Genre:

Obituary

Subjects:

Scientific Practitioners, Political Economy

    Consists chiefly of quotations from parliamentary speeches, which focus primarily on Francis Horner's personal qualities and make only passing references to his political economy.

Genre:

Letter

Subjects:

Political Economy, Class, Government

People mentioned:

George Rose, Rose, George (1744–1818) ODNB
Close   View the register entry >> Henry Duncan Duncan, Henry (1774–1846) ODNB
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Publications cited:

Quarterly Review, Quarterly Review (1809–1900+) Waterloo Directory
Close   View the register entry >> Edinburgh Review Edinburgh Review (1802–1900+) Waterloo Directory
Close   View the register entry >> [Napier] 1815–24 [Napier, Macvey], ed. 1815–24. Supplement to the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Editions of the Encyclopaedia Britannica: With Preliminary Dissertations on the History of the Sciences, 6 vols, Edinburgh: Archibald Constable; London: Hurst, Robinson & Co.
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Genre:

Letter; Extract, Table

Publications extracted:

Pitkin 1816 Pitkin, Timothy 1816. A Statistical View of the Commerce of the United States of America: In Connection with Agriculture and Manufactures and an Account of the Public Debt, Revenues, and Expenditures of the United States: with a Brief Review of the Trade, Agriculture, and Manufactures of the Colonies, Previous to their Independence. Accompanied with Tables, Illustrative of the Principles and Objects of the Work, Hartford: printed by Charles Hosmer
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Subjects:

Political Economy, Imperialism, Statistics, Agriculture, Commerce, Politics

Genre:

Letter, Introduction; Reminiscences, Drollery

Subjects:

Travel, Geology, Speculation, Political Economy, Race, Controversy

    Viewing the white cliffs of France from Dover, the narrator and his companion discuss 'the probability of the junction of Great Britain formerly with the Continent'. They consider that the 'geological phenomena' make it likely, but deem the question to be 'ever [...] a doubtful speculation'. The interruption of a Jewish money-changer cause the narrator to reflect on the value of paper money and the activities of 'our bullion committee'. (29) He and his companion are at odds on the issue, and 'it is well known, that a regular argumentation on paper and metal money, unless abruptly terminated by a quarrel or a duel [...] seldom [...] abates its violence in less than two hours and a half' (30).

Genre:

Letter, Introduction; Extract, Letter

Publications extracted:

Samuel L Mitchill Mitchill, Samuel Latham (1764–1831) WBI
Close   View the register entry >> , Thomas Morris Morris, Thomas (fl. 1817) BE1/1/1a/5
Close   View the register entry >> , Henry Rutgers Rutgers, Henry (1745–1830) WBI
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Subjects:

Steamships, War, Military Technology, Government, Patronage, Engineers, Endeavour, Machinery, Heat, Navigation

People mentioned:

Robert Fulton Fulton, Robert (1765–1815) CBD
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    Brewster introduces a report of the 'commissioners superintending the construction of a Steam Vessel of War, to the secretary of the navy', which has been sent to him by Samuel Mitchill, and which he believes has not hitherto been published in Britain (30).

Genre:

Letter

Subjects:

Phrenology, Controversy, Publishing, Lecturing, Controversy, Periodicals, Display, Dissection, Error, Imposture, Anatomy, Speculation

People mentioned:

Franz J Gall, Gall, Franz Joseph (1758–1828) DSB
Close   View the register entry >> Marcello Malpighi Malpighi, Marcello (1628–94) DSB
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Institutions mentioned:

University of Edinburgh, University of Edinburgh
Close   View the register entry >> Edinburgh Royal Infirmary Edinburgh Royal Infirmary
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Publications cited:

Gordon 1817, Gordon, John 1817. Observations on the Structure of the Brain: Comprising an Estimate of the Claims of Drs. Gall and Spurzheim to Discovery in the Anatomy of that Organ, Edinburgh: William Blackwood
Close   View the register entry >> Spurzheim 1817, Spurzheim, Johann Christoph 1817. Examination of the Objections Made in Britain Against the Doctrines of Gall and Spurzheim, Edinburgh: Maccredie, Skelly, and Muckersy; London: Baldwin, Cradock, and Joy, and Underwood
Close   View the register entry >> Edinburgh Review Edinburgh Review (1802–1900+) Waterloo Directory
Close   View the register entry >> [Gordon] 1815 [Gordon, John] 1815. 'The Doctrines of Gall and Spurzheim', Edinburgh Review, 25, 227–68
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    Presents a disparaging critique of craniology and of Spurzheim's defence of it.

Genre:

Letter, News-Commentary

Subjects:

Hospitals, Patronage, Government

People mentioned:

John Watson Watson, John (d. 1762) BE1/1/1a/7
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Genre:

Abstract, Paper

Publications abstracted:

Beaufoy 1817 Beaufoy, Mark 1817. 'Narrative of a Journey from the Village of Chamouni, in Switzerland, to the Summit of Mont Blanc, Undertaken on 8 Aug. 1787', Annals of Philosophy, 9 (1817), 97–103
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Subjects:

Exploration, Physiology, Experiment, Astronomy, Instruments

People mentioned:

Marc T Bourrit, Bourrit, Marc Théodore (1739–1819) WBI
Close   View the register entry >> Jacques Balmat, Balmat, Jacques (1762–1834) WBI
Close   View the register entry >> Horace B de Saussure, Saussure, Horace Bénédict de (1740–99) DSB
Close   View the register entry >> Michel Paccard Paccard, Michel (b. 1757) WBI
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    Gives an account of Mark Beaufoy's and some earlier expeditions to Mont Blanc. While noting the philosophical experiments carried out by Beaufoy and others, the writer particularly emphasizes 'the dangers of the journey itself' and 'the effect produced upon the human body in such elevated situations' (61).

Genre:

Extract, Paper

Publications extracted:

Brewster 1818 Brewster, James 1818. 'Account of the Remarkable Case of Margaret Lyall, who Continued in a State of Sleep Nearly Six Weeks', Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, 8 (1818), 249–58
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Subjects:

Disease, Medical Treatment

Publications cited:

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society (1665–1900+) Waterloo Directory
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Genre:

Review

Publications reviewed:

Chalmers 1817 Chalmers, Thomas 1817. A Series of Discourses on the Christian Revelation, Viewed in Connection with the Modern Astronomy, Glasgow: John Smith and Son; Edinburgh: William Whyte; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown [and 4 others]
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Subjects:

Astronomy, Piety, Biblical Authority, Genius, Political Economy, Natural Theology, Infidelity

People mentioned:

Robert Boyle, Boyle, Hon Robert (1627–91) DSB ODNB
Close   View the register entry >> Isaac Newton Newton, Sir Isaac (1642–1727) DSB
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Publications cited:

Chalmers 1814 Chalmers, Thomas 1814. The Evidence and Authority of the Christian Revelation, Edinburgh: William Blackwood
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    Begins: 'One of the worst features of the present times is the separation that has taken place between science and religion'. Observes that earlier in the history of English literature, 'great talents' were combined with 'sublime piety'. Contrasts this with the present situation, when 'the profound reverence for sacred things' is not 'characteristic of those by whom science is promoted, and knowledge extended'. Considers that the separation of science and religion means that the 'sacred system of revelation' is 'in danger of being considered as fitted only to be the creed of less enlightened minds'. Argues that the work under review is 'well calculated' to counteract this. Praises Chalmers's 'genius', but bemoans his lapses of taste and sentiment. (73) Gives an account, 'for the sake of our readers in the south', of Chalmers's life and his claims to fame. Declines to summarize the contents of the work under review, but strongly urges its value and utility.

