The Nautical Magazine, &C., 1832 (Classic Reprint)

Book excerpt: Excerpt from The Nautical Magazine, &C., 1832 The art of Navigation, like many others, has, in its infancy, been nothing more than the crude result of practical combinations - of experience, which has taught the advantages or inutility of various contrivances - of the knowledge of seafaring, and the constant observation of scientific, men - of the activity and energy of those passions which incite to the performance of great undertakings and of casualty, which full often lays Open to the consideration of man, things which had been concealed in obscurity. All these causes combined, have amplified and converted navigation into one vast science, the very essence of which is philosophy, and which, in its most comprehensive form, embraces the sciences of Meteorology, Astronomy, Geography, and Hydrography. Such is the energetic and concise definition which a modern author* has given of Navigation. From the earliest stage of this art, its progress, and enlargement by Mathematics, Astronomy, Optics, and Physics, we might be induced to look with indifference on the works of its first authors, and to consider them as rude and uninformed, if reason and justice did not convince us, that the whole magnificent fabric of naviga tion, which in the present day fills us with surprise, and com mands our veneration, is founded upon them; and that, considering the state of science during the sixteenth century, the authors who first reduced this art to one concise system, have more claims on our admiration than all the improvements which it has received in the present day, from the application of new theories and sublime mathematical truths. 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.