153

ALKALI, POTASH, AND GUNPOWDER.

appellation ; this mode of classification agreed with theirprimitive simplicity. But the industrious and laudable am-bition of their successors, has paid more attention to thesethings ; and those objects of natural history also of lateyears, and since the time of our great naturalists, andLinnaeus in particular, have obtained a more correct andspecific classification, being distinguished first into genera, thegrand distinction of antiquity, next into families or species,and even into individuals of that species. Tt appears, thatoriginally the elephant and rhinoceros were both known "bythe generic name of oxen; whilst the sable and the erminewere denominated mice. The ostrich was also denominatedby the title of the struthio-camelus or passer-camelus, i. e.sparrow camel, and was classed with that small bird, as thisDame imports. Only, that according to Egyptian or hiero-glyphical configuration, presuming the heterogeneous unionof two opposite natures, were, perhaps, first assigned bythe learned in the syntaxis of nature, which spoke to themind by pictural representation, and that, perhaps, onlyallegorically; but here the ancients discovering a bird ofsuch immense power and of so large a size; and also beingfound to exist in the only country where camels are indige-nous ; likewise from its seldom using its wings, except toassist it in its passage on its feet through the deserts, likeMilton’s Armaspasii, the union of a heavy quadruped and avolatile winged animal, were not unaptly conjoined.

It is also alleged, that the ancients were not acquaintedwith the mode of separating and distinguishing salts, andthat they were equally ignorant of many other of the mineraland concealed productions of nature; this seems also pro-bable, from the admitted discoveries which have been sincemade by the moderns, particularly in the properties of gasesand other mineral productions, which can be only procuredbv the chymical assistance of certain degrees of ignitiouspower. A discovery that was retained for the now explodedendeavours of alchemy to produce; which art exceeded itsown most golden expectations in its consequences, althoughit did not attain its avowed and specific object.

It is well known that in warm countries, as hath beenalready suggested, the alkali effloresces here and therein exhalations from the earth, even in sufficient quantities toattract the attention of the commercial world. Hence,then, it may be easily conceived why these saline parts,which are often found mixed with particles of commonsalt, obtained the general appellation of nit rum.

Soda.—I t was an important discovery made by the mo-