Education, Religion, Utility, Mathematics, Natural Philosophy, Natural
History
The writer advocates the education of infants under six years of age,
endorsing a strongly empirical and utilitarian approach. He describes how in
existing infant schools 'an intelligent master and mistress have thus led their
youthful charge, consisting of one or two hundred, to the study of language,
figures, geography, the rudiments of mathematics, of natural philosophy, of
botany, of natural history, and also to the manner in which most of the
articles in common use are formed' (29–30).
The reviewer observes that the modern champions of infidelity have 'for some
years past' sought 'to attack the history of Christianity, and to persuade the
unlettered and ignorant, that the whole is a fiction, even to the very
existence of its Founder' (35).
Constantin F
Chassebœf, comte de Volney'sVolney, Constantin F Chasseboeuf, comte
de
(1757–1820)
CBD CloseView the register entry >>RuinsVolney,
Constantin F Chasseboeuf, comte de 1791. Les ruines; ou,
méditations sur les révolutions des empires, Paris: Desenne,
Volland, and Plassan
CloseView the register entry >> 'resolves Christ
into an astronomical character, and has been long the textbook of this flippant
class of infidels' (36). If this astronomical theory is to be adopted, infidels
must show 'that a popular passion for the scientific study of astronomy
prevailed at the time of the formation of Christianity; or, that there was a
confederacy among the astronomers of the day, to invest the old astronomy with
new symbols; and that the
GalileosGalilei, Galileo
(1564–1642)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>, and
KeplersKepler, Johannes
(1571–1630)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>, and
NewtonsNewton, Sir Isaac
(1642–1727)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>, and
LaplacesLaplace, Pierre-Simon, marquis de
(1749–1827)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>, of Greece and Rome,
united to fetch their scientific symbols from the books of the Jews, and the
writings of the evangelists' (37). A lengthy extract from
William A
Hails'sHails (or Hailes), William Anthony
(1766–1845)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> book is used to demonstrate the failure of Volney's
argument.
Harris 1824Harris, Thaddeus
Mason 1824. The Natural History of the Bible; or, A Description
of All the Quadrupeds, Birds, Fishes, Reptiles, and Insects, Trees, Plants,
Flowers, Gums, and Precious Stones, Mentioned in the Sacred Scriptures:
Collected from the Best Authorities, and Alphabetically Arranged, London:
T. Tegg
CloseView the register entry >>
Finlayson 1826Finlayson,
George 1826. The Mission to Siam, and Hue, the Capital of Cochin
China, in the Years 1821–2: From the Journal of the Late George
Finlayson, Esq. With a Memoir of the Author by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles,
London: J. Murray
CloseView the register entry >>
Denham
and Clapperton 1826, Denham,
Dixon and
Clapperton, Hugh 1826. Narrative
of Travels and Discoveries in Northern and Central Africa, in the Years 1822,
1823 and 1824, by Major Denham, Captain Clapperton, and the late Doctor Oudney:
Extending Across the Great Desert to the Tenth Degree of Northern Latitude, and
from Kouka in Bornou, to Sackatoo, the Capital of the Fellatah Empire, 2
vols, London: John Murray
CloseView the register entry >>Ellis 1826Ellis, William
1826. Narrative of a Tour Through Hawaii, or Owhyhee: With Remarks on the
History, Traditions, Manners, Customs, and Language of the Inhabitants of the
Sandwich Islands, London: privately published
CloseView the register entry >>
The poet moralizes on seeing a meteor, asking: 'And hast though not seen,
o'er the waste of the mind, / The meteor of Reason triumphantly glide? /
Aspiring it mounts on the wings of the wind, / Its pathway
Creation,—Presumption its guide.' Reason sheds but a 'cheerless and cold'
ray; the heart is only moved to faith by the beam which emerges from 'the
Fountain of Light'.
