Curiosities of Science, Past and Present / A Book for Old and Young - John Timbs

GENERAL INDEX

Abodes of the Blest, [58].
Acarus of Crosse and Weeks, [218].
Accuracy of Chinese Observers, [159].
Adamant, What was it?, [123].
Aeronautic Voyage, Remarkable, [169].
Agassiz, Discoveries of, [127].
Air, Weight of, [14].
All the World in Motion, [11].
Alluvial Land of Egypt, [110].
Ancient World, Science of the, [1].
Animals in Geological Times, [128].
Anticipations of the Electric Telegraph, [220–224].
Arago on Protection from Storms, [159].
Arctic Climate, Phenomena of, [162].
Arctic Explorations, Rae’s, [162].
Arctic Regions, Scenery and Life of, [180].
Arctic Temperature, [161].
Armagh Observatory Level, Change of, [144].
Artesian Fire-Springs, [118].
Artesian Well of Grenelle, [114].
Astronomer, Peasant, [101].
Astronomer’s Dream verified, [88].
Astronomers, Triad of Contemporary, [100].
Astronomical Observations, Nicety of, [102].
Astronomy and Dates on Monuments, [55].
Astronomy and Geology, Identity of, [104].
Astronomy, Great Truths of, [54].
Atheism, Folly of, [3].
Atlantic, Basin of the, [171].
Atlantic, Gales of the, [171].
Atlantic Telegraph, the, [226–228].
Atmosphere, Colours of the, [147].
Atmosphere compared to a Steam-engine, [152].
Atmosphere, Height of, [147].
Atmosphere, the, [146].
Atmosphere, the purest, [150].
Atmosphere, Universality of the, [147].
Atmosphere weighed by Pascal, [148].
Atoms of Elementary Bodies, [13].
Atoms, the World of, [13].
Aurora Borealis, Halley’s hypothesis of, [198].
Aurora Borealis, Splendour of the, [165].
Australian Cavern, Inmates of, [137].
Australian Pouch-Lion, [137].
Axis of Rotation, the, [11].
Barometer, Gigantic, [151].
Barometric Measurement, [151].
Batteries, Minute and Vast, [204].
Birds, Gigantic, of New Zealand, Extinct, [139].
“Black Waters, the,” [182].
Bodies, Bright, the Smallest, [31].
Bodies, Compression of, [12].
Bodies, Fall of, [16].
Bottles and Currents at Sea, [172].
Boulders, How transported to Great Heights, [105].
Boyle on Colours, [49].
Boyle, Researches of, [6].
Brain, Impressions transmitted to, [235].
Buckland, Dr., his Geological Labours, [127].
Building-Stone, Wear of, [108].
Burnet’s Theory of the Earth, [125].
Bust, Magic, [36].
Candle-flame, Nature of, [237].
Canton’s Artificial Magnets, [196].
Carnivora of Britain, Extinct, [132].
Carnivores, Monster, of France, [138].
Cataract, Great, in India, [183].
Cat, Can it see in the Dark?, [51].
Caves of New Zealand and its Gigantic Birds, [140].
Cave Tiger or Lion of Britain, [133].
Central Heat, Theory of, [116].
Chabert, “the Fire King,” [192].
Chalk Formation, the, [108].
Changes on the Earth’s Surface, [142].
Chantrey, Heat-Experiments by, [192].
Children’s powerful Battery, [204].
Chinese, the, and the Magnetic Needle, [194].
Chronometers, Marine, How rated at Greenwich Observatory, [229].
Climate, finest in the World, [149].
Climate, Variations of, [148].
Climates, Average, [149].
Clock, How to make Electric, [212].
Cloud-ring, the Equatorial, [156].
Clouds, Fertilisation of, [151].
Coal, Torbane-Hill, [123].
Coal, What is it?, [123].
Cold in Hudson’s Bay, [160].
Colour of a Body, and its Magnetic Properties, [197].
Colours and Tints, Chevreul on, [37].
Colours most frequently hit in Battle, [36].
Comet, the, of Donati, [240], [241].
Comet, Great, of 1843, [84].
Comets, Magnitude of, [84].
Comets visible in Sunshine, [84].
