Notices respecting New Books. 373 



had the honour to be selected to give evidence of its utility and 

 fipconomy before Ijotli houses of parliament. It is with peculiar sa- 

 tisfaction, therefore, that we find him coming before the public as 

 the author of a popular treatise on this new branch of domestic 

 ceconomv, convinced as we are that few could be found better 

 qualified for the task. 



The more immediate object of Mr. Accun;i's treatise is to de- 

 scribe tiie apparatus now so successfully employed for manufac- 

 turing coal-gas in the large way, and to point out the mean 

 adopted for carrying this new mode of illumination into effect, 

 for illuminating streets, houses, and manufactories. 



The work is divided into two parts : the first part is in some 

 measure preliminarj', and independent of the second. The for- 

 mer embraces a concise and pojralar view of the general theory 

 and production of artificial light — the illuminating powers cf 

 candles, lamps, and gas lights of different kinds, with regard to 

 the quantity of combustible material consumed ; the mode of 

 measuring the intensities of light obtained from different com- 

 bustible bodies, so as to ascertain their value; together with such 

 other facts and observations as the author deemed ^necessary to 

 clear the road, and enable those who are not familiar with che- 

 mistry fully to understand tlie nature of the gas-light iHumina- 

 tion. 



This is succeeded by a chemical view of the general nature cf 

 coal — the chemical changes which this substance undergoes 

 v.-hen employed in the production of gas-light — the different pro- 

 ducts it furnishes — the operations necessary for obtaining them 

 — their quantities and applications in the various arts of life — 

 together with an historical sketch of the rise and progress of th2 

 gas-light illumination. 



The second part of the treatise, and by far the most copioiw, 

 is dedicated to the summary details of the new an of illumina- 

 tion. We there find the data for calculating the expense tha: 

 must attend the application of this new species of light, under 

 different circumstances, when compared with the lights now in 

 use — the obvious effects which the discovery of lighting with coal 

 gas must inevitably produce upon the arts and upon domestic 

 oeconcmy — its primary advantages — its ulterior promises — its h- 

 inits — and the resources it presents to industry and public oeconc- 

 my. The author has candidly shown how far tiie gas-light ap- 

 f)lication is safe, and in what respect it is entitled to the public 

 .-4)probation and national encouragement. 



Our lituits will not allow us to speak in detail of the jnerits of 



this work : the ebilitios of the author have been long known as 



a j>hilosoph:cr.l and practical chem>:. In the p:''^::it work he 



A a 3 ' ^^-3 