Genre:

Review

Publications reviewed:

[Scott] 1817 [Scott, Walter] 1817. Harold the Dauntless: A Poem, in Six Cantos, Edinburgh: Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown
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Subjects:

Amusement, Natural Philosophy, Experiment, Cruelty, Instruments

    Quotes the opening stanzas of the poem, which attribute to ennui such amusements as card-playing, billiards, dice, and 'Retort and airpump, threatening frogs and mice, | (Murders disguised by philosophic name)' (78).

Genre:

Review

Publications reviewed:

[Erskine] 1817 [Erskine, Thomas] 1817. Armata: A Fragment, London: John Murray
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Subjects:

Statistics, Political Economy

    Warmly approves the political analysis of this fictionalized account of recent British history.

Genre:

Abstract

Publications abstracted:

Edinburgh Review Edinburgh Review (1802–1900+) Waterloo Directory
Close   View the register entry >> [Brougham] 1816, [Brougham, Henry P.] 1816. '[Review of Defence of Usury by Jeremy Bentham], Edinburgh Review, 27, 338–360
Close   View the register entry >> [Russell] 1816 [Russell, John] 1816. 'Commercial Distresses of the Country', Edinburgh Review, 27, 373–390
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Subjects:

Political Economy

Publications cited:

Bentham 1816, Bentham, Jeremy 1816. Defence of Usury: Shewing the Impolicy of the Present Legal Restraints on the Terms of Pecuniary Bargains, in Letters to a Friend; To which is Added, a Letter to Adam Smith, Esq. LL.D., on the Discouragements Opposed by the Above Restraints to the Progress of Inventive Industry, 3rd edn, London: Payne and Foss
Close   View the register entry >> Anon 1816a Anon. 1816a. National Difficulties Practically Explained by a Member of the Lowestoft Book-Club, London: Baldwin, Cradock, and Joy, and Hatchard
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Genre:

Abstract

Publications abstracted:

Quarterly Review Quarterly Review (1809–1900+) Waterloo Directory
Close   View the register entry >> Anon 1816b, Anon. 1816b. '[Review of A Treatise on the Records of the Creation by John B Sumner]', Quarterly Review, 31, 37–69
Close   View the register entry >> [Lundie?] 1816 [Lundie, Robert?] 1816. '[Review of Essay on the Nature and Advantages of Parish Banks by Henry Duncan, and Other Works]', Quarterly Review, 16, 89–116
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Subjects:

Natural Theology, Patronage, Population, Political Economy, Exploration

People mentioned:

Henry Duncan Duncan, Henry (1774–1846) ODNB
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Publications cited:

Sumner 1816 Sumner, John Bird 1816. A Treatise on the Records of the Creation, and on the Moral Attributes of the Creator: With Particular Reference to the Jewish History, and to the Consistency of the Principle of Population with the Wisdom and Goodness of the Deity, 2 vols, London: J. Hatchard
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Genre:

List

Subjects:

Exploration, Chemistry, Phrenology, Mental Illness, Ethnography, Political Economy, Mathematics, Cultural Geography

People mentioned:

Thomas Thomson, Thomson, Thomas (1773–1852) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>John Murray, Murray, John (1778–1820) ODNB
Close   View the register entry >>Johann C Spurzheim, Spurzheim, Johann Christoph (1776–1832) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>Thomas S B Raffles, Raffles, Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley (1781–1826) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>David Ricardo, Ricardo, David (1772–1823) ODNB
Close   View the register entry >>Henry T Colebrooke Colebrooke, Henry Thomas (1765–1837) ODNB
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Genre:

List

Subjects:

Geology, Mineralogy, Physical Geography

Publications cited:

Jameson 1817c Jameson, Robert, ed. 1817c. Essay on the Theory of the Earth by Baron G. Cuvier, with Geological Illustrations, 3rd ed., Edinburgh: W. Blackwood
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Genre:

List

Subjects:

Medical Practitioners | Botany | Physical Geography | Medical Treatment, Surgery, Death, Mental Illness | Metrology, Invention, Accidents, Mining, Mathematics, Horticulture, Geology | Entomology | Political Economy, Industry, Education

People mentioned:

John Hunter, Hunter, John (1728–93) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>George Brookshaw, Brookshaw, George (bap. 1751–1823) ODNB
Close   View the register entry >>George Stephenson, Stephenson, George (1781–1848) ODNB
Close   View the register entry >>Humphry Davy, Davy, Sir Humphry, Baronet (1778–1829) DSB ODNB
Close   View the register entry >>John Abercrombie, Abercrombie, John (1726–1806) ODNB
Close   View the register entry >>William T Brande, Brande, William Thomas (1788–1866) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>William Kirby, Kirby, William (1759–1850) ODNB
Close   View the register entry >>Robert Owen Owen, Robert (1771–1858) ODNB
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Publications cited:

Haslam 1817 Haslam, John 1817. Considerations on the Moral Management of Insane Persons, London: R. Hunter
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Genre:

List

Subjects:

Instruments, Navigation, Phrenology, Mathematics, Commerce, Physical Geography, Political Economy, Anatomy, Mathematics, Astronomy, Theology of Nature, Medical Treatment, Horticulture, Agriculture

People mentioned:

William Bain, Bain, Sir William (1771–1853) WBI
Close   View the register entry >>Thomas Ewing, Ewing, Thomas (fl. 1820–26) RLIN
Close   View the register entry >>Jeremy Bentham, Bentham, Jeremy (1748–1832) ODNB
Close   View the register entry >>John Leslie, Leslie, Sir John (1766–1832) DSB ODNB
Close   View the register entry >>Thomas Chalmers Chalmers, Thomas (1780–1847) ODNB
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Genre:

List

Subjects:

Obstetrics, Mathematics, Political Economy, Hygiene, Mental Illness, Astronomy, Gender, Medical Treatment, Invertebrate Zoology, Mineralogy, Chemistry, Physics

People mentioned:

Jean-Baptiste Say, Say, Jean-Baptiste (1767–1832) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>Joseph J L de Lalande Lalande, Joseph-Jérôme Lefrançais de (1732–1807) DSB
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Publications cited:

Annales de Chimie Annales de Chimie (1789–1900+) BUCOP
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Genre:

Reportage

Relevant illustrations:

wdct. [4]

Subjects:

Technology, Invention, Patents

    Gives an account, with technical descriptions and diagrams, of the 'new patent press' made by the Edinburgh printer, John Ruthven Ruthven, John (b. 1783) SBTI
Close   View the register entry >>.

Genre:

Letter

Subjects:

Technology, Invention

    Gives an account, with technical descriptions of 'LITHOGRAPHY or the art of engraving on stone' (128). States that lithography is admirably 'adapted to represent objects of a picturesque description, natural history, outlines, anatomical subjects, plans, &c.' (129)

Genre:

Letter

Subjects:

Hospitals, Surgery, Medical Practitioners, Medical Treatment,

People mentioned:

Hippocrates, Hippocrates of Cos (460–370 BC) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>Horace, Horace (Quintus Horatius Flaccus) (65–8 BC) CBD
Close   View the register entry >>Juvenal, Juvenal (Decimus Junius Juvenalis) (c. 55–c. 140) CBD
Close   View the register entry >>Emperor Claudius I, Claudius I, Emperor of Rome (Tiberius Claudius Drusus Nero Germanicus) (10BC–54AD) CBD
Close   View the register entry >>Emperor Constantine I, Constantine I, Emperor of the Roman Empire (Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus) (274–337) CBD
Close   View the register entry >>Emperor Justinian I, Justinian I, Emperor of East Roman Empire (Flavius Petrus Sabbatius Justinianus) (482–565) CBD
Close   View the register entry >>Emperor Julian, Julian, Emperor of the Roman Empire (Flavius Claudius Julianus) (331–63) CBD
Close   View the register entry >>St Jerome, Jerome, Saint (c.342–420) CBD
Close   View the register entry >>St Isidore, Isidore of Seville, Saint (560–636) CBD
Close   View the register entry >>William Stark Stark, William (1770–1813) ODNB
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Publications cited:

Beckmann 1814 Beckmann, Johann 1814. A History of Inventions and Discoveries, trans. William Johnston, 2d ed., London: J. Walker
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    Presents a short history of hospital provision 'for the sick' from ancient Greece, through the Roman empire, to contemporary hospitals in Paris and Glasgow.

