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Arorn the JVezU'ILngland Journal of yiedi cine auci Surgery* Address deli vered on the Induction of John Gorham, M. O. as Erving Professor of Chemistry in Harvard University, Dcc. 1816. (continued.) The System which was erected on the ruins of that of Scahl, origi nated in France, and its author was Lavoisier. - No man, perhaps was better calculated to give currency to new opinions. ' Enjoying all the influence which political distinc tion, a splendid fortune, and the re putation of uncommon talents can bestow ; uained for the severer siu cation ; well acquainted with the scicnce of the age, and already dis tinguished as a zealous cultivator of philosophy, he carried into chemis try all the precision of the exact sciences, and reasoned on their phe nomena with the caution of the geo metrician. . He knew how to avail himself of the laboyrs of others, and his doctrines were founded on the discoveries of Black, Cavendish, Priesriy and Schcble. The basts of his theocy is founded on the pheno mena which oxygen exhibits in its combinations with other bodies ; and the enunciation of the doctrine Itself is unfolded ih the -simple pro^J positions* , - /That combustion \till not on without the presence of oxygen. That in eVery cas?? of combustion this air disappears, the burnt body increases in weight, and the weights thus lost by the one and gained by the other, are precisely equal ; that combustion therefore, is the act of union of the inflammable body with oxygen. . 'I'haC oxygen is th$ principle of acidity. , ? i That it may be transferred from the usual phfcnomina of inflamma tion, and ? -? That the heat and l'rght, both of which are regarded by him as ma terial, ahd which* are v disengaged during the (combinations of this gas,' are the results of the difference of capacity between oxygen air, and the" product of its union. Such was the simple, consistent, tnd beautiful system of Lavoisier -9 but notirithstai)ding the high repu tation of iu author, and its adaption to the feets which were at that time accumulated, he could not, for a long time, boast of a single convert. It was at length embraced by tl* distinguished cherfcists of Francc ; it gradually forced its way into G. Britaih, and Was finally .adopted, al though not without opposition, throughout Europe. This revolu tion, however, in the philosophy of chemistry was not yet completed. The language employed in this sci ence Was derived, either from the, Arabic^ or from the more fantastic *nd barbarous phraseology of the alchemists. The names imposed tipon recently discovered bodies were perfectly arbitrary. The en tire change, or at least the reform of nomenclature was universally ac knowledge to be necessary, and the period chosen for this ehange was peculiarly favourable to its diffusion and adoption. The labour was nn dertaken by I^avoisier, and, in con junction with Morveauy Fourcroy, and Berthoilet,. he published, in 17S6, anew nomenclature founded on his o-wr> system, and deriving its radicals from the language of the Greeks. From this time,, the re? putation of French philosophy was identified with the succcss of the new system, and by methods, equal ly judicious and ingenious, it gradu ally becamc the language of all the chemists of Europe, This nomenclature is founded on the nature and the number of tne elements of which bodies are com po^cd, and it must be acknowledged, j that it was simple and uniform, | adapted with exquisite skill to the state of chemical knowledge at that period, and applied with the great - I est ingenuity to the different forri)s | | of matter. Had chemistry boeW 1 ; circumscribed, and its limits accu- ] rately known, it would have remain* ed an everlasting monument of the , Science and sagacity of Lavoisier I and his Associates. But it was pre- ; ! mature. In proportion as novel 1 ! facts are developed, and as new elc | ments are discovered ; in proportion ! as the art of analysis is refined, and j j we approxin>atc to the knowledge j I of the real nature of bodies, it is | obvious, that a theoretical and com posite nomenclature must be equally varied to correspohd with these changes. As'cHemistry is a science founded on experimeqt, no bounds Can be sfct to its progress, nor,con sequenrly^ to the language which, like that of the French system, is j intended to illustrate the nature and composition of bodies ; and "it