Notices vexpectiug new Books. 291 



by Mr. Herapath ; neither have I any reason to believp, that 

 my attempt to rotate either the Galvanic Sphere, or the Mag- 

 net on its axis by the influence of tvv^o electric currents, could 

 have proved successful, had I entertained the views of the 

 |«"jnciples of electro-magnetism which he appears to hold." 



L. Notices respecting New Books. 



An Explanatoiy Dictionary of the Apparatus and Instruments 

 employed in the various Operations of Philosophical and Ex- 

 perimental Chemistry. With 1 7 Qiiarto Copj^er Plates. By 

 a Practical Chemist. London, 1824. 8vo, 



THIS is the first work of the kind that has yet appeared, 

 and as such is pei'liaps as complete as could have been ex- 

 pected. It includes descriptions of some obsolete and nearly 

 useless apparatus, and omits a few others which are important ; 

 but on the whole is calculated to be a very useful laboratory 

 companion. The plates are very good. We hope soon to see 

 a second edition ; when we doubt not the author will take the 

 opportunity of rendering his work more complete, and thereby 

 still more acceptable than at present to students who desire to 

 become " practical chemists," 



A Popular Explanation of the Elements and Ge7ieral Laws of 



Chemistry. By Walter Weldon. London, 1825. 8vo. 



This work, we are informed in the preface, is intended to 

 present a general view of the laws and principal ph^enomena 

 of chemistry, for the use of " the laborious mechanic, the ama- 

 teur, and the female reader," who, in their study of chemistry 

 (having other professions to pursue or other avocations to fol- 

 low), are unable, or unwilling, to spend much time and labour 

 in the acquisition of a general knowledge of the science, to them, 

 for the most part, more ornamental or amusing than useful. 



For this purpose Mr. Weldon has included in his work 

 such a detail of facts, he states, as is sufficient to exemplify 

 and explain the principles of the science, using the most ex- 

 plicit and popular terms, avoiding mathematical, and, as far as 

 possible, complex arithmetical calculations, and controversial 

 points. 



The work is altogether a conipilation, and contains no ori- 

 ginal views that recjuire notice. We do not find in it any ex- 

 planations of chemical pha^nomena that are particularly lumi- 

 nous ; but, on the other hand, we have not met with any se- 

 rious errors : we think the work may be useful to those foi: 

 whose perusal it is intcndetl. 



C) o 2 Lunar 



