A manual of scientific enquiry : prepared for the use of officers in Her Majesty's Navy ; and travellers in general / originally edited by Sir John F.W. Herschel.

Date:
1859
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A manual of scientific enquiry : prepared for the use of officers in Her Majesty's Navy ; and travellers in general / originally edited by Sir John F.W. Herschel. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    The second edition of the Admiralty Scientific Manual, which was published in 1851, being out of print, I was re- quested to undertake the superintendence of a new edition of the work. In undertaking this, I have been anxious to render the separate articles composing it proper represen- tatives of the respective sciences of which they treat; and my first care, therefore, was to refer them to their original authors for revision, in all cases in which reference to them was practicable, and in all other cases to request the aid of the learned societies devoted to subjects treated of by authors unhappily removed by death since the publication of the second edition. I have to express my grateful thanks for the readiness with which my requests have been attended to in every instance; and the consequence is, that the book has re- ceived a thorough revision by gentlemen best versed in the various subjects treated of, and may therefore be fairly considered to form an excellent guide to scientific inquiries of every class. In particular, the articles, Terrestrial Mag- netism, Earthquake Phenomena, and Botany, have been in a great measure re-written for this edition: the first by General Sabine, assisted by Mr. Welsh,* Director of the Kew * Since this was written intelligence has been received of the death of Mr. Welsh, after a long and painful illness. Science has sustained a severe loss in the removal of this gentleman at so early an age from labours which have been already eminently useful.