The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1810-02-16
From Aii:ehiH ard 4Niiisr's { NJ Y. } Ne
dfcaL Rehository, for .Nov. Dec. and
Jar. 1SC9,-l0.
Tie deet,ine IF Paiogistsn revivisg.

co upon stationary or iinnutaOic principles In
the progress OF experiment, new methods oi
analysis are discovered, aud deeper researches
are made into the composition OF matter.
OF the great theories, the phioSistic, or the
GERMAN doctrine, and the sxygenous or the
FRENCH, have been the most distinguished.
Beccher and Stahl were the authors of the for.
mer They supposed that during the burning OF
bodies something volatile escaped and few away
From the observations they made on bodies un.
dergoing decomposition by fire, they Justly con-
Guided that these contained an inflammable prin-
ciple. To this they gave the correct and appro.
pirate name OF phlogiston. But as sulphur, coal,
phosphorus, iron zinc, TX several other bodies were
inf1ammab'e substances, those chemists were
puzzled to tell what their phlogiston was. For
want OF such definition, they bewildered them.
selves and their followers.
The obscurity which thus overspread the sci
ence OF chemistry prepared the way for revolu-
ton IN Its doctrines. Lavoisier and Berthoi,ett
were induced. by observing the phenomena
wrought by oxygen in cslcination and c0mbu.ii-
on, to reject the theory of the German phiioso-
Pliers altogether. They established the ami.
phioBistic hypothesis; and in reforming the lam
guage of chemistry they expunged the name OF
Phlogiston from It's nomenclature.
ihe experiments made in confirmation Of the
! French doctrines were so specioCs, and the rea-
\ soning on them go imposing, that they rapidly
won the assent OF the chemical world Kirwan
suffered himself to be dazzled BY their glare &
yielded a too easy assent, and subscribed in hi.
latter days rccantation of The opinions he had
publicly taught for many years. and PrsstIy,
whose perspcscity enabled him To discern the
mconciuSiveness Uf the alleged facts, and the
iooseness of the arguments deiuced from them
was considered by his old friends as obstinately
adherinS to antiquated and exploded opinions
4 ms able eNpeiimenter persisted to the end of
his life III the belieft' the Frenchmen were in.
correct IN Their eHhh.ton of facts. and he deni-
ed the fairness of the conclusions they desurea
from their premises. GSee Med Rspos Hex.
]. vel l and ., for the series of objections he
mSae.J But this great man wsged an unequal
contest, because he did not define specifically
what his phlogiston was.
In 1898, America offered to mediate between
me philosophical belligerents but Pries;iy was
proud OF conteBdins alone against the whole
host oil anG-phiosistans, and the anti-phlopisLi.
ans were confident of numbers, and sure OF VIC
tory over the Insignificant opposition that remain.
ed 1t WAS proposed to them to consider the
hydrogen OF the neoicgists phlogiston, and To
make the Language conform by obliters,ing the
former OF these words, and substituting the lat
ter in its place. Bat neither party would agree
TO this fair and equitable proposal. The war
continued until it seemed in great measure to
have ceased by the removal of the chief OF the
phlosistans from the field.
1t was nevertheless affirmed in America, that
the hypothesis on which the nome nclatura Of l797
had been formed, was untrue. The metals. sui
phur, phosphorus and coal were affirmed to con.
sist respectively of base and phlogston TO
this piiogistoa ascribed the blaze or flame
they exhibited they burned. To the loss Of
tbs, rs we'll as to the absorption of oxygen, was
the production of o2yds, acids and water, during
that process, attributed. In short, by clothing
phiogiston with the character and qualities of
hydrogen, the principal difficulties vanished, and
the dispute seemed to be capable of being en-
tirely reconciled. See the plan in Med. Repos
4
Subse ;iuent discoveries have proved that the ia
bic Of chemical nomenclature was framed too
soon, and that the earths and alkalies no more
entitled to be ranked among the simple substan-
ces, than the inhammables and the metals
They are all compounds.
Thus the controversy rested until series Of
experiments and doctrines arose in England
which threaten another revolution in chemistry
Towards the close of October 1902 the profes-
scr OF that science in the institution ut Lon.
don had persuaded the Scavans, that Of the pal.
pable substances there were but two in nature in
an elementary state, viz. oxygen and metal -
The eaTths and the three alkalics had all been
demonstrated 10 be metallic oxyds, either by ex.
hibiting them alone, in alloys with mercury
or other metals. The inhammable bodies, sui.
phur, charcoul, phosphorus and the basis Of DO.
racIc acid, had been all decompounLed, and yie,.
dGd metal. Strange notions had been started
concerning hydrogen. According TO the pro.
gress at that time made, hydrogen was coniec.
tured to contain metallic basis, susceptible OF
eight degrees of oxygenaton. 1. The first de.
gree OF oxygenation, or protoxyd Of this supposed
metal, is ssHintsn hydyogeu : O. the deteroxyd is
G7n1noniac, VoldtI!e aikGii i; 3. the trtoXyd is
septon, or G2Ote 4. the tetryXed is sptatr 5
the pcntOxyd is oayG!ule Of aSoie g. the hexox-
yd is o>ty6 II d2ofe, or e&hi!ardtimg gas ; 7. the
hePtoxyd is mirrors acid and 8 the octoxyd is
nitric aciL Thus Oxygen and the same metal
according to the state and degree of oxygenation
constitute innsInmaLle matter, aisa! azote wa.
ter, oxyis and even acids
y Amidst these turIngs and over-turninrs, il
may be plainly seen BY an impartial by.stander
that many OF the modern experiments and fashi-
enable doctrines erected upon them, are wholly
superseded. The facts more lately developed
warrant tlIc conclusion that the earths and aka.
les are composed OF Oxygen anl metal and on
separating tns oxygen from ito bass, and adding
phiogiston thereto ia its place, the oxyd is con.
verified to metal proper. Whiic, on exposing
those metals 20 oxygen, the former is detached
the latter absorbed, aid the metal re- converted
10 0Xyd
Aud what is true Of these new metals is true
by analogy, of all the other metals. iIndecd jara,
redis ct urge, reGeunt SaturHia reEna-by thu I'D.
dition of pAlogiston Chydrogen1 to metals and
imhammsbes, 90 the former acquire their shin
ing and mallesbie qualities, and the latter the
power Of flaming or blazing and by the dc5ay-
'aye ofthis, and tie combination syifh oxygen, do
sIey turn to oXyds and acids.
From csb5et's Political Register.
The JUBILEE was celebrated at the Isle of
LII. Il. l.