"Haud facilem esse viam voluit primusq. per artem
"Movit agros, curis acuens mortalia corda.

"Nec torpere gravi passus sua regna veterno."

GEOR. I.

LONDON:

WILLIAM AND FREDERICK G. CASH,

(SUCCESSORS TO CHARLES GILPIN,) 5, BISHOPSGATE STREET WITHOUT.

EDINBURGH: ADAM AND CHARLES BLACK.

DUBLIN: JAMES B/GILPIN.

1852.

B/GILPIN

HENRY LUCAS, PRINTER, 3, BURLEIGH STREET, STRAND.

BOY WE

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

PAGE.

Introduction. New epoch in the history of man.-

Intellectual activities and their objects.-Practi-

cal tendencies of the age.-Achievements of sci-

ence: the power it bestows upon mankind.-Illus-

trations of the energy and adaptation of steam in

subserving human purposes: its applications and

benefits.-Locomotion by steam: its effects in

developing enterprise.-Power of the imponder-

able elements. Electricity: its probable destina-

tion as a channel of intelligence: general ideas of

its power as an agent of communication.-The

electric telegraph: its wonderful properties;

annihilates time; unaffected by position.-The

land telegraph.-The submarine telegraph.-

Mind the prime mover of all physical forces:

its character: necessity of its study in order to

a right idea of human progress.-The past our

surest guide in conjecturing the future.

CHAPTER II.

The free concourse of individual minds the main-

spring of human progress.-Facilities of inter-

course, and for the transmission of thought, its

chief agents. These propositions may be proved

from history.-Historical retrospection must be

limited.-Essential differences in the historical

phases of society.-Difficulty of assigning the

influence of remote ages upon our present con-

dition. Example of the feudal system; its

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