Genre:

Letter

Subjects:

Vulcanology, Climatology, Agriculture

    An eyewitness account of 'the fall of volcanic dust in the island of Barbados, which occurred on May 1st, 1812, and which was produced by an eruption of the volcano in the neighbouring island of St Vincent' (134). States: 'I am induced to infer, that the dust, though it never seemed to unite intimately with the soil, had a fertilizing property' (136).

Genre:

Letter

Subjects:

Medical Treatment

    Relates as part of an anecdote how a highlander's wife fell into a peat-bog on her way home after having 'indulged too freely to cure a cholic [sic]' (137).

Genre:

Reportage

Subjects:

Chemistry, Light, Heat, Gas Chemistry, Lectures, Discovery

People mentioned:

Humphry Davy, Davy, Sir Humphry, Baronet (1778–1829) DSB ODNB
Close   View the register entry >>Georg E Stahl, Stahl, Georg Ernst (1660–1734) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>Thomas Thomson Thomson, Thomas (1773–1852) DSB
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Institutions mentioned:

Royal Society Royal Society of London
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    Observes that 'in the common explanation of this phenomenon [combustion], only one of the circumstances connected with it, that is, the disappearence of the oxygen, had in reality been accounted for, while the exhibition of light and heat, which really consistitute what is essential to the phenomenon, are altogether unexplained. [... I]t is with very much satisfaction that we perceive Sir Humphry Davy to be actively engaged in the investigation of what has justly been denominated the most important problem in Chemistry' (140).

Genre:

Letter

Subjects:

Navigation, Invention, Military Technology

Institutions mentioned:

Royal Navy Royal Navy
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    Describes the invention, by 'Mr Gavin White White, Gavin (grocer, of Kinross) (fl. 1817) BE1/1/2a/7
Close   View the register entry >>, grocer in Kinross', of an artifical horizon which can be attached to 'the common quadrant', to enable navigation in foggy weather.

Genre:

Review

Publications reviewed:

Ricardo 1817 Ricardo, David 1817. On the Principles of Political Economy, and Taxation, London: J. Murray
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Subjects:

Political Economy, Class

People mentioned:

Thomas R Malthus, Malthus, Thomas Robert (1766–1834) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>Adam Smith, Smith, Adam (1723–90) ODNB
Close   View the register entry >>Anne R J Turgot, Turgot, Anne-Robert-Jacques (1727–81) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>James Steuart Steuart, Sir James, of Goodtrees and Coltness, 3rd Baronet (1713–80) ODNB
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Publications cited:

Ricardo 1811a, Ricardo, David 1811a. The High Price of Bullion: A Proof of the Depreciation of Bank Notes: To Which is Added, an Appendix, Containing Observations on Some Passages in an Article in the 'Edinburgh Review', on the Depreciation of Paper Currency, also Suggestions for Securing to the Public a Currency as Invariable as Gold, With a Very Moderate Supply of That Metal, 4th ed., London: J. Murray
Close   View the register entry >>Ricardo 1811b, Ricardo, David 1811b. Observations on Some Passages in an Article in the 'Edinburgh Review', on the Depreciation of Paper Currency; also Suggestions for Securing to the Public a Currency as Invariable as Gold, With a Very Moderate Supply of That Metal, Being the Appendix, to the 4th ed. of 'The High Price of Bullion', London: J. Murray
Close   View the register entry >>Ricardo 1815 Ricardo, David 1815. An Essay on the Influence of a Low Price of Corn on the Profits of Stock, London: J. Murray
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Genre:

Review

Publications reviewed:

Bingley 1817 Bingley, William 1817. Useful Knowledge; or, A Familiar and Explanatory Account of the Various Productions of Nature: Mineral, Vegetable, and Animal, Which are Chiefly Employed for the Use of Man, London: Baldwin, Cradock, & Joy
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Subjects:

Gender, Natural History, Botany, Mineralogy, Geology, Palaeontology, Zoology, Education

    States: 'To young persons, especially young ladies, who have seldom an opportunity of studying large systems of natural history, we would particularly recommend this work'. Notes that it would be interesting to give 'some idea of what is meant by the theories of the earth. Another subject which we should have expected to see noticed, is fossil remains'. (179)

Genre:

Review

Publications reviewed:

[Napier] 1815–24 [Napier, Macvey], ed. 1815–24. Supplement to the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Editions of the Encyclopaedia Britannica: With Preliminary Dissertations on the History of the Sciences, 6 vols, Edinburgh: Archibald Constable; London: Hurst, Robinson & Co.
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Subjects:

Metaphysics, Ethics, Philosophy | History of Science, Mathematics, Logic, Natural Philosophy, Mechanics, Astronomy, Light, Heat, Electricity, Magnetism | Exploration | Alchemy, Mathematics, Ancient Authorities, Meteorology | Health, Medical Treatment, Hydropathy | Zoology

People mentioned:

Dugald Stewart, Stewart, Dugald (1753–1828) ODNB
Close   View the register entry >> John Playfair, Playfair, John (1748–1819) DSB
Close   View the register entry >> Matthew Flinders, Flinders, Matthew (1774–1814) ODNB
Close   View the register entry >>Lachlan Macquarie, Macquarie, Lachlan (1761–1824) ODNB
Close   View the register entry >>Aristotle, Aristotle (384–322 BC) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>Galileo Galilei, Galilei, Galileo (1564–1642) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>Evangelista Torricelli, Torricelli, Evangelista (1608–47) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>Blaise Pascal, Pascal, Blaise (1623–62) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>Otto von Guericke, Guericke (Gericke), Otto von (1602–86) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>Robert Boyle, Boyle, Hon Robert (1627–91) DSB ODNB
Close   View the register entry >>Robert Hooke, Hooke, Robert (1635–1703) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>Christiaan Huygens, Huygens, Christiaan (1629–95) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>René Du P Descartes, Descartes, René Du Perron (1596–1650) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>Samuel Morland, Morland, Sir Samuel, 1st Baronet (1625–95) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>Jean D Cassini, Cassini, Jean Dominique (Cassini IV) (1748–1845) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>Daniel Bernoulli, Bernoulli, Daniel (1700–82) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>Jean H Magellan, Magellan, Jean-Hyacinthe (1722–90) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>Pierre Vernier, Vernier, Pierre (1584–1638) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>Guillaume Amontons, Amontons, Guillaume (1663–1705) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>William Cary, Cary, William (1759–1825) ODNB
Close   View the register entry >>John Leslie, Leslie, Sir John (1766–1832) DSB ODNB
Close   View the register entry >> William Wright, Wright, William (1735–1819) ODNB
Close   View the register entry >>James Currie, Currie, James (1756–1805) ODNB
Close   View the register entry >>Armand Seguin, Seguin, Armand (1767–1835) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>Bartholomew Parr, Parr, Bartholomew (1750–1810) ODNB
Close   View the register entry >>John Haygarth, Haygarth, John (1740–1827) ODNB
Close   View the register entry >>Antoine F de Fourcroy, Fourcroy, Antoine François de (1755–1809) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>Heinrich M Marcard, Marcard, Heinrich Matthias (1747–1817) WBI
Close   View the register entry >>Jan Swammerdam, Swammerdam, Jan (1637–80) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>Giacomo F Maraldi, Maraldi, Giacomo Filippo (1665–1729) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>René A F de Réaumur, Réaumur, René-Antoine Ferchault de (1683–1757) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>Adam G Schirach, Schirach, Adam Gottlob (1724–73) WBI
Close   View the register entry >>François Huber Huber, François (1750–1831) WBI
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Institutions mentioned:

Royal Society, Royal Society of London
Close   View the register entry >>Institut Nationale, Paris Institut Nationale, Paris
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Publications cited:

Brewster 1808–30 Brewster, David 1808–30. The Edinburgh Encyclopedia: Conducted by David Brewster [...] with the Assistance of Gentlemen Eminent in Science and Literature, 18 vols, Edinburgh: William Blackwood
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    Reviews articles concerning the 'history of the mathematical and physical sciences', Australasia, barometers, bathing, and bees.