must, therefore, sooner or later, lose, with the theory itself, the qualities which led to its adoption, simplicity, pre cision, and consistency. Such will ?be, nay, I may venture to say, has bten the fate of the system of La voisier. Oxygen is not the only Supporter of combustion ; it is not the principle of acidity ; it is not the Source of the light, nor^in all cases, of the heat, evolved during its com* blnations. and it is hardly the rival of hydrogen, or the phlogiston of Kirwan and Priestly, in the number of its combinations, or the impor tance of its phenomenar. ~ It is alrea cty fallen, and the future chemist ] will regar^TT sariye mix?d 1 feeling of admiration and regret, ! with which the scholar contemplates 1 the ruins of the Grecian temple over I which time has passed his Relentless I hand, has Withered its l>eauty, and I levelled the harmonioui stfuctur4 1 with the dust. ' I . To account for this rapid down* 1 fall of the French philosophy, it will l be necessary to take a cursory viewc] gf the present stlte of ch^Ynical 1 knowledge. * | Since the commencement of the I 19th century, more has been done<J to place the science on a permanent I basis, than had been effected by all I the labours of preceding chefaists, | The grand discovery ofJVolta, rhat 1 Gilvanism, by certain arrangements I of different metals, may be accumu* I lated to an almost indefinite extent, 1 has given to the chemist an agent of 1 great power in producing decompo- I sirions, and in arriving to the ele- I ments of bodies ; and the application 1 of voltaic electricity to different! forms of matter, opened to Sir 1 Humphrey Davy ^ glorious career, I ?and clowned him with unfading re- I putation. He has not only distov. I ered* a number of important ele- I ments, and given probability to the I hypothesis of an universal inflam- 1 mable principle, t>ut, what is of more I consequence, he has nearlyestablish- I ed the general truths, that the rau- I timl attractions of the particles of I different matter are proportionar to 1 their electrical energies ; *nd that | those which obviously have the [ greatest tendency to combine, are I such as also exhibit the most oppo- I site states of electricity. So great ] and decided is the number of , facts I to support this opinion, that Ber- I zelius, the distinguished chemist of I Sweden, has boJdJy published a sys- I tem founded upon the ciectro-che- I mical energies of bodies. 1 his may I b<; considered an important step toward the completion ot the sci ence for, instead of the obscure arid indefinite idea, of attraction, and of a power which is unseen arid un known, chemists will now recog nize the agency of a principle, which may be accumulated or discharged at will, the properties, of which may be accurately demonstrated, and which, when it acts on masses, in known to produce some ot the most sublime and magnificent phenome na of nature. Tl is not a little remarkable, that chemistry, although it is founded on experiment, should not, until the present moment, have assumed the form of an exact science. The pJay of attractions has been sup posed to var^ so much by the cir cumstances in which bodies are placed, and s"> much uncertainty has appeared to exist; relative, either to the general results^ or to the proportions in which they unite, that it has been said, experiment alone can enable us to acquire any positive knowledge on the sublet. T his uncertainty will no longer exist, and by far the greatest improvement which^ has yet been made in this science, is the discovery of the gen eral truth, that bodies combine in definite prpportions, TH? atomick theoty is the pfodtietton of the pre sent age ; for although some of the facts were unfolded by Dr. Higgins, the merit of the generalization be longs to Mr; Dalton of Manchester. [ It inters, that bodies are composed of atoms, which ate not mathema-4 | tical, but phyTicat points, and arc, I consequently, possessed of exten sion and gravity ; that these atoms | unite with each other in one or more pn^ortions in simple ratios, and; as has been proved by eitpcfimcnt, that the, higher proportions arc muftiples of the first. By this sim j pic law, chemistry is at oncc made to take rank with' tive physical sciences which ^re founded on the mathematicks. The relative weights ot the atoms of different: bodies' may be estimated, the proportion's ilfr whiah they coqibind may be ac curately denned, and