When Beckman wrote his History of Inventions, towards the close of last century, scarcely any of the wonderful discoveries and contrivances that now form parts of our social system were known; and the table of contents of his two large volumes affords a curious insight to the nature and limited extent of such contrivances as were then considered most important. The introduction into his history of such subjects as canary birds, carp, the adulteration of wine, apothecaries, cock-fighting, and juggling, lead us to infer that the Historian of Inventions at that time must have had some difficulty to find appropriate matter wherewith to fill his volumes. The opposite difficulty now presents itself. The numerous important, wonderful, and curious accomplishments of human skill and ingenuity during the present century render preference perplexing, where so many deserve description. From among the number that press for notice, the Author has endeavoured to select those that are either the most important, the most remarkable, or that seem to possess the germs of future progress; and he trusts that the selection he has made, and the mode in which the subjects have been treated, will render this volume interesting and instructive. F. C. B. _6 Haverstock Terrace, Hampstead, November, 1858._ CONTENTS. PAGE THE PROGRESS OF INVENTION 1 STEAM NAVIGATION 6 STEAM CARRIAGES AND RAILWAYS 32 THE AIR ENGINE 60 PHOTOGRAPHY 67 DISSOLVING VIEWS 86 THE KALEIDOSCOPE 92 THE MAGIC DISC 98 THE DIORAMA 103 THE STEREOSCOPE 112 THE ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH 124 ELECTRO-MAGNETIC CLOCKS 172 ELECTRO-METALLURGY 179 GAS LIGHTING 188 THE ELECTRIC LIGHT 209 INSTANTANEOUS LIGHTS 214 PAPER MAKING MACHINERY 221 PRINTING MACHINES 230 LITHOGRAPHY 249 AERATED WATERS 258 REVOLVERS AND MINIÉ RIFLES 266 CENTRIFUGAL PUMPS 275 TUBULAR BRIDGES 282