Genre:

Review

Publications reviewed:

Brewster 1808–30 Brewster, David 1808–30. The Edinburgh Encyclopedia: Conducted by David Brewster [...] with the Assistance of Gentlemen Eminent in Science and Literature, 18 vols, Edinburgh: William Blackwood
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Subjects:

Zoology, Comparative Anatomy, Animal Behaviour | Technology, Instruments | Exploration, Mineralogy, Botany, Zoology | Horticulture

People mentioned:

Abraham Rees, Rees, Abraham (1743–1825) ODNB
Close   View the register entry >>Matthew Flinders, Flinders, Matthew (1774–1814) ODNB
Close   View the register entry >>Lachlan Macquarie, Macquarie, Lachlan (1761–1824) ODNB
Close   View the register entry >>Thomas Reid Reid, Thomas (1746–1831) ODNB
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Publications cited:

Rees 18[02]–20 Rees, Abraham ed. 18[02]–20. The Cyclopaedia; or, Universal Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, and Literature, 45 vols, London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme & Brown [and 26 others]
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    Reviews encyclopedia articles concerning herpetology, ophiology, 'New Holland', horology, and horticulture.

Genre:

Reportage, Literary Gossip

Subjects:

Gravity, Instruments, Invention | Geology, Stratigraphy | Mineralogy | Navigation, Instruments, Military Technology | Technology | Gas Chemistry | Health, Medical Treatment, Hydropathy | Meteorology, Heat, Instruments, Mapping | Ornithology, Zoology | Geology

People mentioned:

Gavin White, White, Gavin (grocer, of Kinross) (fl. 1817) BE1/1/2a/7
Close   View the register entry >>Thomas Thomson, Thomson, Thomas (1773–1852) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>Thomas S Traill, Traill, Thomas Stewart (1781–1862) ODNB
Close   View the register entry >> Joseph Hume, Hume, Joseph (1756–1846) WBI
Close   View the register entry >>Henry Cavendish, Cavendish, Henry (1731–1810) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>Daniel G Fahrenheit, Fahrenheit, Daniel Gabriel (1686-1736) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>William Roy Roy, William (1726–90) ODNB
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Institutions mentioned:

Royal Society of Edinburgh, Royal Society of Edinburgh
Close   View the register entry >> British Museum British Museum
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    Gives an account of 'a new instrument called a capillary Hydrometer, for measuring the strength and specific gravity of spiritous liquors,' which 'has lately been invented by Dr Brewster Brewster, Sir David (1781–1868) DSB ODNB
Close   View the register entry >>'. Outlines the beneficial proprieties of the spring lately discovered at Bridlington, Yorkshire, as described by John Storer Storer, John (1747–1837) WBI
Close   View the register entry >> in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society (1665–1900+) Waterloo Directory
Close   View the register entry >> for 1815. Relates that Francis J H Wollaston Wollaston, Francis John Hyde (1762–1823) ODNB
Close   View the register entry >> 'has submitted to the Royal Society Royal Society of London
Close   View the register entry >>a description of a thermometer constructed by him, for determining the height of mountains, instead of a barometer'. (189) Reports that four wapiti deer, as described by William E Leach Leach, William Elford (1791–1836) ODNB
Close   View the register entry >> to the Linnean Society Linnean Society
Close   View the register entry >>, have been brought back from America. States that these animals are said to have been 'domesticated by the natives of America' and that their importer believes they may 'be used with advantage in this country, in many cases, as a substitute for horses' (190).

See also:

W Bain, 'White's New Invented Horizon', Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, 1 (1817), 142

Genre:

Reportage, Literary Gossip

Subjects:

Hospitals, Mental Illness, Politics, Gender | Astronomy, Metallurgy | Chemistry, Nutrition | Invention, Machinery

People mentioned:

Joseph J L de Lalande, Lalande, Joseph-Jérôme Lefrançais de (1732–1807) DSB
Close   View the register entry >> Friedrich W Bessel, Bessel, Friedrich Wilhelm (1784–1846) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>Antoine A Ravrio Ravrio, Antoine André (1759–1814) WBI
Close   View the register entry >>

Institutions mentioned:

Institut Nationale, Paris, Institut Nationale, Paris
Close   View the register entry >>Königlichen Universitäts-Sternwarte, Königsberg, Königlichen Universitäts-Sternwarte, Konigsberg
Close   View the register entry >> Académie des Sciences, Paris Académie des Sciences, Paris
Close   View the register entry >>

    Gives an account of the death rates and patient numbers in the hospitaux and hospices of Paris from 1804 to 1814. States: 'It appears, that among the maniacs the number of women is generally greater than men. Among the younger females, love is the most common cause of insanity; and among the others jealousy or domestic discord. Among the younger males, it is to speedy development of the passions, and with others, the derangement of affairs, that most frequently produces this effect. The calamities of the revolution were another cause of madness in both sexes; it is worthy of remark, that the men were mad with aristocracy, the women democracy. Excessive grief occasioned lunacy in men; whereas the minds of females were deranged by ideas of independence and equality'. A separate report relates that 'the grand desideratum of rendering sea water potable, seems at length to be obtained by simple distillation'. Describes the method of distillation developed by French chemists. Also states that M Maillardet Maillardet, M (fl.) ML1-2-44-2
Close   View the register entry >> of Neuchatel has announced, in a foreign journal, that he has succeeded in resolving the celebrated problem of perpetual motion, so long regarded a scientific chimera'. (191)

Genre:

Reportage

Subjects:

Astronomy

    Reports: 'Professor Berzelius Berzelius, Jöns Jacob (1779–1848) DSB
Close   View the register entry >> has just discovered a new earth, to which he has given the name of thorite'.

Genre:

Reportage

Subjects:

Archaeology

    Reports on the progress of the excavations at Pompeii Pompeii
Close   View the register entry >>.

Genre:

Reportage

Subjects:

Light, Mining | Disease, Medical Treatment, Medical Practitioners

    Relates that 'Mr Van Mons Van Mons, Jean Baptiste (1765–1842) WBI
Close   View the register entry >> has communicated [...] that the safety lamp of Davy Davy, Sir Humphry, Baronet (1778–1829) DSB ODNB
Close   View the register entry >> has completely succeeded in the Netherlands'. Later reports that Van Mons has also succeeded in 'curing all cases of hydrophobia by means of oxygenated muriatic acid, employed both internally and externally'.

