CE OO —<-—- —, 
[ 329°] 
LI. Letter from Tuomas Kerrn, Esq. Secretary. to the 
Master of His Majesty’s Household, &&c., respecting Mr. 
Bownycastix’s Treatise on Plane and Spherical Trigo- 
nometry: 
| : To Mr. Tilloch. 
SIR, 4 
I BEG leaye to correct some erroneous statements in your 
valuable Magazine for November 1806, article xxx. p- 176, 
‘&c., respecting Mr. Bonnycastle’s Treatise on Plane and 
Spherical Trigonometry, lately published ; not doubting, from 
that attention to impartiality which I have bad frequent op- 
portunities of observing in your work, that you will do me 
the justice to insert my remarks. 
_ It is not my intention, sir, to follow the writer of this 
article step by step in his observations on Mr. Bonnycastle’s 
book, nor im the smallest degree to doubt the rectitude of bis 
intentions when he Says, ‘f we are conscious that in recom- 
mending this treatise to general favour, we are equally dis- 
charging an act of justice to the author, and of service to 
the public.” My remarks-will therefore be as short as pos- 
sible. 
The plane trigonometry, we are told, contains * a great 
variety of practical examples ;” and the spherical is applied 
* to the solution of: astronomical problems,”’ and. contains 
“‘ tables of right ascension, &c. useful in the preceding so- 
lutions ;” to which he adds, « This part of the work cannot 
fail to be of the highest utility.’ In another place, (speak- 
ing of a part of the work, the merit of which [ am not in- 
clined to dispute, as it concerns not.myself,) ** This part of 
the work alone is sufficient to stamp its value, did not every 
other part lear evident traces of the same hand.’ This is 
an assertion, sir, which could not possibly have been made 
had the writer seen my treatise on the same subject, pub- 
situations. Consequently, the result of any experiments made in such a spot, 
is not to be considered as applicable to the general practice of agriculture and 
planting on a large and common scale of cultivation. | With the necessary 
allowances which the local advantage above mentioned suggests, the conse- 
quences drawn by this gentleman may still be of importance for the consi- 
deration of our practical readers.—Editor of the Letters and Papers. - 
lished 
