12 ESSAYS AND OBSERVATIONS 



Art. IV. 



Ohjervations on Light and Colours \ by 

 Thomas Melvii^ M. A. * 



SECT. I. 



On fh? Mutual Penetration of Light. 



i, y^NE of the firftand greateft difficulties 



V^ that occurs in reflediing on this fub- 



jedt, is, to conceive how it is poflible that 



light 



* Read January 3. and February 7. 1 75 2. 



Had the ingenious Author of this paper (who died De- 

 cember 1753, at the age of 27) lived to put the finiftiing hand 

 to it, he would, probably, have added many things, and 

 perhaps relrenched fome others, by which it would have 

 been rendered ftill more deferving of the approbation of the 

 public. Mr. Melvill ufed to obferve, that as, of all Sir 

 Jfaac Nenvtons difcoveries, thofe relating to light and colours 

 were perhaps the moft curious ; it was fomewhat remark- 

 able, that few, if any, of his followers had gone one ftep 

 beyqnd him on thefe fabjedts, or attempted to compleat 

 what he had left unfinillied. Our Author, therefore, pro- 

 pofed to have applied himfelf particularly to the further il- 

 luftration of the theory of light and colours. The follow- 

 ing effay is a fpecimen of what might have been expedled 

 from him, and fufficiently (hews the uncommon genius of 

 Its Author. 



