"Go, little book, from this my solitude; I cast thee on the waters; go thy ways; And if, as I believe, thy vein be good, The world shall find thee after many days." CONTENTS. FIRST PRINCIPLES-of knowledge founded on sense-fault in other prin- ciples and the utter separation of metaphysics from physics,—its conse- ON THE MATERIALITY OF FIRE-against the mechanical hypothesis- ON LIGHT-its identity in substance with that of fire. ON ELECTRICITY-do.-galvanism. ON MAGNETISM-do.-its identity with electricity. ON MAGNETIC POLARITY-its cause. ON COMBUSTION-its nature and cause. PAGE 42 46 ON COHESION-its cause, with that of gravitation, and all other physical 52 ON COLOURS-their nature-fallacy of the Newtonian theory. 56 35 ON THE PLANETARY MOTIONs-as caused by electric power, rather than in the Newtonian way. ON ANIMATED NATURE-principle of life inferior to soul-animal heat. ON MATTER AND MOTION-active and passive-second, physical causes PRESENT STATE OF MENTAL PHILOSOPHY-prevailing systems-skepti- THE ANCIENT AND POPULAR PNEUMATOLOGY-the same in all ages and countries by the greneral consent of mankind-ancient Philosophy -the primitive church-scripture-the people, in all parts of the N. B.-Page 1, for so enveloped,' read more enveloped,' i. e. artificially. Page 5, for in,' read, 'is.' Page 9, for all other substances,' read, all material substances.' In respect to magnetic polarity, the phenomena of the dipping needle may not disconcert our theory, as a diversity of temperature, constituting different degrees of electricity or magnetism, may in a sense be extended into the earth as well as over its surface, the interior of the earth under the torrid zone being cooler than the surface, and under the frigid zones, oftentimes much warmer, or in either case to a degree corresponding to the dip of the needle. Pages 88 and 89, for 'origin of motion,' read mechanical motion,' i. e. which is inferior to that caused by spirit, established at creation, and supervised by a general Providence. In the article on Animated Nature, let not the agency of fire encroach too much on that of a higher principle, as too inadvertently intimated from a too great regard at the time to Newton's hypothetical spirit or ether. Fire and animal heat may, indeed, concur in some measure to the production of motion in obedience to the will by preparing the body thereto in rendering it more flexile and susceptible of action; yet the soul must be considered as the principal and immediate cause. Electrical agency may not be at all discoverable in the natural motion of animals. The manner, in which the soul is united to the body and immediately productive of its motions, is indeed, mysterious, yet if we consider it as co-extended with the body, subsisting chiefly in the brain and nerves, and possessed of a certain inherent power of dilatation, contraction, or other motion simultaneous with will, and sufficient to produce a corresponding motion in the body, the mystery is in some degree lessened. The nature of the soul may also have something to do in the production of animal heat, judging from what is often produced by mere passion, as in a flush of shame, anger, or surprise; especially, if as anciently supposed, there be a certain igneous quality in the nature of spirit. Nor even from plants may every other principle of life be excluded but what consists in mere matter. In respect, moreover, to the tides, let not the moon be cast too far into the background. We find on further consideration, that she may be of special use in raising a tide during the sun's absence, the second tide in the course of twentyfive hours, and after the sun's repulsion has passed along with him over the sea; then that of the comparatively stationary moon may follow after; since we can hardly suppose, that the sea is so elastic as to arise from a mere rebound. It is the electric repulsion of the sun and moon combined and acting successively, that may produce the tides. Page 89 silent, motionless,' omit. And for the pronoun '1,' in sundry places out of quotations, read we;' and for such phraseology, as, 'I think,' read perhaps ; it is a Cartesianism, which the author inadvertently fell into, and although somewhat more certainty might possibly be attached to the phrase in certain places, yet, according to general use and consent, by no means the fundamental importance of a first principle. Some of these imperficiences may be the more pardonable, as this part of the work was written some years since, while a Senior-sophister, after the German custom. (A Treatise on the Nature and Effects of Light, Heat, Electricity, and Magnetism, &c. 1827.) The other parts, being more the result of professional study, are perhaps of more worth. |