Jh is uiifoituiiatc that thc prier, of this boolc (\vliich i . : printcd-on onc sidc of the pnpcr only-from typc-wittcii stcncils) is so high, for Dr. Thonipson's rwarclics linvc brought to light mnny fncts of g c a t iiiiportnncc in tlic history of clicmistry. Hitlicrto, rciiinrkably little lins bccn lmowvn of tlic chciiiistry of tlic ancicnt Assyriniis, niitl tliosc dctdls wliicli Iinvc liccn publisliecl nrc souicivlint inncccssible to tile nvcragc clicniist. Tlic iiiforriiat ioii givcn in tlic iwiwiit book is, tlicrcforc, vcry wclcomc. 111.. Thompson scts out with a discussion of tlic tcstv of certain cuiiciforiii tablet8 in thc British J~II~WII. Tlicljc give in practicnl dctail tlic iuetliotls in voguc ia tksyria, in the scrcnth cciitury B.u., of iiiaking clilicrcnt glnsscs niitl frits niid nlso tlic viirious colouring iigcnts ntldctl to thcln. By rstwiiicly ingcnioiis, j c t convinciiig, pliilologiciil niitl otlicr nrgiiiucnts. Dr. Thonipson ~uccccds in itlciitifying IL p a t innny of tlic diffcreiit siibstaiices ciiiploycd, mid the nninziiig cstent of Assyrinii cliciiiicnl knowlctlgc ciiicrgcs in n vcry strikiiig way.
( )IICS of thc kcys vliicli tlic niitlior iiscs to ulilock 11iv iiiystcrics of tlic tcsts is to assunic thnt d i i i i , .. stoiw," lias n niiicli nitlcr incniiing tlinii appcnrs iit firfit; lie silggcsts, i n short, tlint i t ii~ny apply to m y inorganic cliemicnl. Hcrclic is ccrtaiiily upon firm groiiiicl, for in tlic rclntctl Sciuitic litiigiiiig~, Arnbic, w c find that cxuctly tlic snnic thing occurs, h j u r or " .stoiic in tlic chcinicnl tcsts oftcii hnving tlic rcry coiiiiotntion wliicli Dr. l'lioiiipson nscribcs to nbnrr.
From B look wliicli tcciiis with intcrcst tlirouglioiit it is hard to iiiukc sclcctioiis. Points wliicli arc of piirticulnr iinportnncc, hoivcvcr, arc tlic follo\viiig :
( 1) 'l'lic Assyrians nliiiost~ ccrtaiiily laicw Iiow to lli~liic that vuricty of I~ro~~iiis11 gln~s with gold spnliglcs which ir, hiowi ns '* Avcntiirinc," tlic tlisco~cry of uhicli is lieually attributctl to thc Venetians of tlie thirteenth century. ( 2 ) I t is possible-wcii prol)rtblc-tliat tlicy were iicquaiiitcd with Purple of C'ii.ssiii3, or soiiie colouriiig ngcnt " consisting of ; l ~J ~l I ~ 0.014 p r cciit. of gold, 0-4 per ccnt. of ositlc of tiii (!), 0.25 pcr cclit. of nntiinony niitl soiiic snltpctrc," (8) 0111wortl niarcasitc *' is w r y aiiciciit, for in tlic foriii of iricidinsi i t wns npplictl by t l i r -kyrianr, to the niincral ~vliicli still bcars tlic nniiic.