76 Mathematics. [Chap. VI. 



and many subtleties and refmements suggested by 

 the mathematicians of the preceding age, but not 

 sufficiently* developed by them, have been clearly 

 and satisfactorily unfolded. 



It is also worthy of notice, that in addition to 

 all the improvements which have taken place in 

 mathematical science, as such, it has been applied 

 to many objects, during the last age, to the illus- 

 tration and accomplishment of which it had never 

 before been directed. A great number of difficult 

 and very interesting problems in astronomy have 

 been resolved by the Analytic Method, first applied 

 to this subject by Euler. His calculations, by 

 this method, of the perturbations of the earth's 

 orbit, and of the theory of the moon, may be re- 

 garded as models of simplicity and beauty. The 

 .same illustrious mathematician also first intro- 

 duced analysis into the doctrines of the motion of 

 fluids ; and by this means threw great light on 

 the principles and laws of hydraulics. Mr. iEpinus, 

 of Petersburg, before mentioned, has made an in- 

 genious attempt to reduce the mysterious pheno- 

 mena of Electricity and Alagnetism to the regula- 

 rity of algebraical calculation. M. de Lisle, of 

 France, has endeavoured, with no small degree of 

 success, to form a new system of Mineralogical 

 Characters, on the principles of geometry; and 

 M. Ilauy, of the same country, has given a very 

 elaborate and plausible system of doctrines on 

 Crystallisation, which all proceed upon fixed ma- 

 thematical rules. 



To this chapter belongs some notice of the at- 

 tempts which were made, during the period under 



