BEYIEWS — MATHEMATICAL AND PHYSICAL SCIENCE. 875 



impressed upon the character of scientific discoveries of the last hundred years a 

 peculiar stamp which it would have been absurd to ignore -while endeavoring, 

 within a moderate compass, and in the plainest language, to convey a vivid though 

 comprehensive sketch of the advancement of natural philosophy during this and 

 the preceding, or, rather, two preceding generations. 



It is not to be imagined that the difficulty of the problems which occupy the 

 speculative philosopher, or the comprehensiveness of mind required for their 

 solution, diminishes in any degree as we descend from the regions of pure science 

 to the walks of every-day life — from the vast periods and majestic motions which 

 astronomy enables us to explain and predict, to the common details of the work- 

 shop and the railway. In fact, the former are to be regarded as the simpler 

 investigations, whilst our terrestrial agents have their effects modified by the 

 diversified states of aggregation and various mechanical properties of matter, and 

 by the numerous modifications of force arising from heat, electricity, or magnet- 

 ism, to which it may be exposed. We have as yet made an insignificant advance 

 towards that completer system of natural philosophy of which Newton's will form 

 but one section, in which all the properties of matter and their consequences 

 shall be as well understood as the particular property of gravity is at present. 

 Many of these are to be learned by daily observation of the effects which occur 

 in the ordinary progress of civilisation amongst us. We are continually perform- 

 ing experiments on a great scale and on purely commercial principles, which no 

 individual philosopher or merely scientific society could have ventured to attempt. 

 And in the midst of these appeals to experience, unexpected results are frequent- 

 ly occurring which send us back once more to the study of first principles, which, 

 indeed, while they confound the empiric, do but establish the reputation of the 

 philosophic engineer, who seldom fails to turn them to good account, both in his 

 theory and practice. 



We have already expressed our opinion of the manner in which 

 Professor Forbes has performed his task, and so much pleasure have 

 we derived from this performance that we almost feel convicted of 

 ingratitude when the suggestion rises, that our author, in his selection 

 of names for biographical record, has not been quite free from a spice 

 of nativism, or (shall we say ?) of that local partiality from which the 

 modern Athens is no more exempt than was the ancient. Certainly, 

 we think the space devoted to one or two individuals might have been 

 curtailed without injury to the work. This, however, is but a small 

 matter, and does not affect its sterling value. To give any abstract or 

 condensation of the subject does not seem feasible within our limits, 

 and we prefer that our readers should take our word that this disserta- 

 tion is alike essential to the historical student and to him who wishes 

 to take in at one view the many featured image of modern science. If 

 we were to single out particular portions for praise, we should select 

 the biography of Laplace, the history of the discovery of Neptune, 

 the wonderfully curious establishment of the undulatory theory of 

 light by Young and Fresnel, and the gloAving descriptions of the dis- 