Genre:

List

Subjects:

Botany, Horticulture, Chemistry, Natural History, Education, Mathematics, Medical Treatment, Disease, Surgery, Medical Practioners, Mental Illness, Hydrography, Pathology, Political Economy

Genre:

List

Subjects:

Geology, Mineralogy

Publications cited:

Jameson1817b Jameson, Robert, ed. 1817b. Essay on the Theory of the Earth by Baron G. Cuvier, with Geological Illustrations, 2nd ed., Edinburgh: W. Blackwood
Close   View the register entry >>

Genre:

List

Subjects:

Medical Treatment, Disease, Surgery, Medical Practioners, Pathology

Genre:

Essay, Serial

Subjects:

Music, Feeling, Aesthetics

Publications cited:

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society (1665–1900+) Waterloo Directory
Close   View the register entry >>

    Concludes: 'that music was originally derived from the language of passion and emotion, is rendered highly probable, by inquiring into the history of early melodies of all countries that possess a national music' (346).

Genre:

Essay

Subjects:

Genius, Psychology, Language

People mentioned:

Francis Bacon (1st Viscount St Alban) Bacon, Francis, 1st Viscount St Alban (1561–1626) DSB ODNB
Close   View the register entry >>

Genre:

Essay

Subjects:

Navigation, Engineering, Machinary, Technology

    Reports on the progress made in the construction of a 'stone beacon' with a warning 'bell apparatus' on Carr rock, started in 1812 by the Northern Lighthouse Board Northern Lighthouse Board
Close   View the register entry >>. Carr rock is part of a reef which forms 'a turning-point in the course of all northern bound ships to or from the Firth of Forth, and has often proved fatal for shipping'. Relates that the construction will take longer than the four years it took to construct Bell Rock Lighthouse Bell Rock Lighthouse, Angus, Scotland
Close   View the register entry >>, stating: 'we are informed by Mr Stevenson Stevenson, Robert (1772–1850) ODNB
Close   View the register entry >>, engineer, for both works, that this is partly owing to the waters of the ocean being more easily agitated and disturbed when flowing over the shelving rocks bounding the shores, than over those more in the open sea'. (358) Later states that during 1815 '[t]he operations could go on only in good weather, and only at the return of the spring tides. A whole year's work, under these circumstances, did not exceed 130 hours working upon the rock' (358–59). Describes the mechanism by which the bell will be tolled by the action of the tides.

Genre:

Travelogue, Serial

Subjects:

Naturalists, Botany, Zoology, Microscopy

    In the Netherlands the narrator visited the grave of Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Leeuwenhoek, Antoni van (1632–1723) DSB
Close   View the register entry >> 'famous for his microscopical discoveries' (362). Discusses at length the exalted status of storks in Dutch culture.

Genre:

Letter, Rejoinder

Subjects:

Phrenology, Controversy, Publishing, Lecturing, Controversy, Periodicals, Display, Dissection, Error, Imposture, Anatomy, Speculation

People mentioned:

John Gordon, Gordon, John (1786–1818) RLIN
Close   View the register entry >>Albrecht von Haller, Haller, Albrecht von (Victor Albrecht von) (1708–77) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>Georges Cuvier, Cuvier, Georges (1769–1832) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>Raymond Vieussens, Vieussens, Raymond (1635–1715) DSB
Close   View the register entry >> Johann C A Mayer, Mayer, Johann Christoph Andreas (1747–1801) WBI
Close   View the register entry >>Johann C Reil, Reil, Johann Christian (1759–1813) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>Antoine Portal, Portal, Antoine, baron (1742–1832) WBI
Close   View the register entry >>Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, Leeuwenhoek, Antoni van (1632–1723) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>Stenon, Stenon, —— (fl. 1817) BE1/1/4a/5
Close   View the register entry >>Samuel T Soemmerring, Soemmerring, Samuel Thomas (1755–1830) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>Raphaël B Sabatier, Sabatier, Raphaël Bienvenu (1732–1811) WBI
Close   View the register entry >>Georgius Procháska, Procháska, Georgius (Jirí) (1749–1820) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>Charles Bonnet, Bonnet, Charles (1720–93) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>William Lawrence, Lawrence, Sir William, 1st Baronet (1783–1867) ODNB
Close   View the register entry >>John Barclay Barclay, John (1758–1826) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>

Institutions mentioned:

University of Edinburgh, University of Edinburgh
Close   View the register entry >> Edinburgh Royal Infirmary Edinburgh Royal Infirmary
Close   View the register entry >>

Publications cited:

Gordon 1817, Gordon, John 1817. Observations on the Structure of the Brain: Comprising an Estimate of the Claims of Drs. Gall and Spurzheim to Discovery in the Anatomy of that Organ, Edinburgh: William Blackwood
Close   View the register entry >> Spurzheim 1817, Spurzheim, Johann Christoph 1817. Examination of the Objections Made in Britain Against the Doctrines of Gall and Spurzheim, Edinburgh: Maccredie, Skelly, and Muckersy; London: Baldwin, Cradock, and Joy, and Underwood
Close   View the register entry >> Edinburgh Review Edinburgh Review (1802–1900+) Waterloo Directory
Close   View the register entry >> [Gordon] 1815 [Gordon, John] 1815. 'The Doctrines of Gall and Spurzheim', Edinburgh Review, 25, 227–68
Close   View the register entry >>

See also:

A M, 'The Craniological Controversy. Some Observations on the Late Pamphlets of Dr Gordon and Dr. Spurzheim', Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, 1 (1817), 35–38, Anon, 'Notices to Correspondents', Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, 1 (1817), 230

Genre:

Letter

Subjects:

Archaeology

    The writer requests further articles on the progress of the excavations at Pompeii Pompeii
Close   View the register entry >>, agreeing with a previous article that this 'one of the most interesting scientific proceedings of the present age'.

See also:

[William Laidlaw?], 'Italy', Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, 1 (1817), 192–93

Genre:

Letter

Subjects:

Meteorology, Instruments, Heat

People mentioned:

Horace B de Saussure, Saussure, Horace Bénédict de (1740–99) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>Jean A Deluc Deluc, Jean André (1727–1817) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>

    Discusses and describes the 'differential thermometer' used by John Leslie Leslie, Sir John (1766–1832) DSB ODNB
Close   View the register entry >> to 'measure the relative dryness of the atmosphere' in place of a conventional hygrometer (381). Relates how a common thermometer can be used in a similar way, stating that, 'though it may not possess the same degree of delicacy, it is sufficiently accurate for all the ordinary purposes of meteorology' (382).

Genre:

Short Fiction

Subjects:

Gas Chemistry, Magic, Supernaturalism

    The narrator gives a fictional account of a conversation with a spirit upon its manifestation before him. The spirit states: 'It has long been a dispute in your world, whether the air is peopled with invisible beings; and such is that philosophic pride and obstinacy which mark this age, that, along with your other monstrous theories, you have swept away all other beings but yourselves from the universe. And yet the doctrines of those sciences which you affect to have improved, may have convinced you that there exist many substances which, although endowed with definite shapes, are yet invisible, and which, although invisible, perform most important purposes in the phenomena of nature. So absurd is the argument from non-appearance to non-existence' (383).

