HISTORY OF THE ATOMIC THEORY. 15 



vision. Of mirrors and imaii^es reflected from them. Of re- 

 fracted vision, with the nature of lenses and images exhibited 

 thereby. Of burning glasses. Description of the eye. 

 Manner of vision. Of long and short sighted eyes. Of 

 spectacles, telescopes, & microscopes. Of the rainbow. 

 Sixth & Seventh. Pneumatics. 



Of the atmosphere. The elasticity of the air. Descrip- 

 tion of the air pump. The spring and weight of the air 

 proved by a great variety of experiments on the air pump. 

 Of respiration. Of sound. Of winds. Of the blueness of 

 the sky. Of twilight. 



Eighth, Ninth, & Tenth. Astronomy. 



Introduction. Of the solar system. Of the figures, mag- 

 nitudes, distances, motion, &c. of the sun, planets, and 

 comets. Of the progressive motion of light. Of the fixed 

 stars and their phenomena. Of the lunar planets. Of 

 eclipses, tides, &c. 



Eleventh & Twelfth. Use of the Globes. 



Figure of the Earth. Description of the globes. Various 

 problems performed thereon, amongst which are, an explana- 

 tion of the phenomena of the harvest-moon and the variations 

 of the seasons. Conclusion. 



* Ex rerum causis supremam noscere causam.' " 



Miss Johns, whose diary will be spoken of below, tells us 

 that this very syllabus and one for 1792 came accidentally in 

 his way in after life when he was looking over some old 

 letters, having been detained in the house by a cold. He 

 burst out into a loud laugh. 



The accounts given of the Daltons as teachers lead us to 

 believe them to have kept up the old system of great stern- 

 ness and formality, although John's character seems to have 

 been the milder of the two. Even during school hours he 

 was much occupied with mathematics and making calcula- 

 tions at all spare moments on bits of paper that came in 



