54 



ON THE GENERAL DIFFUSION OF KNOWLEDGE. 



pended in the sky.* By the help of the micros 

 cope \*e can exhibit to a number of spectators at 

 the same moment, a small animal scarcely distin 

 guishable by the naked eye, magnified to the size 

 of ten or fifteen inches in length, and distinguish 

 not only its limbs, joints, mouth and eyes, but 

 even the motions of its bowels, and other inter 

 nal movements ; and in every department of na 

 ture can contemplate an assemblage of beauties, 

 delicate contextures, and exquisite contrivances, 

 which excite the highest admiration, and which 

 would otherwise have appeared incredible and 

 incomprehensible to the human mind. 



The sciences of electricity and galvanism like 

 wise display facts both curious and astonishing. 

 How wonderful the operations of the electric 

 fluid, which can suddenly contract the muscles 

 of animals, and give a violent shock to a hundred 

 or a thousand persons at the same moment 

 which moves with such amazing rapidity, that, 

 in a few seconds of time, it might be made to fly 

 to the remotest regions of the globe which 

 melts iron wire, sets fire to gunpowder and other 

 inflammable substances, destroys the polarity of 



This is effected by means of the &quot; aerial reflect 

 ing telescope,&quot; lately invented by the author. The 

 following is a general representation of this teles 

 cope in profile. - 



AB is a tube 01 mahogany about three inches long, 

 which serves as a socket for holding the speculum ; 

 CD an arm attached to the tube, about the length of 

 the focal distance of the mirror, consisting of two 

 separate pieces C and D. the latter of which slides 

 under the former, through the brass sockets EF. 

 To the under part of the socket F is attached a brass 

 nut wi .h a female screw, in which the male screw 

 ab acts by applying the hand to the nob c, which 

 erves for adjusting the instrument to distinct vi- 





the magnetic needle, and promotes the vegeta 

 tion of plants and the perspiration of animals 

 which can be drawn in vivid sparks from differ 

 ent parts of the human body, and made to de 

 scend from the clouds ^in streams of fire ! And 

 how powerful and astonishing the effects of the 

 galvanic agency which makes charcoal burn 

 with a brilliant white flame, decomposes water 

 into its elementary parts, and causes platina, the 

 hardest and heaviest of the metals, to melt as 

 readily as wax in the flame of a candle which 

 produces the most violent convulsions on the 

 muscular system, causes a hare to move its feet, 

 and a fowl to clap its wings, with force and 

 energy, after life is extinct throws the counte 

 nance, even of a dead man, into appalling gri 

 maces and contortions, and excites the most rapid 

 movements in his hands and limbs, to the horror 

 and astonishment of all beholders ! 



The science of chymistry, throughout all its 

 departments, is no less replete with wonders. 

 How astonishing are many of the facts which it 

 discloses, of which the following arc merely spe 

 cimens ! That all the productions of nature iii 



sion. G is the brass tube which receives the ej-e- 

 pieces. In looking through this telescope, the right 

 eye is applied at the point H, the back is directly to 

 wards the object, and the observer s head is under 

 stood to be uncovered. When a diagonal eye-piece 

 is applied, the object may be seen either to the right 

 or to the left, or at right angles to its true position ; 

 or, it may be made to appear either upwards, as if 

 hanging in the air, or downwards, as if below the 

 surface of the earth. A particular description of 

 this instrument may be seen in &quot;The Edinburgh 

 New Philosophical Journal&quot; for July 1826, pp. 41 

 52. and in the &quot; London Encyclopedia.&quot; Art. Ta- 

 Itscope. 



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