M. Fischer's Memoir of the Life of Klaproth. 829 
the correctness of the facts on which Lavoisier had founded his 
new doctrines. Even in his advanced years, he did not tena- 
ciously adhere to his old views. In early life he had adopted, 
like all other chemists, the doctrine of affinities proposed by 
Bergmann, as the foundation of his explanations, although he 
took many opportunities of warning those who attended his lec- 
tures respecting its insufficiency. When Berthollet’s investiga- 
tions, respecting the laws of affinity appeared, he completely sa- 
tisfied himself of the untenable nature of his former views ; and 
although he did not think that, in regard to several particulars, 
he could assent to the decisions of the ingenious French chemists, 
he was yet perfectly satisfied as to the correctness of tire princi- 
ple on which all the investigations of Berthollet proceed, namely, 
that no one power is adequate to the explanation of chemical phe- 
nomena^ but that, even in the case of the simplest composition or 
resolution, several powers unite their energies. He also admit- 
ted the necessary consequence of this principle, namely, that it is 
impossible to arrive at a true scientific theory in chemistry in any 
other way, but by the most careful consideration and investiga- 
tion of the laws, according to which the individual active powers 
and circumstances, that is to say, the powers of cohesion and of 
expansion, fluidity, gravitation, quantity, heat, light, electricity, 
and so forth, produce their effect. Klaproth perceived that those 
only who were conducted as by the hand by the presiding deity 
of the mathematics, could make any considerable advances in the 
path which Berthollet had opened up ; and he was hence sorry 
that his defective education when at school had permitted him 
only to obtain a very superficial acquaintance with that science, 
in which, with better opportunities, he would unquestionably 
have made considerable progress, since, even without the aid of 
that science, he had been able to appropriate to himself, in a very 
high degree, the exactness and solidity of the mathematical ta- 
lent. The value which he put, in general, upon the views of 
Berthollet, was the motive which induced him to encourage the 
author of this memoir to translate Berthollet' s investigations into 
the language of Germany. But, however little reason the trans- 
lator might have to be dissatisfied with the reception which his 
labours gained with the literary public, it is impossible for him to 
conceal from himself, that they have never yet completely at- 
