KIRWAN, RICHARD, a chemical philosopher of considerable eminence, was born in Ireland about the middle of the last century. He was intended for the profession either of law or medicine, and was sent to be educated by the Jesuits of St. Omer's. On the death of his brother however he succeeded to the family estate, left St. Omer's, and abandoned all thoughts of a profession. His whole life was devoted to science, and he has also written ou some subjects not immediately connected with it. His knowledge was extensive and his memory accurate; but though he lived at a time when Black, Caven dish, Priestley, and Scheele were greatly extending chemical science by their experiments, he did not contribute any very remarkable original discovery ; he was nevertheless usefully employed in many investigations.
About 1779, when he was residing in London or its neighbourhood, he read before the Royal Society, of which he became a Fellow, several papers, and in 1781 the Copley medal was awarded to him. In 1789 he returned to Ireland, and was for some time president of the Royal Irish Academy, and he was elected member or associate of most of the literary societies of Europe.
It would be useless to attempt an analysis of the memoirs and works of Kirwan ; they include not merely chemical subjects, but meteorology and mineralogy, and are diffused through the Transac tions' of the Royal Society of London, those of the Royal Irish Academy, and other publications. One of his most remarkable separate
works was 'An Essay on the Constitution of Acids,' in which he attempted to reconcile the ancient chemical philosophy with modern discoveries. This work was translated into French by Lavoisier, with notes in refutation of its doctrines by Guyton-Morveau and Lavoisier, &c. In these notes his reasoniugs were completely refuted, and Kirwan had the candour, too rarely exhibited, of admitting the erro neousness of his views. In 1794 be published 'Elements of Mineralogy,' in two volumes, 8vo ; a work, though now of course obsolete, unques tionably useful in extending the knowledge of the science of which it treated. His 'Geological Essays' have never been considered as equally useful ; but his 'Essay on the Analysis of Mineral Waters' contained a collection of what had been previously done on the subject, with new, and, in many cases, useful directions for conducting the requisite processes. In 1809 he published a work on logic, which furnished ample materials for critical severity. He died in 1812.