General Science. 193 



IV. GENERAL SCIENCE. 



25. Rumford Medals Adjudged. — The Royal Society of London has ad- 

 judged the medals on Count Rumford's donation to M. Fresnel, for his 

 application of the theory of undulations to the polarisation of light. . 



26. Dr Brewster's System of Popular and Practical Science. — The object 

 of this publiraition is to furnish the educated classes, but particularly the 

 young of both sexes, with a series of popular works on the various branch- 

 es of science, brought down to the humblest capacities, and yet capable of 

 imparting scientific knowledge to the best informed ranks of society. A 

 series of such works has long been a desideratum among Parents and 

 Teachers of Youth, and the want of them among the middle and upper 

 classes of society is more deeply felt at the present time, when general know- 

 ledge is so eagerly sought for, and when the press is teeming with produc- 

 tions pretending to be books of popular and practical science, but which, 

 with the exception of the Library of Useful Knowledge, and the admirable 

 works of Miss Edgeworth, Mrs Marcet, and some others, are compilations 

 of incorrect statements and exploded opinions. 



There is not a more common error than to suppose that works of science 

 must be easily understood, because they contain no mathematical reason- 

 ing, or because they are confined to those portions of science which are 

 usually explained by popular writers. The plainest subject is often made 

 inaccessible by the language and the manner in which it is treated ; while 

 on the other hand, by a perspicuous style and suitable methods of illus- 

 tration many abstract branches of knowledge may be rendered plain to 

 persons of very moderate capacities. 



In order to write a work truly popular, the author must have experien- 

 ced the difficulties of communicating scientific instruction, and must have 

 practised the methods by which these difficulties can be overcome. He 

 must be familiar with the details of the science of which he treats ;— with 

 its relations to kindred branches of knowledge ; and with its applications 

 to the various purposes of domestic and civil life. In some of these re- 

 spects, particularly from his experience in drawing up most of the copious 

 scientific Treatises for the Edinburgh Encyclopedia j the author conceives 

 that he is in some measure qualified for the present work ; and he has no 

 scruple in stating his opinion, that many departments of science, which 

 have been hitherto deemed beyond the reach of ordinary capacities, may 

 be made perfectly clear and intelligible. 



Th»ugh this work is one of very humble pretensions, the author is not 

 disposed to undervalue the credit of executing it with success. Next to 

 the merit of original discovery, and perhaps superior to it, is that of laying 

 open to thousands of our species fields of knowledge from which they have 

 been previously shut out by the intellectual thorns with which they are 

 beset. 



In entering upon this undertaking, the author is deeply sensible, that 

 while the first purpose of all knowledge is to make us wiser, its main and 

 ultimate object is to make us better. Under this conviction he will not 



VOL. VII. NO. I. JULY 1827. N 



