As charcoal is the radical of this acid, we may form it artificially, by burning charcoal in oxygen gas, or by combining charcoal and metallic oxyds in proper proportions; the oxygen of the oxyd combines with the charcoal, forming carbonic acid gas, and the metal being left free, recovers its metallic or reguline form. We are indebted for our first knowledge of this acid to Dr Black, before whose time its property of remaining always in the state of gas had made it to elude the researches of chemistry. It would be a most valuable discovery to society, if we could decompose this gas by any cheap process, as by that means we might obtain, for economical purposes, the immense store of charcoal contained in calcareous earths, marbles, limestones, &c. This cannot be effected by single affinity, because, to decompose the carbonic acid, it requires a substance as combustible as charcoal itself, so that we should only make an exchange of one combustible body for another not more valuable; but it may possibly be accomplished by double affinity, since this process is so readily performed by Nature, during vegetation, from the most common materials. TABLE _of the Combinations of Muriatic Acid, with the Salifiable Bases, in the Order of Affinity._ _Names of the_ _Resulting Neutral Salts._ _bases._ _New nomenclature._ _Old nomenclature._ Barytes. Muriat of {Sea-salt, having base of barytes { heavy earth. Potash potash {Febrifuge salt of Sylvius: { Muriated vegetable fixed { alkali. Soda soda Sea-salt. Lime lime Muriated lime. Oil of lime. Magnesia magnesia {Marine Epsom salt. Muriated magnesia. Ammoniac ammoniac Sal ammoniac. Argill argill {Muriated alum, sea-salt { with base of earth of alum. Oxyd of zinc zinc Sea-salt of, or muriatic zinc. iron iron Salt of iron, Martial sea-salt. manganese manganese Sea-salt of manganese. cobalt cobalt Sea-salt of cobalt. nickel nickel Sea-salt of nickel. lead lead Horny-lead. Plumbum corneum. tin smoaking of tin Smoaking liquor of Libavius. solid of tin Solid butter of tin. copper copper Sea-salt of copper. bismuth bismuth Sea-salt of bismuth. antimony antimony Sea-salt of antimony. arsenic arsenic Sea-salt of arsenic. {sweet of mercury {Sweet sublimate of mercury, { { calomel, aquila alba. mercury { { {corrosive of {Corrosive sublimate of { mercury { mercury.