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ADVERTISEMENT.

An increasing taste for the study of Natural History having been strongly evinced by the formation of numerous societies in all parts of the kingdom, to promote the cultivation of this most interesting department of science, and by the introduction of some of its more popular branches into many of our educational institutions, the Author has been led to believe that a Series of Manuals, exhibiting, in a condensed form, the more important facts and phenomena, and an account of the different theories elicited from them, might be acceptable to many who are desirous of obtaining a knowledge of its various branches in a systematic manner, and at as little expense of time and money as the subject will admit. With this view, he intends to prepare a Series of Treatises on a plan more adapted for elementary instruction than any which are at present known to him. They will be written in easily intelligible language, yet so as not to sacrifice truth to ornament, or to substitute sentimentalism for science. By carefully condensing the materials, selecting appropriate illustrations, and adding a glossary of terms, it is hoped that as much knowledge of the different subjects will be conveyed as will suffice for general instruction, and en

able those who are desirous of extending their informa-

tion to pursue their inquiries with advantage. In the

anticipation that the study of Nature will assume a still

more prominent part in national education, the Author

purposes to adopt such an arrangement of his subjects

as will render the manuals suitable for class-books, and

to append to each chapter a recapitulatory series of ques-

tions.

A Manual of Botany will be published on the 1st of

May, and will be followed, at intervals of three months,

by Manuals of Mineralogy, Zoology, Comparative Ana-

tomy, Mammalia, Birds, Reptiles, Fishes, Mollusca,

Insects, British Plants, and other branches of Natural

History.

EDINBURGH, 25th January 1840.

PHYSICAL CONDITIONS AND COMPOSITION OF THE EARTH.

CHAPTER I.-General Idea of the Earth: its form, density, tempera-

ture, and component parts. Of the Atmosphere: its composi-

tion, currents, water, electricity, and meteorites. Of the Ocean:

its temperature, motions, evaporation, and bed,

CHAPTER II.-Distribution of the Land. Inequalities of the Earth's

Surface: plains, table-lands, mountains, mountain-masses; their

ridges, slopes, valleys, branches, and summits. Relations of

mountain-chains; limits between them. Water-courses, basins

of lakes, water of springs, rivers, and lakes,

CHAPTER III.-Materials of the Globe. Simple or elementary substan-

ces; more common elementary substances: Oxygen, hydrogen,

chlorine, sulphur, phosphorus, carbon, silicium, aluminum, cal-

cium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, iron, manganese. Simple

minerals. Distinction between Minerals and Rocks; qualities of

Minerals. Simple Minerals of most frequent occurrence: Felspar,

mica, chlorite, hornblende, actinolite, asbestus, serpentine, stea-

tite, augite, hypersthene, diallage, schorl, calcareous spar, gypsum,

dolomite, rock-salt, bitumen, coal, oxide of iron, manganese, gar-

net. Rocks to be first examined: Quartz-rock, jasper, flint, flinty-

slate, obsidian, pitchstone, pumice, sandstone; granite, syenite,

protogine, euphotide or diallage-rock, gneiss, compact felspar,

felspar porphyry, clinkstone, claystone, trachyte; mica-slate,

clay-slate; chlorite-slate, talc-slate, serpentine; hornblende-slate,

actinolite-slate; greenstone, basalt, wacke; shale or slate-clay,

bituminous shale, clay, marl; primary limestone, secondary lime-

stone, oolite limestone, chalk, dolomite, gypsum; glance-coal,

common coal, lignite, peat; clay iron-ore, iron-pyrites. Frag-

mentary Rocks: sandstone, greywacke, volcanic breccia, conglo-

merate, trap-tufa. Organic Remains,

CHAPTER IV.-Palæontology. Arrangement of Animals: Verte-

brated, Articulated, Molluscous, and Radiated. Remains of ver-

tebrated animals, articulated animals, mollusca, and zoophytes.

Arrangement of Plants: cellular and vascular; dicotyledonous,

monocotyledonous, acotyledonous. Fossil Plants. General Ob-

servations,

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SECTION II.

ARRANGEMENT OF THE COMPONENT PARTS OF THE EARTH.

CHAPTER I.-General Idea of the Distribution and Arrangement

of Rocks. Rocks observed in different parts of Britain: The

Grampians, Lammermuir Hills, Valley of Dalkeith, Pentland

Hills, Yorkshire, and neighbourhood of London. Regular suc-

cession of Strata. Stratified and Unstratified Rocks. Relative

position of Rocks,

CHAPTER II.-General Idea of the Structure of Rocks. Composi-

tion, texture, and structure of Rocks. Form of Rocks : irregular

masses, pseudo-strata, strata, nodules, and veins. Distinguishing

Characters of Rocks: fracture, hardness, lustre, frangibility, ac-

tion of acid, specific gravity, colour. Instruments useful in ex-

amining Rocks. Arrangement of Rocks into Groups. Relative

extent of Stratified and Unstratified Rocks. Classification,

CHAPTER III.-Of the Fundamental Rocks. Granite: its position
and extent, composition and texture. Porphyritic Granite, Gra-
phic Granite; pegmatite, eurite, schorl-rock, protogine, syenite.
Structure, connection, and economical uses of Granite,

CHAPTER IV.-Of the Primary Rocks. Arrangement of the Stra-

tified rocks into primary, secondary, and tertiary. Relations of

the Primary Rocks; their distinctions and species. Gneiss: its

composition, varieties, minerals, veins, relations, and distribu-

tion. Mica-slate, Chlorite-slate, Talc-slate, Hornblende-slate,

Actinolite-slate, Clay-slate, Quartz-rock, Primary Limestone, Do-
lomite, Serpentine, Diallage-rock, treated in the same manner
as Gneiss. Character of the scenery of primary districts. Con-
cluding Remarks,

CHAPTER V.-Classification of the Secondary Strata. Phenomena

of Stratification: arrangement into lower, middle, and upper

secondary. Of the lower secondary, submedial, or transition

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