ins do not pass current very generally,
yet they are taken here and there by a few disciples, and throw some
standard money out of the market. The want of consideration evinced in
these novel vocabularies is remarkable. Whewell, whose scientific
position and dialectic turn of mind may fairly qualify him to be a
word-maker, seems peculiarly deficient in ear. Take, as an instance,
"_idiopts_," an uncomfortable word, barely necessary, as the persons
to whom it applies are comparatively rare, and will scarcely thank the
Master of Trinity College for approximating them in name to a more
numerous and more unfortunate class--the word _physicists_, where four
sibilant consonants fizz like a squib. In these, and we might add many
from other sources, euphony is wantonly disregarded; by other authors
of smaller calibre, classical associations are curiously violated. We
may take, as an instance, _platinode_, Spanish-American joined to
ancient Greek. In chemistry there is a profusion of new coin. Sulphate
of ammonia--oxi-sulphion of ammonium--sulphat-oxide of ammonium--three
names for one substance. This mania is by no means common to England.
In Liebig's Chemistry, Vol. ii. p. 313, we have the following
passage:--"It should be remarked that some chemists designate
artificial camphor by the name of hydrochlorate of camphor. Deville
calls it bihydrochlorate of terebene, and Souberaine and Capelaine
call it hydrochlorate of pencylene."

So generally does this prevail, that in chemical treatises the names
of substances are frequently given with a tail of synonymes. Numerous
words might be cited which are names for non-existences--mere
hypothetic groupings; and yet so rapidly are these increasing, that it
seems not impossible, in process of time, there will be more names for
things that are not than for things that are. If this work go on, the
scientific public must elect a censor whose fiat shall be final;
otherwise, as every small philosopher is encouraged or tolerated in
framing _ad libitum_ a nomenclature of his own, the inevitable effect
will be, that no man will be able to understand his brother, and a
confusion of tongues will ensue, to be likened only to that which
occasioned the memorable dispersion at Babel.

Many of the defects to which we have alluded in the course of this
paper, time alone can remedy. In spite of all drawbacks, the progress
of science has been vast and rapidly increasing; the very rapidity of
its progress