Water is not so grateful; which I do not know on what principle to account for, other than that water is not so soft and smooth.

Suppose that to this oil or water were added a certain quantity of a specific salt, which had a power of putting the nervous papillae of the tongue into a gentle vibratory motion; as suppose sugar dissolved in it.

The smoothness of the oil and the vibratory power of the salt cause the sense we call sweetness.

In all sweet bodies, sugar, or a substance very little different from sugar, is constantly found.

Every species of salt, examined by the microscope, has its own distinct, regular, invariable form.