Computation, Power of, [10].
Coney of Scripture, [137].
Conic Sections, [10].
Continent Outlines not fixed, [145].
Corpse, How soon it decays, [237].
“Cosmos, Science of the,” [10].
Crosse, Andrew, his Artificial Crystals and Minerals, [216–219].
Crosse Mite, the, [218].
Crystallisation, Reproductive, [26].
Crystallisation, Theory of, [24].
Crystallisation, Visible, [25].
Crystals, Immense, [24].
“Crystal Vault of Heaven,” [55].
Davy, Sir Humphry, obtains Heat from Ice, [190].
Davy’s great Battery at the Royal Institution, [204].
Day, Length of, and Heat of the Earth, [186].
Day’s Length at the Poles, [65].
Declination of the Needle, [197].
Descartes’ Labours in Physics, [9].
Desert, Intense Heat and Cold of the, [163].
Dew-drop, Beauty of the, [157].
Dew-fall in one year, [157].
Dew graduated to supply Vegetation, [157].
Diamond, Geological Age of, [122].
Diamond Lenses for Microscopes, [40].
“Diamond,” Newton’s Dog, [8].
Dinornis elephantopus, the, [139], [140].
Dinotherium, or Terrible Beast, the, [136].
Diorama, Illusion of the, [37].
Earth and Man compared, [22].
Earth, Figure of the, [21].
Earth, Mass and Density of, [21].
Earth’s Annual Motion, [12].
Earth’s Magnitude, to ascertain, [21].
Earth’s Surface, Mean Temperature of, [23].
Earth’s Temperature, Interior, [116].
Earth’s Temperature Stationary, [23].
Earth, the, a Magnet, [197].
Earthquake, the Great Lisbon, [121].
Earthquakes and the Moon, [121].
Earthquakes, Rumblings of, [120].
Earthquake-Shock, How to measure, [120].
Earth-Waves, [119].
Eclipses, Cause of, [74].
Egypt, Alluvial Land of, [110].
Electric Girdle for the Earth, [224].
Electric Incandescence of Charcoal Points, [204].
Electric Knowledge, Germs of, [207].
Electric Light, Velocity of, [209].
Electric Messages, Time lost in, [225].
Electric Paper, [209].
Electric Spark, Duration of, [209].
Electric Telegraph, Anticipations of the, [220–224].
Electric Telegraph, Consumption of, [224].
Electric Telegraph in Astronomy and Longitude, [225].
Electric Telegraph and Lightning, [226].
Electric and Magnetic Attraction, Identity of, [210].
Electrical Kite, Franklin’s, [213].
Electricity and Temperature, [208].
Electricity in Brewing, [209].
Electricity, Vast Arrangement of, [208].
Electricity, Water decomposed by, [208].
Electricities, the Two, [214].
Electro-magnetic Clock, Wheatstone’s, [211].
Electro-magnetic Engine, Theory of, [210].
Electro-magnets, Horse-shoe, [199].
Electro-telegraphic Message to the Stars, [226].
Elephant and Tortoise of India, [135].
End of our System, [92].
England in the Eocene Period, [129].
English Channel, Probable Origin of, [105].
Eocene Period, the, [129].
Equatorial Cloud-ring, [156].
“Equatorial Doldrums,” [156].
Error upon Error, [185].
Exhilaration in ascending Mountains, [163].
Eye and Brain seen through a Microscope, [41].
Eye, interior, Exploration of, [236].
Fall of Bodies, Rate of, [16].
Falls, Height of, [16].
Faraday, Genius and Character of, [193].
Faraday’s Electrical Illustrations, [214].
“Father of English Geology, the,” [126].
Fertilisation of Clouds, [151].
Fire, Perpetual, [117].
Fire-balls and Shooting Stars, [89].
Fire-Springs, Artesian, [118].
Fishes, the most Ancient, [132].
Flying Dragon, the, [130].
Force neither created nor destroyed, [18].
Force of Running Water, [114].
Fossil Human Bones, [131].
Fossil Meteoric Stones, none, [92].
Fossil Rose, none, [142].
Foucault’s Pendulum Experiments, [22].
Franklin’s Electrical Kite, [213].