Chalmers 1826Chalmers,
Thomas 1826. On Cruelty to Animals: A Sermon, Preached in
Edinburgh, on the 5th of March, 1826, Glasgow: Chalmers & Collins;
Edinburgh: William Whyte & Co. and William Oliphant; Dublin: R. M. Tims and
Wm. Curry, Jun.; London: G. B. Whittaker
CloseView the register entry >>
Subjects:
Cruelty, Theology of Nature, Feeling, Physiology, Vivisection,
Anatomy, Education
Reflecting on various forms of cruelty to animals, the author observes: 'we
do not foresee, but with the perfecting of the two sciences of anatomy and
physiology, the abolition of animal experiments; but we do foresee a gradual,
and, at length, a complete abandonment of the experiments of illustration,
which are at present a thousand fold more numerous than the experiments of
humane discovery' (312). He notes that the 'atrocities' of
François MagendieMagendie, François
(1783–1855)
DSB CloseView the register entry >> 'have been
blazoned before the eye of a British public', but considers his 'cruel luxury
[...] of the intellect' to be less extensive than the 'cruel and sensual
luxury' indulged in by British gourmets (313).
Dick 1826, Dick, Thomas 1826.
The Philosophy of Religion; or, An Illustration of the Moral Laws of the
Universe, London: G. B. Whittaker; Edinburgh: Chalmers and Collins [and 2
others]; Dublin: R. M. Tims, and Wm. Curry, jun. & Co.
CloseView the register entry >>Ellis 1826, Ellis, William
1826. Narrative of a Tour Through Hawaii, or Owhyhee: With Remarks on the
History, Traditions, Manners, Customs, and Language of the Inhabitants of the
Sandwich Islands, London: privately published
CloseView the register entry >>Chalmers 1826Chalmers,
Thomas 1826. On Cruelty to Animals: A Sermon, Preached in
Edinburgh, on the 5th of March, 1826, Glasgow: Chalmers & Collins;
Edinburgh: William Whyte & Co. and William Oliphant; Dublin: R. M. Tims and
Wm. Curry, Jun.; London: G. B. Whittaker
CloseView the register entry >>
[1 Review of Philosophy of Religion, by Thomas Dick]
Subjects:
Theology of Nature, Natural Theology
The reviewer complains that
Thomas DickDick, Thomas
(1774–1857)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> does not
dwell adequately on human depravity and on the Christian doctrine of atonement.
Dick, it is claimed, 'is greatly enamoured with natural science, and censures
Christian Ministers for not introducing more frequently in their public
discourses an account of the magnitude and variety of the works of God'.
However, the reviewer denies that 'the demon of malignity can be expelled from
the human heart by arguments drawn from such topics, or by any other means than
that of the direct agency of the Holy Ghost'. (331)
[2 Review of Narrative of a Tour through Hawaii, by William
Ellis]
[3 Review of On Cruelty to Animals, by Thomas Chalmers]
Subjects:
Theology of Nature, Cruelty, Government
The reviewer applauds the law recently passed 'to protect the animal
creation from wanton cruelty'. Noting the establishment of an annual lecture in
Edinburgh on the subject, of which
Thomas
Chalmers'sChalmers, Thomas
(1780–1847)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> is the first, the reviewer expresses the hope that other
ministers in different parts of the country will take pains to 'remind the
human savage, whether vulgar or polite, scientific or ignorant,' that the
creation belongs to its divine author. (333)
Mason 1803Mason, John
Mitchell 1803. First Ripe Fruits: Being a Collection of Tracts;
to Which are Added, Two Sermons. With a Short Memoir of the Author, London:
R. Ogle; Edinburgh: Ogle and Aikman; Glasgow: M. Ogle
CloseView the register entry >>
Subjects:
Natural Theology, Reason, Religion, Ancient Authorities
Noting that 'God is the source of intellectual light', the preacher reflects
on the intellectual darkness in which the heathen are plunged. He observes of
God: 'The "heavens may declare his glory, and the firmament show forth his
handy work;" (psal. xix. 1;) but the Pagans, unaccustomed to decipher their
language, and to study their lessons, do not thence derive, in fact, just and
clear perceptions even of "his eternal power and Godhead:" far less of his
moral character' (373). The 'most celebrated heathen philosophers' were
exceedingly dubious in their knowledge of the divinity (374).
