THE LEEDS A LITERARY, MATHEMATICAL, AND PHILOSOPHICAL, Miscellany; CONSISTING OF ORIGINAL ESSAYS AND POETRY; ANECDOTES; TRANSLATIONS OF LATIN AND FRENCH EXTRACTS; The Mathematics in the three early numbers edited by AND SOLD IN LONDON BY BALDWIN, CRADOCK, AND JOY, And other Booksellers. 1818. PRICE SIX SHILLINGS IN BOARDS. NUMEROUS and anxious enquiries have long been made about the continuance of the LEEDS CORRESPONDENT, and the reason why the publication of it has been some time suspended. An unusual fatality has attended the execution of this second volume. When the first volume was nearly completed, the world was deprived of that able mathematician and honest man, Mr. John Ryley, who appeared among the earliest projectors of this work, and was the first editor. In the second and fourth numbers, an attempt has been made to do justice to his memory.-Immediately previous to the appearance of the third number, Mr. John Gawthorp, another mathematician of great promise, was cut off in the prime of life. He had succeeded Mr. Ryley in the revision and management of our Mathematical department.-And while the materials of the fourth number were in a' course of preparation, I was involved in misfortune and temporary ruin. THE particulars of this affair are known to many of the inhabitants of Leeds; and have elicited expressions of condolence and sorrow from multitudes of disinterested persons. It is generally understood that my late bankruptcy was not the effect of idleness, dissipation, or want of encouragement. Neither was it occasioned by an inability to meet all my lawful demands The real cause was a circumstance quite unconnected with business.The consequent variableness in some men's affections, the maliciousness of others, the misrepresentations and garbled statements of a few, and the undissembled satisfaction of the pragmatical and envious,-are nothing more than the usual concomitants of all similar calamities. To recount them as permanent grievances, or to relate my personal and domestic sufferings, would on my part be an affectation of sentimental writing, which is a sort of distaff that ill becomes the hand of a man. Should the conduct of the small number of those who have been my traducers, continue as violent as it has been, and their statements be as distant from the truth, it will then become a point of duty with me to enter into such public details as will effectually refute all calumny. But to bear unmerited reproaches without complaining, requires no great exertion of courage: It is a course which I have viewed, in many cases, much more manly than the most impassioned yet correct display of wrongs. My practice has always been that of making many and great allowances, when people are known to speak from partial views or interested motives. as, WHEN all these things are taken into consideration, when I find myself once more engaged in those literary pursuits which were at all times my delight, when I am favoured with the possession of the very types and printing materials which I formerly used in publishing the LEEDS CORRESPONDENT,—the respected readers of this Miscellany may form some slight conception of my varied feelings on being enabled to present to them the fourth and concluding number of this volume.-It would be criminal in me to omit this opportunity of publicly ascribing to the good Providence of God, all my support in adversity, every act of kindness on the part of my friends, my speedy re-establishment in business, the encouragement which I have since received, and my very gratifying prospects of success. On this topic I may joyfully add, "Thou holdest up my goings, and maintainest my lot." AND now, if, in treating of MYSELF at this time, I have. written more than I ever before wrote or spoke on THE SAME SUBJECT, may, for many obvious reasons, obtain forgiveness. Those who know me best, will, of all readers, be the most surprised at my having written so much on my own affairs: They will, however, believe that a deep consciousness of its necessity and importance is the only motive that could have drawn from <me an effort of this kind, which is made with the greatest reluctance. To some worthy and well-affected persons I could easily produce matter of further exculpation for having published these paragraphs with such examples in vindication ་་་་་་་་་་་ of this practice on proper occasions, as, I am sure, would at once procure for me their indulgence and approval. THE title-page of this volume conveys the information, that Mr. John Whitley, of Masbro' near Rotherham, has undertaken the province of Mathematical editor. Till the period of Mr. Gawthorp's indisposition, I had no personal acquaintance with Mr. Whitley. But I had been taught for many years to regard him as a most accomplished mathematician; and I account the accession of such an able auxiliary a grand acquisition to this work, and one that greatly enhances its value. In this opinion of him and his attainments, I am supported by the convincing testimony of the late Mr. Ryley, who was not at all backward in giving utterance to a far stronger declaration than this in Mr. Whitley's favour. UPWARDS of two years ago, many of my friends suggested the propriety of enlarging the literary department of the Leeds Correspondent: They thought that the most appropriate change would be that of publishing the work quarterly, and devoting, as usual, one third portion of the January and July numbers to Mathematics, and the two additional numbers for April and October to generai literary subjects. Those who had an opportunity of noticing my observation on this proposition in the third number, will recollect that it was my expressed intention to adopt such an arrangement: But my misfortunes at that time prevented me from carrying this plan into effect.-After mature deliberation, have now resolved to gratify several learned men in suffering the Correspondent to retain its present rank of a half-yearly Mathematical Miscellany; and (in lieu of any alteration,) to commence in January next, 1819, a new monthly work, to be entitled "The Leeds Literary Observer ;"for some account of which, see the Prospectus which accompanies this number. COMMUNICATIONS to both these works, from all our Correspondents, and from as many new friends as we can gain, will be gratefully acknowledged. JAMES NICHOLS, |