Freezing Cavern in Russia, [115].
Fresh Water in Mid-Ocean, [182].
Galilean Telescope, the, [93].
Galileo, What he first saw with the Telescope, [93].
Galvani and Volta, [205].
Galvanic Effects, Familiar, [203].
Galvanic Waves on the same Wire, Non-interference of, [225].
“Gauging the Heavens,” [58].
Genius, Relics of, [5].
Geology and Astronomy, Identity of, [104].
Geology of England, [105].
Geological Time, [143].
George III., His patronage of Herschel, [95].
Gilbert on Magnetic and Electric forces, [201].
Glacial Theory, by Hopkins, [105].
Glaciers, Antiquity of, [109].
Glaciers, Phenomena of, Illustrated, [108].
Glass, Benefits of, to Man, [92].
Glass broken by Sand, [26].
Glyptodon, the, [137].
Gold, Lumps of, in Siberia, [124].
Greenwich Observatory, Chronometers rated at, [229–232].
Grotto del Cane, the, [112].
Gulf-Stream and the Temperature of London, [115].
Gunpowder-Magazines, Danger to, [216].
Gymnotus and the Voltaic Battery, [206].
Gyroscope, Foucault’s, [22].
Hail and Storms, Protection against, [159].
Hail-storm, Terrific, [160].
Hair, Microscopical Examination of, [41].
Harrison’s Prize Chronometers, [229–232].
Heat and Evaporation, [188].
Heat and Mechanical Power, [188].
Heat by Friction, [189].
Heat, Distinctions of, [187].
Heat, Expenditure of, by the Sun, [186].
Heat from Gas-lighting, [189].
Heat from Wood and Ice, [190].
Heat, Intense, Protection from, [191], [192].
Heat, Latent, [187].
Heat of Mines, [188].
Heat, Nice Measurement of, [186].
Heat, Origin of, in our System, [87].
Heat passing through Glass, [189].
Heat, Repulsion by, [191].
Heated Metals, Vibration of, [188].
Heavy Persons, Lifting, [17].
Heights and Distances, to Calculate, [19].
Herschel’s Telescopes at Slough, [95].
Highton’s Minute Battery, [204].
Hippopotamus of Britain, [135].
“Horse Latitudes, the,” [173].
Horse, Three-hoofed, [138].
Hour-glass, Sand in the, [20].
Ice, Heat from, [190].
Ice, Warming with, [190].
Icebergs of the Polar Seas, [180].
Iguanodon, Food of the, [129].
Improvement, Perpetuity of, [5].
Inertia Illustrated, [14].
Jerusalem, Temple of, How protected from Lightning, [167].
Jew’s Harp, Theory of the, [29].
Jupiter’s Satellites, Discovery of, [80].
Kaleidoscope, Sir David Brewster’s, [43].
Kaleidoscope, the, thought to be anticipated, [43].
Kircher’s “Magnetism,” [194].
Leaning Tower, Stability of, [15].
Level, Curious Change of, [144].
Leyden Jar, Origin of the, [216].
Lifting Heavy Persons, [17].
Light, Action of, on Muscular Fibres, [34].
Light, Apparatus for Measuring, [32].
Light from Buttons, [36].
Light, Effect of, on the Magnet, [198].
Light from Fungus, [36].
Light from the Juice of a Plant, [35].
Light, Importance of, [34].
Light, Minuteness of, [34].
Light Nights, [35].
Light, Polarisation of, [33].
Light, Solar and Artificial Compared, [29].
Light, Source of, [29].
Light, Undulatory Scale of, [30].
Light, Velocity of, [31].
Light, Velocity of, Measured by Fizeau, [32].
Light from Quartz, [51].
Lightning-Conductor, Ancient, [167].
Lightning-Conductors, Service of, [166].
Lightning Experiment, Fatal, [214].
Lightning, Photographic Effects of, [45].
Lightning produced by Rain, [166].
Lightning, Sheet, What is it?, [165].
Lightning, Varieties of, [165].
Lightning, Various Effects of, [168].
Log, Invention of the, [173].
London Monument used as an Observatory, [103].
“Maestricht Saurian Fossil,” the, [141].
