New-York tribune., 1869-01-14
LECTURES.
PRIMEYAL CHEMISTRY.

INTRODUCED the lecturer who said:
Mr.. PRESIDENT AND LADIES AND GESTLEMES: You
tave already been informed that the subject OF this
mes lecture is Primeval Chemstryhe chemistry OF the
earlier condition Of the worlds hstorycbemisry before
eve Of It's great alseeing One TO investigate TO study
His marvellous phenomena. AS this has reference
spoken OF as chemical geology, term which has been
very frequently applied. We speak Of geology if it
we ,ineude whole group OF sciences. In the first
place, TO the astronomer this world is one Of
system-and that sO-called solar system IS but
of many such great systems thus occupying
very Insignificant position In the great cosmos Ihus our
world appears TO the astronomer. To the physicist
again who studies 1t IN relation TO inc Jaws VI sId1 VIA
uon with regard 70 the laws OF light II appears ao-
gether in another light. Then comes the chemist VINO
the positions OF its rocks. It's waters and is at
mospheTe He has also his history of the globe. Then
who studies the changes IL It's crust the move
ments which give rise to mountains, which all the
Ceograpbcal diversties of the earhs surface Later.
period ia the history OF the planet, IN when NE
appears upon the surface, animal aud vegetable and al
ready Dr. Dawson has explained to you the laws when
govern the evolution Of vegetable life, now
during successive periods, successive creatures nora
after fora each beautiful and more perfect than us
predecessor, appears upon the surface OF the planet
Then again comes the zoologist VINO lnVestlgaes tn9
various forms Of animal hfc All these ages DeaInl
and important as they are are mere nand idi1rnS t
Hunt sd ne would merely discuss the chenleal rcla9ns
of globe. but he must TO certain extent 60 OHslue
Of our globe because be must look a II from the asoh
OCFs point of view. The chemist lad 10 look 10 the
All another question whence the origin OF rocks, OF
water, and Of arl There must have been tine Wheh
TO the origin Of these things III was the rare pN
lege Of the scientific eye 10 look backward 10 solve TINS
problem and TO learn il were, the history OF these pre-
historic unSs @ i ho @ W. I'M n%c of many worlds there
came IN a strange and unexpected light to aid us ana
physical science contributed most curious stores I
knowledge. Specializing upon the origin OF our earth
and seeing the curious harmony which existed between
its motions and those Of its satellites, and OF the other
planets that moved around the sun, the great
Kant was induced 10 ascribe unity OF origin 10 al
Later, the idea developed by La Place, who sup
posed that from great ne9uous cloud exlsts III sIao
there formed, accordance with certain physical
laws. successive planets successive saiees M tlg sun
finally remaining m tho center the WnoIe Ilo ien su
non OF one immense cloud OF yapOr for whose origin sun
further back only look TO the great AunVr Ol
existence, VINO oreated H. % anu r., u mis-
which in after ages, Ngulateu iS nj; .
VIM Horsche i'm studying the skies detected certain
masses OF light which had before Oeeh Known Us certain
cloudy milky masses OF white light. lie viewed them
MI @ ms ms go $50 -! @ he origin of tbis cosmc natter
here really see the stuff OF which worlds are MADE,
aud he described them as 50 mary hepuI. Iallor,
powerful glasses aud able TO resolve many OF them
Iu 10 grOulS of stars. For instance the great nhyWy
which We observed plainly III clear, cold Winters
MIGHT was found on close examination to be made almost
entifey Of little which came out under our DIgeS
telascopes san there were certain Of light which
Hcrscel could not resolve but which other observers
discovered be made up OF suns OF OF sdIs ana heCS
that s more powerful instruments will enable us to
show that these ne0ulous masses are n3de up OF ss
There came very unexpected aid IN the spectr0scOpe
With this instrument IN the examination or ght IN the
first place from terrestrial sources It has been FOUND that
YOU discriminate between the hshI tiat coes llU
a solid body and the light which comes from NapOlOuS
hhSoiye nToi1ems in the Investigation OF which
the most powerful telescope was nnpotent We
nav xtd nI STARS we have present the very same elements
those of our earth, and we may thence eohcIuae
planet hold good in the bodies Of the solar system We
might therefore conclude not only the unity OF our
system but the unity Of all systems and all worlds, and
we were enabled by comparison between these ana our
own rlanet 10 show that all these nebula. suns
planets worlds in many successive stages OF devel
1,mtnt. Of which our own makes perhaps one OF the
latest aud most completely accomplished stages Having
0ury was what were the laws which regulated its con-
densaton how should it ever become reauced TO the con
dtio OF solid globes BY the simple process OF cooling
The sun. the great center Of our system was cooling
body; II was body constantly glS glSIs on n5ht & ana
aud heat. constantly losing lght ana heat ana there
fore slowly bur surely undergoing eoonFFs pro pro
ing bodies, and shll NOSE when We investigate
Increased temperature we learned curious lesson.
