189 
Ordinary Meeting, February 20th, 1877. 
Rev. William Gaskell, M.A., in the Chair. 
‘‘Note on a Curious Allusion of a Writer of the 17th 
Century to a supposed Property of the Magnetic Needle, 
since verified in the Invention of Telegraphy,” by Haeey 
Geimshaw, F.C.S. 
Some little time ago my friend, the Rev. G. W. Reynolds, 
M.A., of Cheetham Hill, directed my attention to a para- 
graph in an old volume in his possession of some 250 years 
of age, which struck me as a peculiarly interesting one ; so 
much so in fact, that I have taken the IdDerty of bringing 
it before the notice of this Society. 
The work in question is entitled, “ An Apologie of the 
Power and Providence of God in the Government of the 
World, or An Examination and Censure of the Common 
Error touching Nature’s perpetual and Universal Decay, 
Divided into Four Books.” The author is one “G. H.,” D.D. 
(Doctor of Divinity), and the work is printed at Oxford by 
John Litchfield and William Turner, “Printers to the 
famous University.” Anno Domini 1627, being therefore 
exactly 250 years old. 
The third book of the four into which the work is divided 
treats of “ The pretended decay of mankind in regard and 
duration, of strength and stature, of arts and wits.” The 
tenth chapter of this third book is said to be “Touching 
diverse artificial! workes and usefull inventions, at leastwise 
matchable with those of the ancients, namely and chiefly 
the invention of Printing, Gunnes, and the Sea-Card or 
Mariners Compasse.” This tenth chapter again, for such is 
Proceedings — Lit. & Phil. Soc. — Vol. XVI. — No. 9. — Session 1876*7. 
