The history and present state of discoveries relating to vision, light, and colours / By Joseph Priestley.

  • Joseph Priestley
Date:
1772
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The history and present state of discoveries relating to vision, light, and colours / By Joseph Priestley. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    % X y THE PREFACE. As to the figures which I have made ufe of, efpecially thofe which relate to the elementary parts of the work. I have not fcrupled to make free with thofe of any writer that happened to fuit my purpofe. Mott of them will be found in Smith, Mufchenbroeck, and Rowning. If I be fo happy as to give my philofophical readers reafonable fatisfadtion with refpedt to the execution of this volume, I think I may venture to promife them, that, as I fhall not fail to ufe the fame care and attention, they will have no lefs reafon to be fa- tisfied with the remaining volumes; as I am pretty confident that the fubjedt of this volume is, on feveral accounts, attended with more difficulty than that of any other that is yet to come before me. At the fame time, I imagine that it is of fuch a nature, that the hiftory of it may be expedted to be as generally entertaining, as that of any other within the whole compafs of philofophy. This part of my work will exhibit a number of the fineSt gradations in the difcoveries of different perfons, a view of the greatest and happiefl exertions of human genius, and the labours of thofe who are the mofl celebrated for their philofophical pur- fuits. The appearances in nature which thefe difcoveries ex¬ plain are constantly before our eyes, and muft be perpetually ex¬ citing the curiofity of all thinking perfons; the instruments, to the construction of which they led, are in daily ufe ; and every thing relating to Opticks is capable of the molt perfedt illustra¬ tion by figures. ' For a variety of general obfervations on the fubjedt of experi¬ mental philofophy, refpedting the pleaSure and advantage refult- ing from the Study, I muft refer to the preface to my Hifiory of Electricity,