The reader will soon perceive, in perusing this work, that he is often supposed to have previously acquired some slight knowledge of natural philosophy, a circumstance, indeed, which appears very desirable. The author’s original intention was to commence this work by a small tract, explaining, on a plan analogous to this, the most essential rudiments of that science. This idea she has since abandoned; but the manuscript was ready, and might, perhaps, have been printed at some future period, had not an elementary work of a similar description, under the tide of “Scientific Dialogues,” been pointed out to her, which, on a rapid perusal, she thought very ingenious, and well calculated to answer its intended object.
[ CONTENTS]
Page numbers have been retained to give an idea of the relative length of each Conversation.
| [a] CONVERSATION I.] | |
| ON THE GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF CHEMISTRY. | Page 1 |
| [a] CONVERSATION II.] | |
| ON LIGHT AND HEAT. | 26 |
| [a] CONVERSATION III.] | |
| CONTINUATION OF THE SUBJECT. | 70 |
| [a] CONVERSATION IV.] | |
| ON COMBINED CALORIC, COMPREHENDING SPECIFIC HEAT AND LATENT HEAT. | 122 |
| [a] CONVERSATION V.] | |
| ON THE CHEMICAL AGENCIES OF ELECTRICITY. | 160 |
| [a] CONVERSATION VI.] | |
| ON OXYGEN AND NITROGEN. | 181 |
| [a] CONVERSATION VII.] | |
| ON HYDROGEN. | 214 |
| [a] CONVERSATION VIII.] | |
| ON SULPHUR AND PHOSPHORUS. | 256 |
| [a] CONVERSATION IX.] | |
| ON CARBON. | 282 |
| [a] CONVERSATION X.] | |
| ON METALS. | 314 |
| [a] CONVERSATION XIII.] | |
| ON THE ATTRACTION OF COMPOSITION. | 1 |
| [a] CONVERSATION XIV.] | |
| ON ALKALIES. | 19 |
| [a] CONVERSATION XV.] | |
| ON EARTHS. | 44 |
| [a] CONVERSATION XVI.] | |
| ON ACIDS. | 69 |
| [a] CONVERSATION XVII.] | |
| OF THE SULPHURIC AND PHOSPHORIC ACIDS: OR, THE COMBINATIONS OF OXYGEN WITH SULPHUR AND WITH PHOSPHORUS; AND OF THE SULPHATS AND PHOSPHATS. | 80 |
| [a] CONVERSATION XVIII.] | |
| OF THE NITRIC AND CARBONIC ACIDS: OR THE COMBINATION OF OXYGEN WITH NITROGEN AND WITH CARBON; AND OF THE NITRATS AND CARBONATS. | 100 |
| [a] CONVERSATION XIX.] | |
| ON THE BORACIC, FLUORIC, MURIATIC, AND OXYGENATED MURIATIC ACIDS; AND ON MURIATS. | 131 |
| [a] CONVERSATION XX.] | |
| ON THE NATURE AND COMPOSITION OF VEGETABLES. | 162 |
| [a] CONVERSATION XXI.] | |
| ON THE DECOMPOSITION OF VEGETABLES. | 202 |
| [a] CONVERSATION XXII.] | |
| HISTORY OF VEGETATION. | 243 |
| [a] CONVERSATION XXIII.] | |
| ON THE COMPOSITION OF ANIMALS. | 276 |
| [a] CONVERSATION XXIV.] | |
| ON THE ANIMAL ECONOMY. | 297 |
| [a] CONVERSATION XXV.] | |
| ON ANIMALISATION, NUTRITION, AND RESPIRATION. | 314 |
| [a] CONVERSATION XXVI.] | |
| ON ANIMAL HEAT; AND OF VARIOUS ANIMAL PRODUCTS. | 336 |
ERRATA.
| Vol. I. page 56. | last line but one, for “caloric,” read “calorific.” |
| 179. | Note, for “Plate XII.” r. “Plate XIII.” |