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267 On the Use of Dejinitions. 267 more than to improve the chemical language, my work transformed itself, by degrees, and without my being able to prevent it, into a treatise vipon the elements of chemistry.^' And if any one would undertake to make definitions without a knowledge of facts, and the laws of facts, let him try his skill upon the words, acid and alkali; words recognised as of great importance ever since chemistry was written upon ; but to this day afflicting to learners, from the want of a classical definition of each, and from the debates pre- valent among the highest authorities concerning their boun- dary lines. Within this few years, names, accompanied by defini- tions, have been proposed for different kinds of clouds^ by Mr Howard. If- the manufacture of definitions were an arbitrary process, which might be executed at one period of a science as well as at another, we might have expected that these objects, so universally talked of and speculated upon, would have long ago been classified and named. No one however as yet, had thought of defining a ^^ mare'^s tair*" or a " mackarel sky.'*'' But Mr Howard had studied the laws of the formation of clouds, and the sequence of atmospheric phenomena connected with them : and hence his terms, so constructed as to be subservient to the description of such connexions, have already obtained a very general currency. His names are borrowed from the Latin : one of his fol- lowers has endeavoured to give vis equivalents for them of an English, or at least, Teutonic form : but to these proffered translations Mr Howard objects. We will give both sets of terms. 1 Cirrus 2 Cirrocumulus S Cirrostratus Curl cloud. Sonder cloud, Wayie clond* 4 Cumulostratus 5 Cumulus 6 Nimbus Twain cloud. Slacken cloud. Rain cloud. 7 Stratus Fall cloud. " The names'*' Mr Howard says, " which I deduced from the Latin, were intended to describe the structure of the clouds, and the meaning of each wah> carefully fixed by a definition. The observer having once made himself ma;>ter