Denham
and Clapperton 1826Denham,
Dixon and
Clapperton, Hugh 1826. Narrative
of Travels and Discoveries in Northern and Central Africa, in the Years 1822,
1823 and 1824, by Major Denham, Captain Clapperton, and the late Doctor Oudney:
Extending Across the Great Desert to the Tenth Degree of Northern Latitude, and
from Kouka in Bornou, to Sackatoo, the Capital of the Fellatah Empire, 2
vols, London: John Murray
CloseView the register entry >>
Mason 1803Mason, John
Mitchell 1803. First Ripe Fruits: Being a Collection of Tracts;
to Which are Added, Two Sermons. With a Short Memoir of the Author, London:
R. Ogle; Edinburgh: Ogle and Aikman; Glasgow: M. Ogle
CloseView the register entry >>
Subjects:
Exploration, Scientific Practitioners, Religion
In the sermon
John M MasonMason, John Mitchell
(1770–1829)
WBI CloseView the register entry >>
contrasts the resoluteness of explorers with the timidity of Christians
reluctant to engage in overseas missions. He observes that the most formidable
difficulties which might be encountered in missionary work to the 'heathen' are
regularly overcome by 'carnal' explorers: 'They can visit the savage tribes,
can cross their rivers, climb their mountains, traverse their forests; can
learn their language, conform to their manners, acquire their confidence; can
patiently submit to hunger and cold, fatigue and peril:—For what? To
decorate earthly science, or to collect the dust of lucre, or the vapours of
fame' (451).
Denham
and Clapperton 1826Denham,
Dixon and
Clapperton, Hugh 1826. Narrative
of Travels and Discoveries in Northern and Central Africa, in the Years 1822,
1823 and 1824, by Major Denham, Captain Clapperton, and the late Doctor Oudney:
Extending Across the Great Desert to the Tenth Degree of Northern Latitude, and
from Kouka in Bornou, to Sackatoo, the Capital of the Fellatah Empire, 2
vols, London: John Murray
CloseView the register entry >>
The writer discusses the great importance of 'friendly intercourse' with
Sheikh Muhammed el-A al-H
KanamiKanemi, Muhammed el-Amin al-Haji, Sheikh of Bornu
(1779–1835)
WBI CloseView the register entry >> of Bornu [part of modern Nigeria], both in terms of its
benefit to 'science and research', and for reasons of commerce and philanthropy
(459).
Reflecting on the missionary notices in the
Wesleyan-Methodist
MagazineArminian Magazine
(1778–97)
Methodist Magazine
(1798–21)
Wesleyan-Methodist Magazine
(1822–1900+)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >>, the correspondent observes that many of the places
mentioned in them are not in any atlas. He continues: 'and with reference to
Africa especially, I am of opinion, with
Mr.
WilberforceWilberforce, William
(1759–1833)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>, that Missionaries will be the explorers of that quarter
of the globe'. The correspondent notes that the missionary reports provide
information about 'the true condition of the heathen nations, concerning which
we had long been misled by the falsehoods of travellers, and the
misrepresentations of men who call each other philosophers'. The reports also
frequently contain 'interesting information respecting the natural productions,
soil, and climate of different countries, as well as correct descriptions of
the manners, customs, and superstitions of the people'.
Denham
and Clapperton 1826Denham,
Dixon and
Clapperton, Hugh 1826. Narrative
of Travels and Discoveries in Northern and Central Africa, in the Years 1822,
1823 and 1824, by Major Denham, Captain Clapperton, and the late Doctor Oudney:
Extending Across the Great Desert to the Tenth Degree of Northern Latitude, and
from Kouka in Bornou, to Sackatoo, the Capital of the Fellatah Empire, 2
vols, London: John Murray
CloseView the register entry >>
Addressing the meeting on the causes of the diminution in the funds of the
society,
John W
CunninghamCunningham, John William
(1780–1861)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> declared: 'if I had the language as well as the
discerning powers of
SpurzheimSpurzheim, Johann Christoph
(1776–1832)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>, I should get a word to express
what I mean; but you shall have the best I can give it,—there is a sort
of pugnaciousness in human-nature' which maintained the level of contributions
whilever the society was under attack, but which is no longer called into
action (546).
Denham
and Clapperton 1826Denham,
Dixon and
Clapperton, Hugh 1826. Narrative
of Travels and Discoveries in Northern and Central Africa, in the Years 1822,
1823 and 1824, by Major Denham, Captain Clapperton, and the late Doctor Oudney:
Extending Across the Great Desert to the Tenth Degree of Northern Latitude, and
from Kouka in Bornou, to Sackatoo, the Capital of the Fellatah Empire, 2
vols, London: John Murray
CloseView the register entry >>
Subjects:
Exploration, Entomology
Section: Missionary Notices, Relating Principally to the Foreign Missions
Carried on Under the Direction of the Methodist Conference
Benjamin Clough relates his discussions with a Buddhist priest concerning
the geography and cosmology of the Buddhist scriptures. In the course of these
discussions, Clough 'produced some maps, a globe, a quadrant, and a compass,
and proceeded to give him as correct an outline of our geography, navigation,
&c.' as he was able 'and showed him by a variety of experiments, which he
readily understood, how we must in the nature of things understand this matter'
(558). He also pointed out that the Buddhist astronomy was erroneous. At the
end of their interview, Clough reports, the priest thanked him and begged him
to become his spiritual instructor.
