Evidence: | 'For the rest - I continued reading Newton's "Principia" with considerable perseverance & little success - till on arriving a short way into the third book - I discovered that I had too little knowledge of Astronomy, to understand his reasoning rightly. And I forthwith sent to Edinr for De Lambre's "abr?g? d'Astronomie"; and in the mean time, betook myself to reading Wood's "optics". I cannot say much about this book. Its author intermeddles not with the abstruse parts of the science - such as the causes of reflection & refraction?the reason why transparent bodies, at given angles of incidence, reflect their light almost entirely (concerning which, I meet with many learned details, in the Encyclopedia Britan) - but contents himself with demonstrating, in a plain enough manner, the ordinary effects of plane & spherical mirrors - and of lenses of various kinds - applying his doctrines, to the explanation of various optical instruments & remarkable phenomena. But in truth, I know little about it, I read it with too great velocity. - I also read Keil's "introductio ad veram Physicam"; but I shall let it pass till next time I write. In fine De Lambre arrived; & I have read into his fourth Le?on -and like it greatly.I intended to have told you some of his observations - but I would not overwhelm you with ennui all at once - and therefore, I shall be silent at present. - [italics]ne quid nimis[end italics] [moderation in all things - editor's note] ? as the proverb saith'. |
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Century: | 1800-1849 | ||||||||||
Date: | Between 1 Jul 1816 and 15 Jul 1816 | ||||||||||
Country: | Scotland | ||||||||||
Time: | n/a | ||||||||||
Place: | city: Annan | ||||||||||
Type of Experience (Reader): |
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Type of Experience (Listener): |
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Reader: | Thomas Carlyle |
Age | Adult (18-100+) |
Gender | Male |
Date of Birth | 4 Dec 1795 |
Socio-economic group: | Professional / academic / merchant / farmer |
Occupation: | Teacher, later man of letters |
Religion: | Christian |
Country of origin: | Scotland |
Country of experience: | Scotland |
Listeners present if any: (e.g. family, servants,
friends, workmates) |
n/a |
Additional comments: | n/a |
Author: | Jean Baptiste Joseph Delambre |
Title: | Abrege d'astronomie |
Genre: | Science, astronomy |
Form of Text: | Print: Book |
Publication details: | n/a |
Provenance: | owned ordered from Edinburgh |
Record ID: | 12966 | |
Source - | ||
Author: | n/a | |
Editor: | Charles Richard Sanders | |
Title: | The Collected Letters of Thomas and Jane Welsh Carlyle | |
Place of Publication: | Durham, NC | |
Date of Publication: | 1970 | |
Vol: | I | |
Page: | 79 | |
Additional comments: | Letter to Robert Mitchell |
Citation: | Charles Richard Sanders (ed.), The Collected Letters of Thomas and Jane Welsh Carlyle (Durham, NC, 1970), I, p. 79, http://can-red-lec.library.dal.ca/Arts/reading/recorddetails2.php?id=12966, accessed: 17 April 2024 |
Reading Experience Database version 2.0. Page updated: 27th Apr 2016 3:15pm (GMT)