
stagnant learning to which she has been reduced by her system 
of competitive examinations. Would that we might take the 
lesson to heart ! Surely everyone can see that the man best 
able to “ get up ” a subjecft on short notice is not necessarily the 
man most capable of original thought ! 
* Have we here an anticipation of the notions of certain modern theorists ? 
VOL. VI. (N.S.) 2 X 