Denham
and Clapperton 1826Denham,
Dixon and
Clapperton, Hugh 1826. Narrative
of Travels and Discoveries in Northern and Central Africa, in the Years 1822,
1823 and 1824, by Major Denham, Captain Clapperton, and the late Doctor Oudney:
Extending Across the Great Desert to the Tenth Degree of Northern Latitude, and
from Kouka in Bornou, to Sackatoo, the Capital of the Fellatah Empire, 2
vols, London: John Murray
CloseView the register entry >>
Subjects:
Exploration, Medical Practitioners, Education, Instruments, Astronomy,
Imperialism, Commerce
The account details
Hugh
Clapperton'sClapperton, Hugh
(1788–1827)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> visit to Sokoto, the capital of the Fulani empire [in
modern Nigeria]. Clapperton describes the 'great regret' of
Sultan Muhammad
BelloMuhammad Bello, Sultan of Sokoto
(fl. 1817–37)
CBE CloseView the register entry >> of Sokoto at the death of
Walter OudneyOudney, Walter
(1790–1824)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>,
'as he wished particularly to see an English physician, who might instruct his
people in the healing art'. Clapperton was sent for by the Sultan to give an
account of his sextant, which 'occasioned much surprise'. He exhibited a
'planisphere of the heavenly bodies', and discovered that the Sultan 'knew all
the regions of the zodiac, some of the constellations, and many of the stars,
by their Arabic names'. (598) The Sultan asked Clapperton to send him from
England some Arabic books, and a map of the world. He promised protection 'to
as many of our learned men as chose to visit his dominions', and spoke of gold
and silver deposits. Clapperton 'assured him that we were less anxious about
gold mines than the establishment of commerce, and the extension of science'.
(602–3)
The author's objective is to describe the anatomy and physiology of the
organs of vision and hearing in 'familiar and popular language', and to 'draw
out those views of the character of God, which the subject suggests'. He
observes that
William PaleyPaley, William
(1743–1805)
DSB CloseView the register entry >> has
pursued such a course with almost unequalled perspicuity, but thinks that there
are still things to be added to Paley's descriptions. Moreover, where Paley
sought to 'prove the existence of God, and to infer the character of the Divine
Being from the appearance of design observable in all his works' without the
aid of revelation, M'Allum pretends to 'no such lofty aim'. He assumes the
'unquestionable certainty of revealed truth', including the 'existence,
supremacy, and other perfections of the Godhead', and uses the structure of the
ear and eye as 'illustrations of what the great Creator is, in so far as his
character may be inferred from his works, mutilated and reft of original
excellence, as by the fall they acknowledgedly are'. (675) The introduction is
followed by a lengthy account of the human eye and of the nature of light.
Discussing the processing of the focused image on the retina, M'Allum observes:
'Whatever belongs to the connexion between matter and mind is beyond our
attainment and conception' (680).
[Rumsey] 1826, [Rumsey, James]