Genre:

Letter, Introduction; Letter, Extract

Publications extracted:

Marc-Auguste Pictet Pictet, Marc-Auguste (1752–1825) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>

Subjects:

Disease, Health, Nutrition, Class

    David Brewster introduces a letter to him from Marc-Auguste Pictet, dated 26 June 1817. Pictet relates how he has cancelled a trip to 'Genoa, by the way of Turin, with the intention of returning by Pavia, Milan, and the Simplon'. This is due to the 'dreadful state of misery, bordering on famine, with which these countries are afflicted, and the prevalence of diseases, partly contagious, which are the consequence of bad food'. (387) Pictet proceeds to suggest a solution, previously used in Geneva, of feeding the poor with 'Rumford Thompson, Sir Benjamin, Count von Rumford (1753–1814) ODNB
Close   View the register entry >> soups', paid for by subscription. This involves setting up communal boilers to boil animal bones to make a 'nutritive' broth. Each supply of bones, it is reported, can be boiled up to three times to produce both broth and gelatine. Suggests that, 'as there are more bones collected in the city than can be immediately employed', if the bones can be washed, steeped, boiled and then air dried 'we might prepare a granary of bones, as well as granary of corn, and thus keep in reserve, animal as well as vegetable food'. (388)

Genre:

Letter

Subjects:

Disease, Health, Nutrition, Class, Epidemiology, Vaccination, Medical Treatment, Medical Practitioners, Hospitals

Institutions mentioned:

Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh Royal Infirmary
Close   View the register entry >> New Town Dispensary, Edinburgh New Town Dispensary, Edinburgh
Close   View the register entry >>

Publications cited:

Edinburgh Medical and Surgical Journal Edinburgh Medical and Surgical Journal (1804–55) Edinburgh Medical Journal (1855–1900+) Waterloo Directory
Close   View the register entry >>

    Reports that since 'the draining of the marsh which existed to the south of the town' the 'Intermittent Fevers or agues' brought on by 'marsh miasma' have 'almost entirely disappeared from the town. Examples of this disease are here now extremely rare, except when excited by exposure to the cold in those who have formerly been affected with it'. Continues to describe symptoms and treatment of ague as well as the prevalent 'synochus, or common continued fever', which 'seems to prevail in all parts of Britain, particularly during the summer; and is accordingly denominated by some physicians as the Summer Fever'. (394) Gives a detailed account of the prevalence, symptoms, treatment, prognosis, and possible causes of 'Typhus or Nervous Fever' and 'malignant typhus' (395). This is followed by a brief account of the relatively rare occurrence of scarlet fever and whooping cough. Later states: 'the practice of vaccination is very generally adopted by all classes of the community; in consequence of which the town enjoys an exemption from small-pox to an extent, I believe, unknown in any town of equal magnitude in Britain' (398).

See also:

J W T, 'Introduction of a Medical Report of Edinburgh', Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, 1 (1817), 266–70

Genre:

Reportage, Literary Gossip

Subjects:

Geology, Stratigraphy, Mineralogy | Natural History, Biogeography | Geology, Mapping | Meteorology, Instruments | Astronomy, Instruments, Optics, Microscopy, Invertebrate Zoology, Entomology, Mineralogy | Natural History, Collecting | Disease, Health, Medical Treatment | Gravity, Heat | , NavigationMetallurgy

People mentioned:

Robert Jameson, Jameson, Robert (1774–1854) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>William Smith, Smith, William (1769–1839) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>George B Greenough, Greenough, George Bellas (1778–1855) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>Leopold von Buch, Buch, (Christian) Leopold von (1774–1853) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>Alexander J Adie, Adie, Alexander James (1775–1858) ODNB
Close   View the register entry >>Edward Donovan, Donovan, Edward (1768–1837) ODNB
Close   View the register entry >>Everard Home, Home, Sir Everard, 1st Baronet (1756–1832) DSB ODNB
Close   View the register entry >>Humphry Davy, Davy, Sir Humphry, Baronet (1778–1829) DSB ODNB
Close   View the register entry >>John Davy, Davy, John (1790–1868) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>Edward D Clarke, Clarke, Edward Daniel (1769–1822) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>James Hutton Hutton, James (1726–97) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>

Institutions mentioned:

Geological Society, Geological Society of London
Close   View the register entry >> Royal Society Royal Society of London
Close   View the register entry >>

Publications cited:

Smith 1815, Smith, William 1815. A Delineation of the Strata of England and Wales, With Part of Scotland; Exhibiting the Collieries and Mines, the Marshes and Fen Lands Originally Overflowed by the Sea, and the Varieties of Soil According to the Variations in the Substrata, Illustrated by the Most Descriptive Names, London: J. Cary
Close   View the register entry >>Buch 1825, Buch, Christian Leopold von 1825. Physicalische Beschreibung der Canarischen Inseln, Berlin: K. Akademie der Wissenschaften
Close   View the register entry >> Annals of Philosophy, Annals of Philosophy (1813–26) Waterloo Directory
Close   View the register entry >> Medico-Chirurgical Review Medico-Chirurgical Journal and Review (1816–18) Medico-Chirurgical Journal (1818–20) Medico-Chirurgical Review (1820–48) British and Foreign Medico-Chirurgical Review, or Quarterly Journal of Practical Medicine and Surgery (1848–77) Waterloo Directory
Close   View the register entry >>

    Reports that: 'the Glasgow Astronomical Society Glasgow Astronomical Society
Close   View the register entry >>has lately procured a solar microscope from Dolland [i.e. Peter Dollond Dollond, Peter (1731–1820) ODNB
Close   View the register entry >>], the largest that celebrated optician has ever constructed. [...] The first trial of this superb instrument disclosed some wonderful phenomena; hundreds of insects were discovered devouring the body of a gnat. These animalcula were magnified so as to appear nine inches long, their actual size being somewhat less than the fourteenth hundredth part of an inch. The mineral kingdom afforded another display of brilliant objects; their crystallization, and the splendour of their colouring, exceed anything the most lively imagination can conceive' (418–19).

Genre:

Reportage, Literary Gossip

Subjects:

Geology, Stratigraphy, Palaeontology, Theories, Controversy | Industry, Invention, Mining, Metallurgy, Meteorology

    States: 'Many of the fanciful theories of our globe, founded upon false conclusions, drawn from the repeated discovery of fresh water shells and marine shells being found together in the same strata, are likely to be set at nought by an experiment of M. Bendant Bendant, M. (of Marseilles) (fl. 1817) BE1/1/4b/2
Close   View the register entry >> of Marseilles, from whence it results, that fresh water or marine molluscæ will live in either medium, if habituated to it gradually; but with some few exceptions' (419). Later reports that '[t]he most remarkable of the new inventions which have been submitted to the society [Société d'Encouragement pour l'Industrie Nationale Société d'Encouragement pour l'Industrie Nationale, Paris
Close   View the register entry >>], is one of a portable anemometer, constructed by M. Regnier [probably Edme Regnier Regnier, Edme (1751–1825) WBI
Close   View the register entry >>]. The idea of it was suggested to the inventor by M. Buffon Buffon, Georges-Louis Leclerc, comte de (1707–88) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>'.

Genre:

Reportage, Literary Gossip

Subjects:

Comparative Anatomy, Geology, Zoology | Mineralogy | Magnetism | Astronomy, Meteorology | Anatomy | Botany

People mentioned:

Samuel T Soemmerring, Soemmerring, Samuel Thomas (1755–1830) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>Robert Jameson, Jameson, Robert (1774–1854) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>Georges Cuvier, Cuvier, Georges (1769–1832) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>Johann B von Spix, Spix, Johann Baptist von (1781–1826) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>Friedrich Tiedemann, Tiedemann, Friedrich (1781–1861) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>Michael Oppel, Oppel, Michael (1782–1820) WBI
Close   View the register entry >>Karl F A von Schreibers, Schreibers, Karl (or Carl) Franz Anton von (1775–1852) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>Stanislaw J N K Dunin-Borkowski, Dunin-Borkowski, Stanislaw Jan Nepomucen Kajetan, Count (1782–1851) WBI
Close   View the register entry >>Abraham G Werner, Werner, Abraham Gottlob (1749–1817) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>Conrad J M Langenbeck, Langenbeck, Conrad Johann Martin (1776–1851) RLIN
Close   View the register entry >>Heinrich W Brandes, Brandes, Heinrich Wilhelm (1777–1834) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>Johann L U Blesson, Blesson, Johann Ludwig Urbain (1790–1861) WBI
Close   View the register entry >>Kurt P J Sprengel, Sprengel, Kurt Polycarp Joachim (1766–1833) RLIN
Close   View the register entry >>Philipp F T Meckel, Meckel, Philipp Friedrich Theodor (1756–1803) WBI
Close   View the register entry >>Carl P Thunberg Thunberg, Carl Peter (1743–1828) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>

