, 1879-01-21
ALCHEMY.

l
| EThrnnnn Gasttte.
* Mf. Norman Lockyer has established tht
possibility Of = transmutaton OF metals he hs,
shown TINT tho dream Of the aucient ulchcmfstl
was not all dream. They wasted their onn
money MID that Of other reopIc, followed oul
the widest vagar3cs. and lndulQcd In tic strang
ess tonccts, and were disappointed at the last
let their labor was not wholly thrown awaJ. II
they ruined themselves and their patrons, thcy
ttil1 contributed to real chemical science. Alche.
| fnists FIRST put into practtcc tho experimental
method. Supplying observation and induction to
scientific researches, and, By collecting CON-
Siderable nutnhcr Of facts regarding tho n1otec.
n'ar actions of bodies, thcy were In good de-
gree the creators Of chemistry. Il Is quito
probable that, but for the high hopes they en-.
tertatncd Of transmitting the cheaper metals
into gold, practical research would never havo
begun, Of n least would have been greatly de-
| !aSc'l. As early as tho eighth century OF tho
| Christian cra. the Arab f;cber nut iu practice
the rules OF the experimental school set forth
~ YEARS later 6r dalilen and Francis Bacon. In
Srls, eS .f,esnt hoEsr asoq made d..
tho experimental method to the study ii ptiys.
irs. We should nvoid. however, tia c1sgrefa-
lion Of claiming that the great naturalists were
ouly lm'tators Of tue aic',en'ist.. The latter
previation Of the experimental method rs tic
| only sure basis OF research. In their vnit,
s,m.t sen.sn ,oF t"e Pnfiosonttcs's stont, they
f'.cta IL nn,,ts,a. ~ H. sncan' un lnapofsaht
r., w ~ t.t,. aaaItefs. uehef was tic
metals. 1te taught the preparation OF n,tru
/ asi1 nnd Of n9un rcsln The compound Of nitric
t''r nov, r,',ry .sosi ~ "sr1 Hnlves Gu!o. ~
The art Ut .nuktnR distilled sntrits. Albcrsus
an sn,,r, ,, .'e usl,'' u eaustle poIs'
| n.u,,. ta.'a., 'nI IeA..'"! ~ Enil anu n'et'
tho,ut.. t'Is't .. rmu mas mnre Physielst tban
- ~ ~ entci4 ntnueht ~ haitpe1fc. aau,
."taJ ~, "sta :nc ls sa'a 10 navs bccn afI-
."ap,. W aa.sus improve
t..a. III m sis,n,s ..i navtnnn nu.iyt
lsAac tue ti"''ah'icr' anu basl'i1ls eatentinuhs
1T 1T nhe ' Luz o1ncF alcielnlsss ~ whon chett't'
.al ne'ctec - uaueF uce'' hb'leat'ohs. nut who
"u ,'tp a.'o ts,ssn,sss' anu "nehes dia Their
.r,,a III t,l,;'.'t u.,E's!1t 1Is
=, 'mu % o9lctt " atehcihs "aa tne transmutntton
ua,,. ~ sta's' ~. " @ Me g of Mlvcr ny attns!nl
.i,eans. ,. lne ldsA was Probably suggested by
onse.stns tne Efet pnt,,n'1'rf'a OF chemistry
ats n,,h,t,.. e" te ',.'ou Gaanees when my,
itnit ~ n"aeI"sn' unaef sllIp!e treatment wold
.nnA a. u n,1.t Iaua! sfa',ssnattona ana ~
..a uan aIiu!sh'e"tsA - Ho15d tatutniy tslrn tho
~ ~ t's "lutl'i III Ing pftse!o!'s met"
~, ~, ,t rms 1ea r seatt cnef'ic' lEsst'gn-
aon s. MY w.. Hosc ~, Or efs s'asntgn 70 this oh
r'ti' aiu tllu aacpts arc not all uea.l. though
LEc !ahatlssui isS may ot regarded ~ hasn, tul-
,.sanateu ~ years nn !he oFsgt'i o1 alGhc-
IL" >" .i'&"tH'@e', DhG
wr,lrr ;, nseshcs It to the antcluTian
.uua' s"'n, whntn tho scriptures .tncn-
a,"a Us IVY hlst wofkrF in metals,
s.,,o wv y. "'io'' IVY Aat'n 1oA ean VIVA pros'a-
s!f ah @ @aaxcfh1!on: otiess eivc Tue Egyptian
ae',f lissh,ss lessfhcT!stfs the Honor u Ia
nfohnhlc' however, that tl!c nrt wns first
ptactleea on larec asalc among tue scientific
1leh OF tnc Lover t.'1IlAtct with thrir heaai-
ttaartcfa u hy5anttuln, ~" Constnntinopfv.
I'M. iMe arst a'shvn'ss writings at BYZANTINE
authors '!nle hhtk 10 thp seventh century Of our
cra. At Egypt WIS then regarded ns ttiu cradle
~ al human khoWlcnEe, atd mystery was
t1ceea q, essosaal t" tug dignity Of science. tho
r. HIy'znllhe saEes nitrinu:ctl tiIslr works To
ir1ihcs' lAnsr whietl t"aF hls natnc oear
strong pron1s 81 having tecn cotnppse.l
" INC Mnnks OF INC eiEhshs ninth nnd tenth
centuries. Cp to the time ot thr aIo'amtne1nn
conlucsts, atlu even later, tic Relations b.
tween inc p!lt1os"ph'c circles ot byxahtium
anu hicfatl'lrla were very Intimate. Alchemy
was pursue.! with ctlcfyy botti among the
Greeks and Eg'ptsan'. nnh tho victorious Arabs
Sanghl TUG Infection. Although The Ianatlcts'n
llas mol wholly Disappeared III uur own time,
u'i although Il cxrrilrnssd revival tn tbs last