1826. Some Account of the Life and Character of the LateThomas Bateman, M.D.
F.L.S.: Physician to the Public Dispensary, and to the Fever Institution in
London, London : Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green
CloseView the register entry >>Parry 1826Parry, William
Edward 1826. Journal of a Third Voyage for the Discovery of a
Northwest Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific: Performed in the Years
1824–25, in His Majesty's Ships Hecla and Fury, Under the Orders of
Captain William Edward Parry, London: John Murray
CloseView the register entry >>
Publications noticed:
Ewing 1826Ewing, Thomas
1826. A System of Geography: For the Use of Schools and Private Students, on
a New and Easy Plan from the Latest and Best Authorities; Including also the
Elements of Astronomy, an Account of the Solar System, and a Variety of
Problems to be Solved by the Terrestrial and Celestial Globes, 7th edn,
Edinburgh: Oliver and Boyd
CloseView the register entry >>
[1 Review of Some Account of the Life and Character of the late Thomas
Bateman]
Subjects:
Medical Practitioners, Authorship, Religion, Materialism, Scientific
Practitioners, Education
Denham
and Clapperton 1826Denham,
Dixon and
Clapperton, Hugh 1826. Narrative
of Travels and Discoveries in Northern and Central Africa, in the Years 1822,
1823 and 1824, by Major Denham, Captain Clapperton, and the late Doctor Oudney:
Extending Across the Great Desert to the Tenth Degree of Northern Latitude, and
from Kouka in Bornou, to Sackatoo, the Capital of the Fellatah Empire, 2
vols, London: John Murray
CloseView the register entry >>
When he was apprenticed to a grocer in Darlington, George Newton's father
allowed him only five shillings a year for pocket money. The biographer
reports: 'Though the sum was but small, it enabled him to procure a few useful
books; and his leisure hours were employed in the study of Mechanics,
Geography, and Astronomy. With much ingenuity he constructed a terrestrial
globe, and a sun-dial, which were both very correct'. The writer contrasts this
behaviour with the 'depraved connexions' and 'expensive habits' often acquired
by those children 'indulged with a liberal allowance of money during this
period' (727). As an adult, 'he gratified his love of reading by procuring a
choice collection of books on science and divinity', and he 'took a pleasure in
imparting information to those who desired it' (732).
The writer begins with a discussion of the nature of sound, followed by an
account of the anatomy of the human ear. The article concludes with a section
headed 'The Argument', in which four numbered arguments are given. The first
argument is that 'He that formed the eye and planted the ear must be a Being of
infinite Power'. M'Allum contrasts divine power and ingenuity with that of
human artists, reporting that the discovery of the telescope was a matter of
the 'merest accident'. He observes that the communication between the organs of
sight and hearing and the immaterial mind operates in a fashion which 'laughs
at human wisdom to discover'. How it is done, 'we may not ask; for who can
follow the Creator into his inner sanctuary'? The second argument is for divine
wisdom. M'Allum considers that both the comprehensible mechanism of hearing and
seeing, and those aspects 'where Science blushed that she could tell no more',
should leave the reader acknowledging this. (749) The disparity of human and
divine art is again emphasised. The third argument is for divine goodness.
Drawing on an extensive quotation from
William Paley'sPaley, William
(1743–1805)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>Natural TheologyPaley, William
1802. Natural Theology; or, Evidences of the Existence and Attributes of the
Deity: Collected from the Appearances of Nature, [London]: R.
Faulder
CloseView the register entry >>,
M'Allum seconds the view that the pleasure humans derive from their senses of
sight and hearing is an argument for divine goodness. The final
argument—for the 'Incomprehensibility of the Deity'—is based on the
incomprehensibility of the process by which images on the retina 'inform the
immaterial man, the spiritual intelligence, of the colour, the size, the
figure, and the position of things innumerable in heaven above, and in earth
beneath' (751). M'Allum uses this case to illustrate the 'folly of incredulity
in man, when the incomprehensibility of truth is the pretence for rejecting
it', observing that 'the mysteries of Nature are as profound as the mysteries
of Revelation' (752).
Daubeny 1826, Daubeny, Charles
Giles Bridle 1826. A Description of Active and Extinct Volcanos:
With Remarks on their Origin, their Chemical Phaenomena, and the Character of
their Products, as Determined by the Condition of the Earth During the Period
of their Formation; Being the Substance of Some Lectures, Delivered Before the
University of Oxford, with Much Additional Matter, London: W.
Phillips
CloseView the register entry >>Prichard 1826Prichard, James
Cowles 1826. Researches into the Physical History of Mankind,
2nd edn, 2 vols, London: J. and A. Arch
CloseView the register entry >>
Subjects:
Vulcanology, Chemistry | Ethnology
Section: Missionary Notices, Relating Principally to the Foreign Missions
Carried on Under the Direction of the Methodist Conference
James Stack's missionary journal reports an encounter with a Maori chief:
'Telling them the absurdity of supposing the left eye became a star after
death, and being assisted by our boys to make known to them how very different
our ideas were in reference to the heavenly bodies, a young man of rather
superior appearance, said in way of ridicule, "What, have they been up to them
to see what they are?" (848).