Magnet, Power of a, [195].
Magnets, Artificial, How made, [195].
Magnetic Clock and Watch, [211].
Magnetic Electricity discovered, [199].
Magnetic Hypotheses, [193].
Magnetic Needle and the Chinese, [194].
Magnetic Poles, North and South, [201].
Magnetic Storms, [202].
“Magnetism,” Kircher’s, [194].
Malachite, How formed, [124].
Mammalia in Secondary Rocks, [130].
Mammoth of the British Isles, [133].
Mammoth, Remains of the, [134].
Mars, the Planet, Is it inhabited?, [82].
Mastodon coexistent with Man, [135].
Matter, Divisibility of, [14].
Maury’s Physical Geography of the Sea, [170].
Mediterranean, Depth of, [176].
Megatherium, Habits of the, [135].
Mercury, the Planet, Temperature of, [82].
Mer de Glace, Flow of the, [110].
Meteoric Stones, no Fossil, [92].
Meteorites, Immense, [91].
Meteorites from the Moon, [89].
Meteors, Vast Shower of, [91].
Microscope, the Eye, Brain, and Hair seen by, [41].
Microscope, Fish-eye, How to make, [40].
Microscope, Invention of the, [39].
Microscope for Mineralogists, [42].
Microscope and the Sea, [42].
Microscopes, Diamond Lenses for, [40].
Microscopes, Leuwenhoeck’s, [40].
Microscopic Writing, [42].
Milky Way, the, Unfathomable, [85].
Mineralogy and Geometry, Union of, [25].
Mirror, Magic, How to make, [43].
Moon’s Attraction, the, [73].
Moon, Has it an Atmosphere?, [69].
Moon, Life in the, [71].
Moon, Light of the, [70].
Moon, Mountains in, [72].
Moon, Measuring the Earth by, [74].
Moon seen through the Rosse Telescope, [72].
Moon, Scenery of, [71].
Moon and Weather, the, [73].
Moonlight, Heat of, [70].
“More Worlds than One,” [56], [57].
Mountain-chains, Elevation of, [107].
Music of the Spheres, [55].
Musket-balls found in Ivory, [237].
Natural and Supernatural, the, [6].
Nautical Almanac, Errors in, [185].
Nebulæ, Distances of, [85].
Nebular Hypothesis, the, [86].
Neptune, the Planet, Discovery of, [83].
Newton, Sir Isaac, his “Apple-tree,” [8].
Newton upon Burnet’s Theory of the Earth, [125].
Newton’s Dog “Diamond,” [8].
Newton’s first Reflecting Telescope, [94].
Newton’s “Principia,” [9].
Newton’s Rooms at Cambridge, [7].
Newton’s Scale of Colours, [49].
Newton’s Soap-bubble Experiments, [49], [50].
New Zealand, Extinct Birds of, [139].
Niagara, the Roar of, [28].
Nineveh, Rock-crystal Lens found at, [39].
Non-conducting Bodies, [215].
Nothing Lost in the Material World, [18].
Objects really of no Colour, [37].
Objects, Visibility of, [30].
Observation, the Art of, [3].
Observatory, Lacaille’s, [101].
Observatory, the London Monument, [103].
Observatory, Shirburn Castle, [101].
Ocean and Air, Depths of unknown, [174].
Ocean Highways, [184].
Ocean, Stability of the, [12].
Ocean, Transparency of the, [171].
“Oldest piece of Wood upon the Earth,” [142].
Optical Effects, Curious, at the Cape, [38].
Optical Instruments, Late Invention of, [100].
Oxford and Cambridge, Science at, [1].
Pascal, How he weighed the Atmosphere, [148].
Pebbles, on, [106].
Pendulum Experiments, [16–22].
Pendulum, the Earth weighed by, [200].
Pendulums, Influence of on each other, [200].
Perpetual Fire, [117].
Petrifaction of Human Bodies, [131].
Phenomena, Mutual Relations of, [4].
Philosophers’ False Estimates, [5].
Phosphorescence of Plants, [35].
Phosphorescence of the Sea, [35].
Photo-galvanic Engraving, [47].
Photograph and Stereoscope, [47].
Photographic effects of Lightning, [45].
