PREFACE. THE following Work was projected by the Proprietors of the New Abridgement of the Philosophical Transactions, and was intended to consist partly of Biographical Sketches of some of the most eminent Fellows of the Royal Society, and partly of an arranged view of the whole contents of the Philosophical Transactions, from the commencement of the work, in 1665, down to the end of the year 1800, when the Abridgement terminated. The plan being laid before the author some years ago, he readily agreed to undertake the execution of it, conceiving that such a work would be of considerable utility; but in attempting to collect the materials, several difficulties occurred rather of a formidable nature. The first, and not the least fatiguing part of the task, was to peruse the whole of the Philosophical Transactions, and to arrange all the papers under distinct heads, according to the sciences to which they respectively belonged. This took up a much longer portion of time than the author expected, or, indeed, would choose to specify. On proceeding to draw up an account of the papers belonging to each of the sciences, in the order that appeared most convenient, it was immediately perceived that the essays, for the most part, were of so insulated a nature, that it would be impossible to give any interest or connection to the work, if the subjects were strictly confined, as was originally intended, merely to the details to be found in the Transactions. To remedy this defect as much as possible, and to give the reader a greater interest in the sciences as he proceeded, it was thought necessary to begin the history of every science as nearly as possible at its origin, and to give a rapid sketch of its progress till the period of the establishment of the Royal Society. This, it was thought, would put it in the power of every one to judge with more accuracy how far the labours of the Royal Society had contributed to the increase of knowledge, and the advancement of the sciences. On attempting to give an analysis of the papers in the Transactions, it was perceived that there were some classes of them which could not with propriety be abridged, on account of the nature of the subjects of which they treated. This in particular was the case with the papers on botany. In some branches of science the author was overwhelmed by such a multitude of valuable papers, quite unconnected with each other, that it was impossible, without swelling the work much beyond the length that would have been tolerated, to notice them all. This is the case particularly in the sciences of medicine, mathematics, and chemistry. The only resource left in these sciences was to select those topics which appeared of the most importance; and the author is not without hopes that the selection, which he has inade, will meet with the approbation of the reader. In several branches of science, where the papers in the Transactions are either very few, or of comparatively trifling value, it was thought requisite to introduce the subject with a short outline of the principles of the science. This method was resorted to, because it was found impossible, in any other way, to give such a connection to the parts as would render the subject treated of in a sufficient degree interesting to the reader. Indeed the original plan was to have given a pretty full outline of each of the sciences which occupy a place in the Philosophical Transactions; such, for example, as the section in the first Book which treats of the physiology of plants. But on putting the work to the press, it was soon found that these outlines would increase the size much more than their utility would warrant. On that account several of the longest of them, such as mathematics and chemistry, were omitted. The reader can have no great cause to regret these omissions, as there are such a multiplicity of books both in our own, and in the French language, which supply them. Instead of these outlines, it was thought more entertaining, as well as useful, to substitute historical details which are not so readily to be met with. Throughout the whole work the references have been made to the Philosophical Transactions rather than to the Abridgement, because it was the object of the author to make it independent of the Abridgement. These references however will serve equally well for the possessors of either work; because in each page of the Abridgement are printed the date and number of the volume where the corresponding paper is found in the Original; and the page of the Original where the commences is affixed to the title of each paper in the Abridgement. paper |