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CONVERSATION XVI.

ON THE MURIATIC AND OXYGENATED MU-RIATIC ACIDS ; AND ON MURIATS.

MRS. B.

We come now to the undecompounded acids.The Muriatic , formerly called the marineacid, is the only one that requires our particularattention.

The basis of this acid, as I hive told you before,is unknown, all attempts to decompose it havinghitherto proved fruitless ; it is, therefore, by ana-logy only, that we suppose it to consist of a certainsubstance or radical, combined w ith oxygen.

CAROLINE.

It can, then, never be formed by the combina-tion of simple bodies, but must always be drawnfrom its compounds ?

EMILY.

Unless the acid should be found in nature un-combined with other substances.