Excerpt from Popular Scientific Recreations in Natural Philosophy, Astronomy, Geology, Chemistry A series of chemical experiments, performed by means of some phials and inexpensive appliances, completes that part of the book relating to the physical sciences. Another kind of recreation, both intelligent and useful, consists in collecting the ingenious inventions which are constantly being supplied to our requirements by the applied sciences, and learning how to use them. We have collected a number of mechanical inventions and appliances, with which most ingenious and skilful people will wish to supply themselves, from Edison's electric pen, or the chromograph, which will produce a large number of copies of a letter, drawing, etc., to the more complicated, but not less valuable contrivances, for making science useful in the house. Having described some scientific toys for the young, we have endeavoured to point out those interesting to persons of riper years, and have grouped together curious sytems of locomotion, and ingenious mechanical appliances, such as small steam-boats, iceboats, swimming apparatus, etc., under proper heads. In addition to the foregoing subjects, we have included some of the experimental details of Chemical Science, with illustrations. We have added a chapter upon Aerial Navigation and Ballooning, with anecdotes of some of our celebrated aeronauts. We have also enlarged upon Light, Sound, Heat, Physical Geography, Mineralogy, Geology, Electrical Appliances, the Electric Light, and most of the latest adaptations of electricity. It will be seen, therefore, that the present work is not only intended for the young; everyone, it is hoped, will find in it something interesting and also profitable, which, if not desired for self-instruction, may at any rate be turned to account as a means of teaching others that science, which is universal, can, when rightly apprehended, preside even over our pleasures and amusements. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.