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Philosophical Magazine Series 1 ISSN: 1941-5796 (Print) 1941-580X (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tphm12 XLI. Notices respecting new books To cite this article: (1807) XLI. Notices respecting new books , Philosophical Magazine Series 1, 29:115, 270-273, DOI: 10.1080/14786440708563736 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14786440708563736 Published online: 18 May 2009. Submit your article to this journal Article views: 2 View related articles Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=tphm12 Download by: [University of York] Date: 11 June 2016, At: 00:03 [ 270 ] XLI. Notlces respecting .New Books. _Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Sociely of Londonj for the Year 18o7. Part II. THxs Part contains the following papers :--VII. On Fairy-rings. By William Hyde Wollaston, M. D. See. R.S.--VIII. Observations on the Structure of the Stomachs of different Animals, with a View to elucidate the Process of converting animal and vegetable Substances into Chyle. By Everard Home, Esq. F.R.S.--IX. Experi- ments for investigating the Cause of the coloured eoncentrio Rings, discovered by Sir Isaac Newton, between two Ob- ject-glasses laid one upon another. By William Herschel, I,L.D.F.R.S.~X. On the Economy of Bees. In a Letter from Thomas Andrew Knight, Esq. F. R. S. to the Right Honourable Sir Joseph Banks, Bart. K. B. P.R.S.-- XI. Observations and Measurements of the Planet Vesta, By John Jerome Schroeteu F. R.S.--XII. A new Eudio- meter, accompanied with Experiments, elucidating its Application. By William Hasledine Pepys, Esq, commu- nicated by Charles Hatehett, Esq. F.R.S.--XIII. Ob- servations on theNature of the new celestial Body discovered by Dr. Olbers, and of the Comet which was expected to appear last January in its Return from the Sun. By William Herschel, LL.D.F.R.S.--XIV. On the Quantity of Carbon in carbonic Acid, and on the Nature of the Dia- mond. By William Allotb Esq. F. L. S. and William Hasledine Pepys, Esq. Communicated by Humphry Davy, Downloaded by [University of York] at 00:03 11 June 2016 Esq. See. R. S.~XV. An Account of the Relistian Tia Mine. By Mr. Joseph Came, in a Letter to Davies Giddy, Esq. M. P. F. R.S.~XVI. An Analysis of the Waters of the Dead Sea and the River Jordan. By Alexander Mareet, M. D. one of the Physicians to Guy's Hospital, Communicated by Smithson Tennant, Esq. F. R. S.--Pre- sents received by the Royal Society from November 1806 to June 1801.~Index. An Notices respecting New Boobs. ~T1 .An Elementary Treatise on Natural Philosophj. Trans- lated from the French of 3I. 1~. J. HAtlY, Professor of Mineralogy at the Museum of Natural History, ~c, .By OL[NT~]t~S GREGOr, V, A. M. of the Ro~jal Military Academy, Woolwich. 2 V01s. 8vo. with Plates, c, The design of M. Hafiy," as the translator observes, ~ in composing this work, was not to produce a compilation of earlier performances, a collection of insulated dissertations~ in which every former theory shall be exhibited, but none examined ; it was rather to give a cast of unity to this de- partment of human knowledge, to present Natural Philosophy though in an abridged, yet in a complete form, to free it from a great number of superfluities with which it had been overcharged, and to develop scarcely any but theories now solidly established, though perhaps previously contested~ that he might be the better able to place Physics in the situa- tion it ought to occupy, by assigning their due portions m the comparatively recent branches of Magnetism, Electricity~ Galvanism~ Crystallography, &c., and by enlarging those boundaries which some modern authors seem to have esta- blished upon too narrow a space." The object which Mr. Gregory had in view in the Tran6- lation, was, by giving this work in the same form as his own treatises on Astronomy and Mechanms, to complete a course of Natural Philosophy. He has not, however, con- fined himself to a bare translation, but has given many valu- able notes, which add considerably to the usefulness of the work. Downloaded by [University of York] at 00:03 11 June 2016 Mr. Gregory has done justice to the" author in his transla-. tion, and has, we think, rendered a service to the public, by giving, in an English dress, a work written professedly for the use of the French National Lycmum, in conjunction with Blot's Elementary Treatise on Physical Astronomy, and Francceur's Elements of Mechanics. The work seems to