Photographic Surveying, [46].
Photographs on the Retina, [236].
Photography, Best Sky for, [45].
Photography, Magic of, [44].
Pisa, Leaning Tower of, [15].
Planetary System, Origin of our, [86].
Planets, Diversities of, [79].
Planetoids, List of the, and their Discoverers, [239].
Plato’s Survey of the Sciences, [2].
Pleiades, the, [77].
Plurality of Worlds, [57].
Polar Ice, Immensity of, [181].
Polar Iceberg, [180].
Polarisation of Light, [33].
Pole, Open Sea at the, [181].
Pole-Star of 4000 years ago, [76].
Profitable Science, [139].
Pterodactyl, the, [130].
Pyramid, Duration of the, [14].
Quartz, Down of, [42].
Rain, All in the World, [155].
Rain, an Inch on the Atlantic, [156].
Rain-Drops, Size of, [154].
Rain, How the North Wind drives it away, [154].
Rain, Philosophy of, [153].
Rainless Districts, [155].
Rain-making Vapour, from South to North, [152].
Rainy Climate, Inordinate, [154].
Red Sea and Mediterranean Levels, [175].
Red Sea, Colour of, [176].
Repulsion of Bodies, [216].
Rhinoceros of Britain, [135].
River-water on the Ocean, [181].
Rose, no Fossil, [142].
Rosse, the Earl of, his “Telescope,” [96–99].
Rotation-Magnetism discovered, [199].
Rotation, the Axis of, [11].
St. Paul’s Cathedral, how protected from Lightning, [167].
Salt, All in the Sea, [179].
Salt Lake of Utah, [113].
Salt, Solvent Action of, [115].
Saltness of the Sea, How to tell, [179].
Sand in the Hour-glass, [20].
Sand of the Sea and Desert, [106].
Saturn’s Ring, Was it known to the Ancients?, [81].
Schwabe, on Sun-Spots, [68].
Science at Oxford and Cambridge, [1].
Science of the Ancient World, [1].
Science, Theoretical, Practical Results of, [4].
Sciences, Plato’s Survey of, [2].
Scientific Treatise, the Earliest English, [5].
Scoresby, Dr., on the Rosse Telescope, [99].
Scratches, Colours of, [36].
Sea, Bottles and Currents at, [172].
Sea, Bottom of, a burial-place, [177].
Sea, Circulation of the, [170].
Sea, Climates of the, [170].
Sea, Deep, Life of the, [174].
Sea, Greatest ascertained Depth of, [175].
Sea, Solitude at, [172].
Sea, Temperature of the, [170].
Sea, Why is it Salt?, [177].
Seas, Primeval, Depth of, [234].
Sea-breezes and Land-breezes illustrated, [150].
Sea-milk, What is it?, [176].
Sea-routes, How shortened, [184].
Sea-shells and Animalcules, Services of, [234].
Sea-shells, Why found at Great Heights, [106].
Sea-water, to imitate, [235].
Sea-water, Properties of, [179].
Serapis, Temple of, Successive Changes in, [111].
Sheep, Geology of the, [138].
Shells, Geometry of, [232].
Shells, Hydraulic Theory of, [233].
Siamese Twins, the, galvanised, [203].
Skin, Dark Colour of the, [63].
Smith, William, the Geologist, [126].
Snow, Absence of in Siberia, [159].
Snow, Impurity of, [158].
Snow Phenomenon, [158].
Snow, Warmth of, in Arctic Latitudes, [158].
Snow-capped Volcano, the, [119].
Snow-crystals observed by the Chinese, [159].
Soap-bubble, Science of the, [48].
Solar Heat, Extreme, [63].
Solar System, Velocity of, [59].
Sound, Figures produced by, [28].
Sound in rarefied Air, [27].
Sounding Sand, [27].
Space, Infinite, [86].
Speed, Varieties of, [17].
Spheres, Music of the, [55].
Spots on the Sun, [67].
Star, Fixed, the nearest, [78].
Stars’ Colour, Change in, [77].
Star’s Light sixteen times that of the Sun, [79].
Stars, Number of, [75].
Stars seen by Daylight, [102].
Stars that have disappeared, [76].