calculation 'may thus b? made to correct, or supply the deficiencies of experi ment. The theory of volumes which has arisen from the discove ries of Di. Higgins,' and of Gay Lussac, and been adopted by Sir. H. Davy, is equally founded on the laws of4 defuiite proportions, dhd applicable to all the phenomena^ of true chemical cosribinatiort. Another subject which appears . tdrbe connecud with the electrical energiet of bodies is crystallization. The fact, that the immense variety of crystals which are disseminated throughout nature, may be reduced, by mechanical division, to a few I primitive and elementary, fortps, which was suspected by Bergman and De Lisle, has been' demonstrat ed by Haiiy i ami the crystallogra phical reseafches of this philosopher have unfolded to us one of the most beautiful and recondite pro cesses of nature. ' The cause which produces thes? crystals, is with out doubt, the power which gives polarity to their atoms. It is thus connected, on the one h and, with mechanical philosophy, and on the other, with chemical science. . The laws of, crystallization, of definite proportions and of the clectrical energies of bodies, sa^s Sir H Dar vy, seem to be intimately related, and the complete illustration of their connexion will probably con stitute the mature age of chemis try* y it r <t/u9 7 U la^kiolc Ir.stjw rf Pj end*hi+\ . One Mesippus reUies \n Lucian, that he one day seeing a man come lv, and of eminent condition, pas sing along in a coach with a wo man extremely ordinary, he was much amazed, and said, cc He could not understand wl,y a man of prime should be seen to stir abroad in the company of a monster. " Here upon one that followed the coach , overhearing him, said, " Sir, you ^eem to ponder at what you now see 5 but if I tell you the cayses~aixt Circumstance* thereof, you will much- more admire. Know, this gentleman .whom .you sec in the coach is called Zenothcmis, and born in the city of Marseilles, where lie heretofore contracted a firm amity with a neighbour of his name.] Menecrates, who was at that time one of the chi^f men of the city, as well in wealth as digni-, - ties. But, as all things in the world .are exposed to the inconstancy of fortune, it happened, that (as it is thought) having given a false sent ence, he was degraded of honour; and all his ^oods were confiscated. Vl?very man avoided htm as 3 mon ster in this change of fortune, but Zenothemis, hi? good friend, viho, as if he had loved miseries, not men, more esteemed him irf his ad , , 1 versity than he haddon? in prospe rity, andjbringing hirtt to his heuse, shewed hkn his treasures*' &ici con jured him to share them with him* The other weeping for jojr t6 see himself thus entertained in such sharp necessities1, said, " He was not so apprehensive of the want of worldly wealth, as of the burden: He had in a daughter ripe for lhar fiage,* and willing enough, but . blemished with many defornudefc'* She was, saitli the history, but half a woman; a body misshapen, limp ing arid blear-eyed, a face disfigur ed, and besides, she had the falhng sickness,j with horrible convul sions." Nevertheles^y thte 4 gene rous man said unto Kim,: '?Trou ble not yourself about: the marriage of y6tir daughter, for 1 will be her husband." The other astonished at siich goodn<;st,' " God forbid, ?aid he,- ? ttofc I stioidd lay such 4 a burden upon jfau." , u No/* rt r* plied the other,' ^sht shail bt mine." And fristaiitly He married her, malting great feasts at the riwp-' rials. Being married, he honouif^th her, With much regard, and mtfkeff it his glory to shew her in the best of company as a trophy of hjs ; friendship. In the end she brought him a .son, who restored his gtand-* father to his estate, and wa* tho honour of his family. A lady ' at tea, full of delidbte apprehensions in a gale of wind, cried out, among other pretty ex clamations tl We shall all go to ?? the bottom ; mercy on us, how my, ,4 head swims !,# t? Zounds, madam* never fear/' said one of the sailors^ ?t you can never go to the bottom * while your bead . ~ ^ . i * Parricide.-^TheLqpdonComier of the 2d ultimo contains the trials condemnation and execution of two brothers in Ireland, for the horrid crime of murde/ing then; own fa ther? ? Their names were f George and John Greer# On the Gallowa they confes&d' the crime, prayed fervently to God for forgiveness, raclasped their hands, and were launched into eternity**