winch at intense temperatures such heat as must
n, stte of chemical adherence He did know that
he could make himself plainly understood, but he would
refer TO the composition OF water. Tins was known TO
be produced by the combination OF oxygen ana hydrogen
gases These, combined with an evolution OF heat 10
produce water but if You exposed water to very
much higher heat than that By which 1t was formed
ind that almost an compound bodies known in nature
when intensely heated were decomposed 10 seemed as
though the chemical dihnlly WLhch DIouSht tlien tO
gether and tended TO make them 1nlt IN comMhalon
was conn 49, - o t,e snn o-'J m ,,or
that one might suppose l, on ,e sun, i, Sti.l ~ % nv
IN these uebu0us bodies, all the elements were lu State
stion The spectroscope told us that because
recognized the speCter Of the simple elements, ana
which wa going on ID the must be going Oh IA all the
planets. Our earth once luminous mass OF Vapof
Ike he sun until 10 finally became cool to such point
mat II qued and became ut last solid Many supposed
mat mis- Great liquid earth surrounded first by
solid crust there evidence to prove that the
cooling began az the center ana ioeeSueu 20 @ te
more than POINT OF view; u had an IN
portaut bearing upon many facts connected with the
changes Of thc eartlis crust the question as 10
whether s solid surface upon which we walked rested
nnon bank OF liquid molten rock, whether
We had solid mass through 10 the center.
This subject has been extensively Investigated by pLy
csts. We uust either regard the e&r1l as soid 70 IG
center II not solid. the crust must De many AunOLed
miles IN thickness ana IGnfiADer inc !nw & % @ WILL i
srcak has operated from the boElhHLg' anu IL such mas
been the case, the vast mass OF solid matters WOud ar
range themselves at the center OF the globe while the
surface would DE covered Dy tuh aver Oh HqIu uIt
fers aud this acted by the internal heat would nauI
ny assume the uneven character OF the surface or our
uprya globe So FAR as the Chemistry OF our planet
roucerned have only 10 deal with the outer crust In
anS tbe various nets and The waters Of lie ocean, and
al these surrounded by the still lighter atmosphere We
materials which were near the surface
aud in the air There, OF course, could nave been
rendered It's existence Impossible Then there was no
ocean We must therefore restrict the primitive crust
contents. Thus may form just idea OF what that
early consisted. suppose the atmosphere and
the ocean be brought together at the intensely high
temperature which then eXisteda melted with ervent
heat Every chemist readily see that by bringing
together the limestone and the waters Of the
such conditions sulphur also being present the sulphur
the chlorine and the carbon would be transformed into
gases; the alkalis, lime, aumiua, and magnesi2 would
unite with the acid TO form suphates, carbOnaes,
and ehlordes, While the metals with silica ana alunlna
would combine IN the crust 10 form sags, aud over
ana above this atmosphere. charged with
form or gases and water in the form OF steam, mixed
with the elements Of the atmosphere nitrogen ana oXy,
and carDonc acid. OF the elements OF carbonc acid
iu the free state. Under these conditions the atmos-
pbcric pressure would be immense, ana the barometer
would stand three or -four times as high as IT, Under the
pressure % such atmosphere water and the less Voa
his water would Of course bo strongly charged with
acids-hydrochlorc and suplurc-and being ugid would