The Continents of the North considered as the theatre of History; Asia-Europe; contrast of the North and South; its influence in history; conflict of the bar- barous nations of the North with the civilized nations of the South; contrast of the East and West; Eastern Asia a continent by itself, and complete; its nature; the Mongolian Race belongs peculiarly to it; cha- racter of its civilization; superiority of the Hindoo civilization; reason why these Nations have remained stationary; Western Asia and Europe; the country of the truly historical races; Western Asia, physical description; its historical character; Europe the best organized for the development of man and of 7. Barrande on the Trilobites of Bohemia. 8. The Fossil Foot-marks of the United States, and the Ani- 10. Emery Formation of Asia Minor. 11. Chrome and Meerschaum of Asia Minor. 12. Randanite, a native Hydrated Silica from Algiers. 13. Analysis of Lar- dite from near Voigtsberg, in Saxony. 14. Neolite, a new Mineral. 15. On Völknerite, a new Mineral from the Mines of Schischimsk. 16. Analysis of Pyrophyllite of Spaa. 17. Analysis of Talc of Rhode Island and Steatite of Hungary. 18. On a new Hy- drosilicate of Alumina. 19. Philippsite and Gismon- dine. 20. On the Composition of Heulandite. On the Identity of Osmelite and Pectolite. 22. On Corrigenda in Dr Davy's Papers in Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal. No. for Oct. 1846, p. 237 line 18, for opalite read apatite; p. 261 line 24, for as read on; p. 261 line 33, for am- THE EDINBURGH NEW PHILOSOPHICAL JOURNAL. Life and Writings of Berzelius. By M. P. LOUYET.* WHENEVER an individual whose life and labours honour and ennoble humanity sinks into the grave, we cannot help feeling deep regret at the loss of so much intellectual riches. We are filled with sorrow when we reflect that the voice we were accustomed to honour will be heard by us no more, and that we shall no longer benefit by his enlightened instructions; we lament the extinction of the bright torch which guided our hesitating steps in difficult paths, and can scarcely regard with resignation this terrible proof of death to which the Creating Power has subjected us, which so infallibly brings us all, great and small, weak and powerful, to its own inexorable level. These reflections arose in our minds three months ago, when the journals brought the sad but not unexpected news of the death of Berzelius. For several years, this calamity had been threatening us. Having suffered, on several different occasions, from attacks of apoplexy, he never completely rallied. For several months back, the half of his body may be said to have been in the grasp of death. Every courier from Stockholm might therefore be expected to announce one of the greatest losses which it has been the fate of scientific Europe to sustain. Berzelius himself was fully conscious of his condition; he did not disguise from himself that death was near; but he witnessed its approach with the calmness of a philosopher, and the faith of a Christian. * Read in the Academy of Sciences of Brussels on 16th December 1848. VOL. XLVII. NO. XCIII.-JULY 1849. A The death of Berzelius has been considered by Sweden as a national grief. All the learned societies of the country, which may still be said to be new, have declared their intention of wearing mourning for two months. The Senate, the National Assembly, all the officers of state, of their own accord, joined the numerous assemblage which accompanied the remains of this incomparable chemist to their last resting-place. To appreciate the scientific life of Berzelius, and analyse his works, which are as numerous as they are varied, would not only be a task of great difficulty, but would likewise require a considerable time. This arduous task, however, we should have ventured to undertake, if this master had not left behind him a brilliant constellation of zealous disciples, who now rank among the most celebrated names of scientific Europe, and who, no doubt, will not fail to pay this pious debt of gratitude, and fulfil the duties of friendship. My object will therefore be confined to laying before you a concise account of the course of a life as glorious as it was active and laborious. JEAN-JACOB BERZELIUS was born on the 29th August 1779, at Vasersunda, a village near Linkoping, in the ancient province of Ostrogothia. His father was the teacher of a parish school in that place,—an employment of some consideration in Sweden. We have no information respecting Berzelius' early years; it appears to have been his father who taught him the first elements of knowledge. At the age of seventeen he entered the University of Upsal, with the intention of studying medicine. Afzelius, nephew of Bergmann, was Professor of Chemistry in that University, with Ekeberg as his assistant. Poor as science was at this period, the lectures were not arranged in such a manner as to present the existing knowledge in a form which might enable the student to understand it readily; they were simply read, without being illustrated by experiments or demonstrations. Afzelius and Ekeberg appear to have given very little interest to their courses. A few tolerable analyses which they executed constitute their only title to the honour of having guided the first steps of the greatest chemist of the age on his first entrance into the field of science. Berzelius often referred, in his private conversations, to his first attempts in the laboratory of Upsal. He took pleasure in relating that, in order to accustom him to chemical manipulations, Afzelius first gave him sulphate of iron to calcine in a crucible, for the preparation of colcothar. "Any one may do work of this kind," said Berzelius; "and if this be the way you are to teach me, I may as well stay at home." "A little patience," replied Afzelius; " your next preparation shall be more difficult." On the next occasion he got cream of tartar to burn, in order to make potass. "I was so disgusted with this," said Berzelius, that I swore never to ask for any further employment." However, he did not act upon this threat, but continued to frequent the laboratory. At the end of three weeks he was found there daily, although, according to the regulations, he was entitled to be there as a pupil only once a-week. Afzelius might have sent him away; yet he permitted him to come frequently, to engage in experiments, and to break not a few of his glasses. What displeased Ekeberg was, that the young Berzelius always carried on his operations in silence, never asking a single question. "I preferred," he said, "to endeavour to instruct myself by reading, meditating, and experimenting, rather than question men without experience, who gave me replies, if not evasive, at least very little satisfactory on the subject of phenomena which they had never observed." After remaining two years at this University, Berzelius passed his examination in philosophy, and left it in 1798. We find him, the following year, assistant to a doctor who superintended the mineral waters of Medevi. To a mind so powerful as his, nothing could remain unobserved—all must become matter of research; and it was natural that these mineral waters should attract his attention. He accordingly made a complete analysis of them, which afterwards became the subject of a dissertation published in connection with Ekeberg, his last professor. This work was the first link in that long series of Memoirs which have raised his name to such a high degree of estimation. |