Publications cited:

Jameson 1817c, Jameson, Robert, ed. 1817c. Essay on the Theory of the Earth by Baron G. Cuvier, with Geological Illustrations, 3rd ed., Edinburgh: W. Blackwood
Close   View the register entry >>Tiedemann and Oppel 1817, Tiedemann, Friedrich Oppel, Michael 1817. Naturgeschichte der Amphibien, Heidelberg: J. Engelmann
Close   View the register entry >>Langenbeck 1817, Langenbeck, Conrad Johann Martin 1817. Commentarius de Structura Peritonaei, Testiculorum Tunicis, Eorumque ex Abdomine in Scrotum Descensu ad Illustrandam Herniarum Indolem, Göttingen: Dieterich
Close   View the register entry >>Sprengel 1816–17, Sprengel, Kurt Polycarp Joachim 1816–17. Institutiones Medicae, 11 vols, Milan: Silvester
Close   View the register entry >>Voigtel 1804–05, Voigtel, Friedrich Gotthilf 1804–05. Handbuch der Pathologischen Anatomie, Halle: Hemmerde und Schwetschke
Close   View the register entry >> Thunberg 1807–14 Thunberg, Carl Peter 1807–14. Flora Capensis: Sistens Plantas Promontorii Bonæ Spei Africes: Secundum Systema Sexuale Emendatum, 16 vols, Uppsala: J. F. Edman
Close   View the register entry >>

Genre:

Reportage, Literary Gossip

Subjects:

Astronomy, Meteorology, Climatology, Instruments | Naturalists, Geology, Palaeontology

People mentioned:

John Pond Pond, John (1767–1836) ODNB
Close   View the register entry >>

    Compares the effect of the atmosphere and climate on astronomical observations and instruments in Italy and in England. Later reports that 'Brocchi Brocchi, Giovanni Battista (1772–1826) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>, a distinguished Italian naturalist, has discovered, in the neighbourhood of Veletri, columnar basalt, resting upon a bed of pumice, which contains the bones of quadrupeds' (422).

Genre:

Reportage

Subjects:

Mineralogy, Geology

People mentioned:

André J F M Brochant de Villiers Brochant de Villiers, André Jean François Marie (1772–1840) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>

Genre:

Literary Gossip

Subjects:

Literature, Botany, Taxonomy, Zoology, Ornithology, Agriculture, Exploration, Physiology, Disease, Genius, Phrenology

People mentioned:

John Sinclair, Sinclair, Sir John, 1st Baronet (1754–1835) ODNB
Close   View the register entry >>Aimé J Bonpland, Bonpland, Aimé Jacques Alexandre (1773–1858) CBD
Close   View the register entry >> Alexander von Humboldt, Humboldt, Alexander von (Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von) (1769–1859) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>Franz J Gall, Gall, Franz Joseph (1758–1828) DSB
Close   View the register entry >> Johann C Spurzheim Spurzheim, Johann Christoph (1776–1832) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>

Genre:

List

Subjects:

Archaeology, Entomology, Agriculture, Horticulture, Medical Treatment, Surgery, Pharmaceuticals, Mapping, Exploration, Ethnology

Publications cited:

Journal of Science and the Arts Journal of Science and the Arts (1816–19) Quarterly Journal of Literature, Science and the Arts (1819–27) Quarterly Journal of Literature, Science and Art (1827–30) Journal of the Royal Institution of Great Britain (1830–31) Waterloo Directory
Close   View the register entry >>

Genre:

List

Subjects:

Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Botany

People mentioned:

Aime Bonpland, Bonpland, Aimé Jacques Alexandre (1773–1858) CBD
Close   View the register entry >> Alexander von Humboldt Humboldt, Alexander von (Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von) (1769–1859) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>

Publications cited:

Mémoires de Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle Annales du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle (1802–13) Mémoires du Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle (1815–32) Nouvelles Annales du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle; ou, Recueil de Mémoires (1832–35) Archives du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle (1839–61) Nouvelles Archives du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle (1865–1900+) COPAC
Close   View the register entry >>

Genre:

Essay, Serial

Subjects:

Music, Feeling, Aesthetics, Sound, Light

Publications cited:

Darwin 1794–96 Darwin, Erasmus 1794–96. Zoonomia; or, The Laws of Organic Life, London: James Johnson
Close   View the register entry >>

    States: 'An ingenious speculation, however, has been proposed by Dr Franklin Franklin, Benjamin (1706–90) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>, in a letter to Lord Kames Home, Henry, Lord Kames (1696–1782) ODNB
Close   View the register entry >>, by which he would resolve all melody into harmony. The Hypothesis is founded on a quality ascertained to exist in our organs of sense, viz. that they have the power of retaining, for a time, any impression made by an external object; in consequence of which, in a series of sensations, any one impression becomes intermingled with that which immediately precedes, and with that which immediately follows it. This law of sensation, so far as it is to the phenomena of vision, had not escaped the sagacity of Dr Franklin; but it has since been more fully developed, and ingeniously illustrated by Dr Darwin Darwin, Erasmus (1731–1802) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>, in his essay on Ocular Spectra' (460). Describes Franklin and Darwin's hypotheses in more detail.

Genre:

Paper

Subjects:

Meteorology

Genre:

Letter

Subjects:

Geology, Palaeontology

    Comments: 'Having observed [...] that Count Dunin Borkowsky Dunin-Borkowski, Stanislaw Jan Nepomucen Kajetan, Count (1782–1851) WBI
Close   View the register entry >> [sic] had announced his having discovered amber imbedded in sandstone, I think it may not be uninteresting to state an analogous observation which was made about the end of year 1813, on the seashore, in the immediate neighbourhood of Santander' (483–84). Relates that he or she found there 'a considerable mass of yellow amber, firmly embedded in the limestone' (484).

See also:

[William Laidlaw?], 'Germany', Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, 1 (1817), 420–22

Genre:

Letter

Subjects:

Mineralogy, Health, Chemistry, Travel

    Relates John Murray's Murray, John (1778–1820) ODNB
Close   View the register entry >> comparative analysis of the mineral water at Cromix and Pitcaithly.

Genre:

Travelogue, Serial

Subjects:

Botany, Horticulture, Collecting, Anatomy, Botanical Gardens

    The narrator describes his visit to Leiden University Universiteit Leiden
Close   View the register entry >>. States that in the university gardens 'there are many beautiful specimens of rare foreign trees and shrubs; particularly a tree planted by the hands of Hermann Boerhaave Boerhaave, Hermann (1668–1738) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>, and a majestic palm, which existed in the time of Clusius L'Ecluse (Clusius), Charles de (1526–1609) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>, the first professor of botany at Leyden [sic]'. Also briefly recounts his visit to the 'theatre of anatomy'. (489) Later states: 'There are many other pleasant country residences near Haarlem, among which Hartkamp should be mentioned, being more particularly interesting, as having been at one time the abode of Linnaeus Linnaeus (or von Linné), Carl (1707–78) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>, and the place where that famous botanist laid the foundation to his immortal system' (492).

