284 Mr. Tomlinson on the Theory of [Oct. 



intention to consider; and, as I am not aware that it has 

 yet appeared in any English dress, except the short epitome 

 of it given by the Editor in the last Number, and taken 

 from a subsequent paper of the Berlin Professor, I have 

 inserted it above, in a somewhat abridged form, retaining, 

 nevertheless, M. Plateau's own language ; and I have taken 

 the liberty to number, in square brackets, the paragraphs 

 of his paper, for the sake of convenient reference ; and, as 

 this paper will form the subject of several papers of my 

 own, as also of one by my friend Mr. George Dodd, I thought 

 it important to insert the preceding paper as our text, and, 

 whenever we employ a figure enclosed by square brackets, 

 we must be understood to refer to a corresponding para- 

 graph in M. Plateau's paper, the references to subsequent 

 parts of our own papers being indicated in the usual manner, 

 by circular brackets. 



2. There cannot, I think, be much hesitation in conclud- 

 ing with M. Plateau [1.] that the generally admitted theory 

 of accidental colours is unsatisfactory ; but, in rejecting 

 this theory, he has not, as I shall endeavour to shew, 

 offered a better. It is true that his theory is simple, but it 

 is also unsatisfactory, and my objections may, perhaps, be 

 included in this one, namely, that accidental and comple- 

 mentary colours can and ought to be seen together with the 

 primitive or fundamental colour ; or, to use his own words, 

 with the direct impression. Still, as any speculations 

 coming from so ingenious a philosopher as M. Plateau 

 ought not to be rejected, except on good and sufficient 

 ground, I have had no hesitation to offer for insertion in 

 this Journal a translation of every important part of his 

 paper, and shall, to the best of my ability, consider the 

 various conclusions he has drawn from his experiments ; 

 always premising that, as my object in following Nature is 

 to admire not less her beauty than her truth, I am sure 

 that M. Plateau is too excellent a philosopher not to pardon 

 me if I should endeavour to shew that he, in the pursuit of 

 Truth, has encountered the encouraging smile of Fancy. 

 It is also important that this theory should be carefully 

 examined, because, M. Plateau states that, upon it depends 

 a number of subsequent results obtained by him on the 



