THE

CABINET CYCLOPÆDIA.

LONDON:

Printed by A. SPOTTISWOODE,

New-Street-Square.

THE

CABINET CYCLOPÆDIA.

CONDUCTED BY THE

REV, DIONYSIUS LARDNER, LL. D. F. R. S. L. & E.
M.R.I.A. F.R.A.S. F.L.S. F.Z.S. Hon. F.C.P.S. &c. &c.

ASSISTED BY

EMINENT LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC MEN.

Natural Philosophp.

AN

HISTORICAL VIEW OF THE PROGRESS

OF

THE PHYSICAL AND MATHEMATICAL

SCIENCES,

FROM THE EARLIEST AGES TO THE PRESENT TIMES.

BY

THE REV. BADEN POWELL, M.A. F.R.S.

SAVILIAN PROFESSOR OF GEOMETRY IN THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD

A NEW EDITION

LONDON:

PRINTED FOR

LONGMAN, ORME, BROWN, GREEN, & LONGMANS,

PATERNOSTER-ROW ;

AND JOHN TAYLOR,

UPPER GOWER STREET.

Phys 20.5

HARVARD
COLLEGE
LIBRARY

IT IS NOT EASY TO DEVISE A CURE FOR SUCH A STATE OF

THINGS (THE DECLINING TASTE FOR SCIENCE); BUT THE MOST

OBVIOUS REMEDY IS TO PROVIDE THE EDUCATED CLASSES WITH A SERIES OF WORKS ON POPULAR AND PRACTICAL SCIENCES, FREED FROM MATHEMATICAL SYMBOLS AND TECHNICAL TERMS, WRITTEN IN SIMPLE AND PERSPICUOUS LANGUAGE, AND ILLUSTRATED BY FACTS AND EXPERIMENTS WHICH ARE LEVEL

TO THE CAPACITY OF ORDINARY MINDS.

QUARTERLY REVIEW FOR FEB. 1831.

3133

of

NATURAL PHILOSOPHY

FROM THE EARLIEST PERIODS

TO THE PRESENT TIME,

by

BADEN POWELL, M.A.

Savillian Professor of Mathematics in the l'niversity of Oxford.

PRINTED FOR LONGMAN REES.ORME, BROWN, GREEN & LONGMAN, PATERNOSTER P

AND JOHN TAYLOR, UPPER GOWER STREET;

1834