Genre:

Letter, Extract

Publications extracted:

Hobart Town Gazette and Southern Reporter, 11 May 1816 Hobart Town Gazette and Southern Reporter (1810–68?) BUCOP
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Subjects:

Exploration, Discovery, Navigation, Travel, Crime, Oceanography

    Describes the journey of Lieut. Jeffries Jeffries, Lieut. (of HM armed brig Kangaroo) (fl.1817) BE1/1/5b/1
Close   View the register entry >> from Port Jackson to Ceylon in HM armed brig Kangaroo HM armed brig Kangaroo
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Genre:

Introduction; Letter, Extract

Subjects:

Health, Disease, Medical Treatment, Hydropathy, Hygiene

    Reprints an old handbill from the Advocate's Library, Edinburgh Advocate's Library, Edinburgh
Close   View the register entry >>. The introduction suggests that the handbill is 'probably as old, at least, as the beginning of the last century'. The handbill announces the establishment of, and prices for, a bath-stove at Leith. The bath-stove, which can contain up to 'fifteen persons', is claimed to cure the following diseases: 'The Hydropsie, the Gout, Deafnesse, the Itch, sore eyes, the Cold, unsensiblenesse of the Flesh, the trembling Axes, the Irish Ague, cold Defluxions inwardly, the Melencholick disease, the Collick, and all naturall diseases that are curable'.

Genre:

Review

Publications reviewed:

Stewart 1817 Stewart, Charles 1817. Elements of the Natural History of the Animal Kingdom: Comprising the Characters of the Whole Genera, and of the Most Remarkable Species, Particularly Those That are Natives of Britain; With the Principal Circumstances of their History and Manners, 2nd ed., 2 vols, Edinburgh: Bell and Bradfute; and London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, & Brown
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Subjects:

Natural History, Zoology, Taxonomy, Entomology, Physiology, Ornithology, Naturalists, Specimens, Travel

People mentioned:

Carl Linnaeus, Linnaeus (or von Linné), Carl (1707–78) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>Robert Jameson, Jameson, Robert (1774–1854) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>Alexander von Humboldt, Humboldt, Alexander von (Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von) (1769–1859) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>Georges L Leclerc, comte de Buffon, Buffon, Georges-Louis Leclerc, comte de (1707–88) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>Jacques C Valmont de Bonmare, Valmont de Bonmare, Jacques-Christophe (1731–1807) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>Konrad Gesner, Gesner, Konrad (1516–65) DSB
Close   View the register entry >>George Montagu, Montagu, George (1753–1815) ODNB
Close   View the register entry >>Georges Cuvier Cuvier, Georges (1769–1832) DSB
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Institutions mentioned:

Wernerian Matural History Society, Edinburgh, Wernerian Natural History Society, Edinburgh
Close   View the register entry >>Linnean Society, Linnean Society
Close   View the register entry >>Leverian Museum, Leverian Museum
Close   View the register entry >>Liverpool Museum Liverpool Museum
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Publications cited:

Blumenbach 1779, Blumenbach, Johann Friedrich 1779. Handbuch der Naturgeschichte, Göttingen: Johann Christian Dieterich
Close   View the register entry >>Stewart 1801, Stewart, Charles 1801. Elements of Natural History; Being an Introduction to the 'Systema Naturae' of Linnæus; Comprising the Characters of the Whole Genera, and Most Remarkable Species; Particularly of All Those That are Natives of Britain, with the Principal Circumstances of their History and Manners. Likewise an Alphabetical Arrangement, with Definitions, of Technical Terms, London: T. Cadell jun. and W. Davies
Close   View the register entry >>Buffon 1771–86, Buffon, Georges Louis Leclerc, comte de 1771–86. Histoire naturelle des oiseaux, Paris: De l'Imprimerie Royale
Close   View the register entry >>Cuvier 1817, Cuvier, Georges 1817. Le règne animal distribué d'après son organisation, pour servir de base à l'histoire naturelle des animaux et d'introduction à l'anatomie comparèe, Paris: Deterville
Close   View the register entry >>Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society (1665–1900+) Waterloo Directory
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Genre:

Reportage, Literary Gossip

Subjects:

Gas Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Physiology | Horticulture, Collecting | Parasitology, Horticulture, Botany | Heat, Societies | Steam-power, Technology, Transport, Accidents, Engineering | Medical Treatment | Zoology, Discovery, Taxonomy | Physiology | Veterinary Science, Physiology | Invertebrate Zoology, Animal Behaviour | Astronomy | Navigation, Astronomy, Military Technology | Invertebrate Zoology, Taxonomy | Periodicals, Zoology

People mentioned:

George Sinclair, Sinclair, George (1786–1834) ODNB
Close   View the register entry >>Humphry Davy, Davy, Sir Humphry, Baronet (1778–1829) DSB ODNB
Close   View the register entry >>Benjamin Thompson (Count von Rumford), Thompson, Sir Benjamin, Count von Rumford (1753–1814) ODNB
Close   View the register entry >>Henri M Husson, Husson, Henri Marie (1772–1853) WBI
Close   View the register entry >>William E Leach, Leach, William Elford (1791–1836) ODNB
Close   View the register entry >>Joseph Banks, Banks, Sir Joseph (1743–1820) DSB ODNB
Close   View the register entry >>Everard Home, Home, Sir Everard, 1st Baronet (1756–1832) DSB ODNB
Close   View the register entry >>Joseph Banks, Banks, Sir Joseph (1743–1820) DSB ODNB
Close   View the register entry >>William Herschel, Herschel, Sir William (1738–1822) DSB ODNB
Close   View the register entry >>Thomas Rackett, Rackett, Thomas (1755–1840) ODNB
Close   View the register entry >> Charles A Lesueur, Lesueur, Charles Alexandre (1778–1846) WBI
Close   View the register entry >> François Péron, Péron, François (1775–1810) WBI
Close   View the register entry >>George Ord, Ord, George (1781–1866) WBI
Close   View the register entry >>Mr Thossay Thossay, Mr (fl. 1817) BE1/1/5e/1
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Institutions mentioned:

Caledonian Horticultural Society, Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society, Edinburgh
Close   View the register entry >>Royal Society, Royal Society of London
Close   View the register entry >>British Museum, British Museum
Close   View the register entry >>Royal Navy, Royal Navy
Close   View the register entry >>Linnean Society Linnean Society
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Publications cited:

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society (1665–1900+) Waterloo Directory
Close   View the register entry >> Transactions of the Linnean Society Transactions of the Linnean Society (1791–1900+) Waterloo Directory
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    Announces that the Royal Medical Society of Edinburgh Royal Medical Society of Edinburgh
Close   View the register entry >> has proposed as the subject for a prize essay the question: 'What changes are produced on atmospheric air by the action of the skin of the living human body?' States that the committee appointed by the House of Commons House of Commons
Close   View the register entry >> to investigate 'Steam-boats and boilers' has reported 'that steam-engines of some construction may be applied with perfect security, even to passage vessels'. (523) Proceeds to outline the resolutions proposed by the committee for the consideration of the house. Quotes from the Sydney Gazette Sydney Gazette (1803–40) BUCOP
Close   View the register entry >> that '[a]n animal hitherto unknown here in the European colonies' has been discovered. 'From its general conformation, it may be a species of the Jerboa tribe'. Describes this and a new species of shellfish predator. Later relates in detail the account given in the Sydney Gazette of two 'instances of the extreme virulence and rapidity of animal poison'. (524) Gives an account of papers presented to the Royal Society Royal Society of London
Close   View the register entry >> by William E Leach Leach, William Elford (1791–1836) ODNB
Close   View the register entry >>, and Everard Home Home, Sir Everard, 1st Baronet (1756–1832) DSB ODNB
Close   View the register entry >> concerning a new genus of animals found to inhabit argonaut and nautilus shells. Announces that the first number of 'a New Periodical Work, entitled, "Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia (1817–1900+) BUCOP
Close   View the register entry >>["], has just reached this country from America' (525) and provides a brief overview of its contents.