Magellan

51370 — <p>A Londres W. Richardson 1780. TITLE CONTINUED: III. Des Nouveaux Barometres Portables et de ceux a grande Echelle &c. IV. Un Essai sur le Feu Elementaire & sur la Chaleur des Corps avec la Description des Nouveaux Thermometres. V. Sur les Collections d'Instrumens d'Astronomie de Geodesie de Physique &c ordonnees par la Cour d'Espagne. VI. Sur le Nouveau Remede de Mr. Mudge pour la Toux. 1780 text in French 4to approximately 260 x 205 mm 10¼ x 8 inches 3 folding engraved plates as required with the first unnumbered and the others numbered V and VI as in all copies 1 illustration in the text pages: 2 218 5 22-86 5 88-164 i.e.166 7166-192 5194-258 some errors of pagination but the text follows on collated and guaranteed complete separate dated title pages for each tract some of which had been issued separately pagination with breaks and register continuous at the end are bound 2 mathematical articles in English by Francis Maseres taken from Philosophical Transactions of 1778 and 1780. Bound in modern quarter calf over marbled sides raised bands with blind rules and gilt lettered morocco label new endpapers. Tiny pale red library stamp on title page repeated 8 times within plus a larger black ink stamp of the Inner Temple Library on the lower margin of last page of the English section at the rear not affecting text title page very slightly chipped at upper and fore-edge pale age-browning to margins of a few pages 4 pages heavily browned and fore-edges a little brittle occasional slight foxing mostly to margins small light brown stain to 1 upper margin small closed tear to another repaired neatly small chip to fore-edge of 2 folding plates loss to margin only small closed tears to a few pages due to being brittle but not affecting text. A good tight copy of a scarce work. A reissue with its own collective title page of Part 2 of the two-part collection with the same title and the imprint: A Paris & Londres 1775-80. Part I contained information on the construction and use of sextant and octants and was not reissued. Usually known by the French version of his name J. H. de Magellan 1723-1790 descended from the explorer Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese scientist whose work focused primarily on scientific instruments. He is credited with introducing English scientific instruments and the work of Joseph Priestley to the scientific community in France. After travels throughout Europe he settled in England in 1764 to pursue his scientific studies. He was elected a member of the Royal Society 1774 and was also a member of the Imperial Academy of Science in St. Petersburg and of the Royal Academy of Madrid. As an instrument maker and designer supplying the governments of Europe he proposed changes and improvements to astronomical and nautical observation instruments such as the quarters of a circle English sextants and octants in the reflection circle in the sextant and in the pendulum clock. As far as meteorological instruments are concerned he put forward improvements in barometers thermometers and presented a meteorographer. As regards physical instruments worthy of mention are his improvements to Atwoods machines and to the precision scale very important for the advances of chemistry. In Traite V in our book he deals with astronomic clocks and watches marine compasses protection against lightning and the theodolite. The final Traite is actually an extract from a letter from Magellan to a doctor friend in Paris describing the construction and use of a new inhaler or respirateur invented by a fellow member of the Royal Society the physician John Mudge and believed to cure infallibly catarrhal coughs. See: Henry Sotheran Bibliotheca Chemico-Mathematica Volume 2 page 559 No. 11272; Dictionary of Scientific Biography Vol IX page 5. MORE IMAGES ATTACHED TO THIS LISTING ALL ZOOMABLE. FURTHER IMAGES ON REQUEST. POSTAGE AT COST.</p> A Londres, W. Richardson, 1780. hardcover