156 iiEPORT— 1873. 



Napier. Mirifid logarithmorum canonis construetio ; Et eorum ad natu- 

 ralcs ipsorum numeros habitudines ; una cum Appcndice, de alia eaque 

 prtestaniiore Logarithmorum specie condenda. Quibus accessere Proposi- 

 tiones ad triangula sphaerica faciliore calculo resolvcnda : Una cum Anno- 

 tationibus aliquot doctissimi D. Henrici Enggii, in eas & memoratam appen- 

 dicem. Authorc & Inventore loanne Nepcro, I3arone Merchistonii, &c. 

 Scoto. [Tj'pograijhical ornament, a thistle.] Edinburgi, Excudebat Andreas 

 Hart. Anno Domini 1619. 4to (prefoce 2 pp. and text 67 pp.). § 3, art. 17. 



[The above is a transcript of the titlepage of the ' Construetio;' but in the only 

 copy of this work that we have seen it is immediately preceded by an ornamental 

 titlepage, which, as far as the ornamentation is concerned, is a facsimile ol that 

 of the ' Descriptio,' 1614. The letterpress, however, is very difi'erent, and runs, 

 " Mirifici logarithmorum canonis descriptio, Ejusque usus, in utraque Tri- 

 gonometria ; ut etiam in omni Logistica Mathematica, amplissimi, facillimi, 

 (it expeditissimi explicatio. Accesserunt opera posthnma : Primo, Mirifici 

 ipsius canonis construetio, &■ Logarithmorum ad naturales ipsorum numeros 

 habitudines. Secundo, Aj^pendix de alia, eaque praistantioro Logarithmorum 

 specie construenda. Tcrtio, Propositiones quajdam eminentissima), ad Tri- 

 angula sphterica mirii facilitate resolvenda. Autore ac Inventore loanne 

 Nepcro, Baroue Merchistonii, &c. Scoto. Edinburgi, Excudebat Andreas 

 Hart. Anno 1619." This would imply that the ' Descriptio' and ' Construetio' 

 were issiied together in 1619 ; and whether this was so or not, it shows that 

 such was intended. Some writers speak of a rei>rint of tlie ' Descriptio ' in 

 1619 ; but this title may be all their authority, as few of those who have 

 written on the subject seem to have looked beyond the titlepages of the 

 works they were noticing. On the other hand, of course, the 'Descriptio' may 

 have been torn out from the copy before us. The ' Construetio' is a much 

 rarer work than the ' Descriptio ;' we have seen half a dozen copies of the 

 latter and but one of the former (Camb. Univ. Lib.). In any case, as 

 the leading words of the title of the ' Construetio' (on the first titlepage) are 

 " Mirifici logarithmorum canonis descriptio," it could only be distinguished 

 from the ' Descriptio' in most library catalogues by the date 1619. We have 

 thought it worth while, since the description in § 3, art. 17 (p. 73), was 

 printed, to add the first title of the work containing the ' Construetio,' and to 

 point out the uncertainty relating to the reprint of the ' Descriptio,' in hopes 

 that some one may settle the matter. The 1619 edition of the 'Descriptio' 

 (supposing there to have been one of this date) is the only book of importance 

 relating to the early spread of logarithms of which we have seen no copy ; 

 and the question of its publication is almost the only point of bibliography, 

 in reference to the tables of this time, that we are obliged to leave iiudeeided 

 for the present.] 



Neper, Nepair, or Nepper. See Napier. 



Newton, John. Trigonometria Britanica (sic) : or, the doctrine of tri- 

 angles. In Two Books. . . . The one Composed, the other Translated, from 

 the Latine Copie written by Henry Gellibrand, ... A table of logarithms 

 to 1 00.000, thereto annexed, AVith the Artificial Sines and Tangents, to the 

 hundred part of every Degree ; and the three first Degrees to a thovisand 

 parts. By John Newton . . . London : MDCLVIII. fol. (Dedication and 

 preface 6 pp., trigonometry 96 pp. ; tables unpaged.) § 4. 



NoEiE, J. AV. A complete set of Nautical Tables containing all that are 

 requisite . . . Eighth (stereotype) edition. Loudon, 1836. 8vo (360 pp. of 

 tables). § 4. 



NoraE, J. AV. A complete epitome of Practical Navigation , . . Thirteenth 



