Produced by Chris Curnow, Barry Abrahamsen, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) Useful Knowledge: 4th ed. Minerals. Vol 1 of 3 [Illustration: Frontispiece to Vol. I. see Page 238, 239. Comparative Height of Mountains, Cities and Lakes British Islands –– Continent of Europe –– Islands not British –– Asia –– America J. Shury sculp.] ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── USEFUL KNOWLEDGE: OR A FAMILIAR ACCOUNT OF THE VARIOUS PRODUCTIONS OF Nature, MINERAL, VEGETABLE, AND ANIMAL, WHICH ARE CHIEFLY EMPLOYED FOR THE USE OF MAN. Illustrated with numerous Figures, and intended as a Work both of Instruction and Reference. ─────── BY THE REV. WILLIAM BINGLEY, AM. FLS. LATE OF PETERHOUSE, CAMBRIDGE, AND AUTHOR OF ANIMAL BIOGRAPHY. [Illustration: Publisher’s Logo] IN THREE VOLUMES. VOL. I. MINERALS. ─────── FOURTH EDITION. ─────── LONDON: PRINTED FOR BALDWIN, CRADOCK, AND JOY; HARVEY AND DARTON; AND C. AND J. RIVINGTON. ─────── 1825. ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── C. Baldwin, Printer, New Bridge─street, London. ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── PREFACE. ─────── THE mode in which instruction has hitherto been conveyed, on the peculiar subjects of the present work, has chiefly been by small books, in question and answer, denominated catechisms. But such, however respectable in themselves, or however advantageous for children, are wholly insufficient for persons who are in search of extended knowledge, and desirous of furnishing their minds with useful information. On these subjects there has not hitherto been published any work in which they are collectively to be found; nor could a knowledge of them be obtained but by the consultation of many and expensive writings. That they are generally important to be known will not probably be denied.