Stars, Why created, [75].
Stereoscope and Photograph, [47].
Stereoscope simplified, [47].
Storm, Impetus of, [164].
Storms, Revolving, [164].
Storms, to tell the Approach of, [163].
Storm-glass, How to make, [164].
Succession of life in Time, [128].
Sun, Actinic Power of, [62].
Sun and Fixed Stars’ Light compared, [64].
Sun and Terrestrial Magnetism, [64].
“Sun Darkened,” [64].
Sun, Great Size of, on Horizon, [61].
Sun, Heating Power of, [62].
Sun, Lost Heat of, [103].
Sun, Luminous Disc of, [60].
Sun, Nature of the, [59], [238].
Sun, Spots on, [67].
Sun, Translatory Motion of, [61].
Sun’s Distance by the Yard Measure, [66].
Sun’s Heat, Is it decreasing?, [65].
Sun’s Rays increasing the Strength of Magnets, [196].
Sun’s Light and Terrestrial Lights, [61].
Sun-dial, Universal, [65].
Telegraph, the Atlantic, [226].
Telegraph, the Electric, [220].
Telescope and Microscope, the, [38].
Telescope, Galileo’s, [93].
Telescope, Herschel’s, [95].
Telescope, Newton’s first Reflecting, [94].
Telescopes, Antiquity of, [94].
Telescopes, Gigantic, proposed, [99].
Telescopes, the Earl of Rosse’s, [96].
Temperature and Electricity, [208].
Terrestrial Magnetism, Origin of, [200].
Thames, the, and its Salt-water Bed, [182].
Threads, the two Electric, [215].
Thunderstorm seen from a Balloon, [169].
Tides, How produced by Sun and Moon, [66].
Time an Element of Force, [19].
Time, Minute Measurement of, [194].
Topaz, Transmutation of, [37].
Trilobite, the, [138].
Tuning-fork a Flute-player, [28].
Twilight, Beauty of, [148].
Universe, Vast Numbers in, [75].
Utah, Salt Lake of, [113].
Velocity of the Solar System, [59].
Vesta and Pallas, Speculations on, [82].
Vesuvius, Great Eruptions of, [119].
Vibration of Heated Metals, [188].
Visibility of Objects, [30].
Voice, Human, Audibility of, [27].
Volcanic Action and Geological Change, [118].
Volcanic Dust, Travels of, [119].
Volcanic Islands, Disappearance of, [117].
Voltaic Battery and the Gymnotus, [206].
Voltaic Currents in Mines, [206].
Voltaic Electricity discovered, [205].
Watches, Harrison’s Prize, [229].
Water decomposed by Electricity, [208].
Water, Running, Force of, [114].
Waters of the Globe gradually decreasing, [113].
Water-Purifiers, Natural, [234].
Waterspouts, How formed in the Java Sea, [160].
Waves, Cause of, [183].
Waves, Force of, [184].
Waves, Rate of Travelling, [183].
Wenham-Lake Ice, Purity of, [161].
West, Superior Salubrity of, [150].
“White Water,” and Luminous Animals at Sea, [173].
Winds, Transporting Power of, [163].
Wollaston’s Minute Battery, [204].
World, All the, in Motion, [11].
World, the, in a Nutshell, [13].
Worlds, More than One, [56].
Worlds to come, [58].

LONDON: ROBSON, LEVEY, AND FRANKLYN, GREAT NEW STREET AND PETTER LANE, E.C.

Transcriber’s Notes

Punctuation, hyphenation, and spelling were made consistent when a predominant preference was found in this book; otherwise they were not changed.

Simple typographical errors were corrected; occasional unbalanced quotation marks retained.

Ambiguous hyphens at the ends of lines were retained.

Some numbers in equations include a hyphen to separate the fractional and integer parts. These are not minus signs, which, like other arithmetic operators, are surrounded by spaces.

The original book apparently used a smaller font for multiple reasons, but as those reasons were not always clear to the Transcriber, smaller text is indented by 2 spaces in the Plain Text version of this eBook, and is displayed smaller in other versions.

Footnotes, originally at the bottoms of pages, have been collected and repositioned just before the Index.