be well adapted tb the purpose it was intended to answer, and has less irrelevant verbiage than is generally to be met with in French works on Physics. It is ~aot~ howeverj entirely free from this fault : the following ex- ordium~ ~7 2 3~otices respecting New Books. ordium, with which the author introduces his remarks' "on the Air," may serve as an example: '~ After having elucidated the properties of thd liquid which bathes the surface of our globe, or glides along within it, we shall proceed to those of the invisible fluid which sur- rounds it to a great height. Here a very lively self-interest is blended with that which the science inspires of itself, to solicit us towards the study of this fluid ; in the midst of which we are continually immersed, which acts upon us in so many different ways, and to which we are indebted both for the preservation of life, and for furnishing us with one of its principal delights ; since it is to the air that we first commit our thoughts, to be transmitted to others, with the words which are their symbols." A translator of Mr. Gregory's acknowledged reputation might certainly have taken upon him to retrench such exu- berances, without stepping beyond his province. Bub as we have already stated, the work in other respects is valu- able, and, we doubt not, will be found an useful addition to the elementary works on science already in the hands of the public, ¢¢n Essay on the lVarming of 3lill~ dnd other Buildings, ~y Steam. By ROBErtTSON BUCHANAN, Civi~ Engineer. This short essay, consisting of only twenty-four pages, contains a variety of curious and "useful informationj ar- ranged under the following heads : I. The proportionate Size of Boilers and Quantity of Fuel. ~II. The Proportion of Steam-pipe required to heat a given Downloaded by [University of York] at 00:03 11 June 2016 Space.--llI. The Substance and Colour of Steam-pipes.~ IV. The Direction and Arrangealent of the Steam-pipes.-- V. The Moffes of connecting the Steam-pipes ;--and con- cludes with a gener~,l abstract of dimensions and proportions of pipes, and important facts relative to a variety of huildin~ which have been actually heated by steam. The advantages of cleanliness, convenience, and safety, which this mode of warming buildings possesses, has long made it an object of attention ; but it is only of late that it has been brought into practic% so as to be commodious and certain Royal Society. s7'3 certainin its effects. It has, however, now arrived at that point; and this Essay contains a collection of the facts which have been ascertained, for the use of those who may wish to put in practice the warming of buildings by steam. Besides the advantages of this application of stealn for ordinary purposes of warming buildings, it is of import- anee in a national point of view, as it may prevent accidents in all situations where there is much combustible matter~ s~ach as in arsenals and dock-yards. .An Essay on Symbols, ,with a ~iew to suggesting a new System of Gesture-signs for the Deqfiy-Dumb. By J. M. WEtNBEaOEI~. This tract is in the German languag% and M. Wcinber- get, as far as we know, is the first of his countrymen who has devoted his attention to the study of that sciene% by which Messrs. Sicard and L'Ep6e have rendered their names sacred to every friend of humanity. M. Wember=er s labours, however, deserve a higher title than that of im- provements upon the systems of his predecessor3. He first sets out with an attempt to simplify the mode of con- veying ideas and language between the deafly-dumh. He discusses the most remarkable methods that have been pro- posed for gesture, language, and emblematical writing~ and concludes by giving a hand alphabet of his own invention. ]'his new system greatly excels the finger talk at present adopted, in so far as it requires the use of one hand alone ; and the characters are so contrived as to be capable of suc- ceeding each other with great rapidity. M. Weinberger seems to have been extremely successful Downloaded by [University of York] at 00:03 11 June 2016 in his practice as a teacher of the deafly-dumb in Germany ; and in his work he has detailed the results of some public examinations of his pupils, who displayed great proficiency. XLII. Proceedingg of Learned Societies, RoYaL SOCIETY. ~]'OV. 26. The President in the chair. Continuation of Mr. Home's paper on the Functions of the Spleen. A de- Vo|, ~9. No. 115. Dec. 1807. S coctioa .
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