In the main sections of the text there are many numbered textual notes,
many quite lengthy, which the writer chose to keep as close as possible
to their references in the text. In the printed book, this resulted in
many pages containing only two lines of the main text. The writer
acknowledges this in the Preface, but points out the need to keep the
notes as close to their references as possible. Many of these notes have
footnotes of their own, denoted with the traditional *, †, ‡ symbols.
Notes in the Introduction and Appendix also employ those traditional
symbols, which have been resequenced for the sake of uniqueness. The
three notes in the Introduction become I1, I2, I3, and those in the
Appendix become A1, A2, A3, ... An. If a note is itself footnoted, that
note is indicated as ‘Ana’, etc.
The main text employs 386 numeric notes which started with ‘1’ for each
section. These have been resequenced across the entire text, again for
the sake of uniqueness. Many notes had footnotes of their own, denoted
with those traditional symbols. These have have been resequenced as
‘na’, ‘nb’, ‘nc’, etc., where ‘n’ is the note number. Those notes are
placed following the note.
Any internal references to the notes, of course, were modified to employ
the new sequence.
In this version, footnotes have been moved to follow the paragraphs in
which they are referenced.
Given the publication date (1813), spelling remained somewhat fluid. So,
especially in quoted text, the text mostly remains as printed unless it
is very obviously a typo (e.g. ‘celebratrd’, or ‘inhahitants’), or where
there is a great preponderance of another variant of a word elsewhere.
There were two instances of a missing ‘of’ which _may_ have been in
error.
131.31 The making [of] good mathematical instruments _Sic_
145.11 on the fourth day [of] July, 1760. _Sic_
A quoted translation in note 38 ends abruptly with ‘and spreads her
light:’ (lvi.29) without a closing quotation mark. This has been amended
as ‘spreads her light[.”]’
On two pages (pp. 134, 135), ‘Galileo’ is printed as ‘Gallileo’ (134.33,
134.37 and 135.3), which we take to be a printer’s lapse.
On p. 182, The ’Rudolphine’ Tables are misspelled two ways (182.27,
182.29). Both are corrected.
On pp. 327-329, the symbol for Uranus (♅) as printed is not quite the
same as the symbol available to us. In the text, the small circle is on
the top.
Other errors, deemed most likely to be the printer’s, have been
corrected, and are noted here. The references are to the page and line
in the original.
xii.15 not be deemed pre[p/s]umptuous Replaced.
xxxii.28 the [sun] stood still in the centre See Note
xxxix.16 Pyth[oga/ago]ras Transposed.
xlvii.4 of his _Physics_.[”]) Removed.
li.9 Pronaque cum spectent an[a/i]malia Replaced.
lii.3 he may be enabled t[e/o] know himself Replaced.
lvii.12 Hyberni[./,] vel quæ tardis Replaced.
lxii.9 and [security] of navigation See Note
lxxii.1 wa[n/s] Johannes de Sacro-Bosco Replaced.
lxxiv.17 for its truth than novelty;[”] Replaced.
91.11 purer morality and sounder [s/p]olicy. Replaced.
104.22 to his friend[s]’s little library Removed.
105.7 personally acquain[t]ed with him Inserted.
107.1 [in]asmuch as the instruments Restored.
107.7 [“]It is observable Removed.
110.18 so long distinguis[n/h]ed Replaced.
122.13 Astronomer’s innate ge[u/n]ius Replaced.
140.12 A descript[t/i]on of Replaced.
148.35 with our guns.[’/”] Replaced.
149.10 as f[o/a]r as the barracks Replaced.
164.10 and these,[”] Added.
177.30 la mesure du temps.[’/”] Replaced.
184.1 by William Sm[ti/it]h Transposed.
185.3 one-hundredth part of[ of] the whole Removed.
192.15 See Laland[e]’s _Astron._ Inserted.
198.16 it has never been done.[”] Removed.
198.17 [“]I send you a description Added.
207.7 good quality and wor[k]manship Inserted.
207.24 the gl[s/a]ss-works have not Replaced.
219.25 three [hun]hundred pounds Removed.
220.25 reached this country[;/,] Replaced.
226.25 _History of the America[u/n] Revolution_ Inverted.
249.22 the repeated occas[s]ions Removed.
251.16 Pennsyl[e/v]ania would not yield Replaced.
254.1 in the ex[u/e]cution of his trust Replaced.
260.13 of this Anti-Newtonian essayist[:/.] Replaced.
261.4 Those of anoth[o/e]r cast Replaced.
262.2 at one of your brothers[,’/’,] Transposed.
269.7 most embar[r]assing circumstances Inserted.
303.10 26th of January, 1[726-7/627] Replaced
344.8 dated “Philadelphia, Oct. 14, 1787[”] Added.
360.20 The agency of i[m/n]formation Replaced.
367.10 annexed to that statio[n.] Added.
372.30 to the Linn[e/æ]an system Replaced.
375.24 that Linn[e/æ]us pronounced him Replaced.
388.18 on such occa[r/s]ions Replaced.
400.22 precisely the reverse.[”] Removed.
420.22 Mr. Ceracchi became embarr[r]assed Removed.
455.34 Professor of Eng[g]lish Removed.
458.13 Mr. Ritten[ten]house was not himself Removed.
477.19 [“]Observations on a Comet Removed.
495.20 classical learning,[”] Added.
498.2 different systems of theology.[”] Removed.
508.17 will be annihilated[:/.] Replaced.
512.12 of the human mind.[”] Removed.
513.24 the inha[h/b]itants of the British colonies Replaced.
519.1 that Dr. Ritten[ten]house Removed.
533.23 the language of Dr. Reid, [“]fruitful Added.
534.5 [“/‘]In God we live, and move, Replaced.
534.6 and have our being.[’]” Inserted.
548.8 Venus a[u/n]d Mercury Inverted.
551.22 which jug[g]ling impostors Inserted.
557.25 in the year 1260[,/.] Replaced.
558.42 by other e[n/m]inent astro[t/n]omers Replaced.
564.18 their phases f[o/r]om full to new Replaced.
567.18 without his being to[./l]d the name Replaced.
568.31 [“]Le Quartier de Reflexion Added.
572.12 by the celebrat[r/e]d MAYER Replaced.
574.36 a distance fr[e/o]m each other Replaced.
588.38 pour trois si[e/è]cles Replaced.
593.28 præsentes literæ pervener[I/]nt Replaced.
597.8 in the laudable business of[ of] writing Removed.
614.11 at dif[f]erent periods Inserted.