And sold in Philadelphia by E. L. Carey & A. Hart; in New-York by G. & C. & H. Carvill; in Boston by Carter & Hendee-in Charleston by W. H. Berrett-in New-Orleans by W. M'Kean; by the principal booksellers throughout the Union,

AND IN LONDON, BY JOHN MILLER, ST. JAMES'S STREET.

VOLUMES III.

CONTAINING ABOUT 1500 ARTICLES,
(To be continued at intervals of three months,)

OF THE

ENCYCLOPEDIA AMERICANA:

A

POPULAR DICTIONARY

OF

ARTS, SCIENCES, LITERATURE, HISTORY, AND POLITICS,

BROUGHT DOWN TO THE PRESENT TIME AND INCLUDING a copious
COLLECTION OF ORIGINAL ARTICLES IN

AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY:

On the basis of the Seventh Edition of the German
CONVERSATIONS-LEXICON.

EDITED BY DR. FRANCIS LIEBER,

ASSISTED BY EDWARD WIGGLESWORTH, Esq.

To be completed in twelve large volumes, octavo, price to subscribers, bound in cloth, two dollars and a half each.

EACH VOLUME WILL CONTAIN BETWEEN 600 AND 700 PAGES

THE CONVERSATION LEXICON, of which the seventh edition in twelve volumes has lately been published in Germany, origin. ated about fifteen years since. It was intended to supply a want occasioned by the character of the age, in which the sciences, arts, trades, and the various forms of knowledge and of active life, had become so much extended and diversified, that no individual engaged in business could become well acquainted with all subjects of general interest; while the wide diffusion of information rendered such knowledge essential to the character of an accomplished man. This want, no existing works were adequate to supply. Books treating of particular branches, such as gazetteers, &c. were too confined in character; while voluminous Encyclopædias were too learned, scientific,

and cumbrous, being usually claborate treatises, requiring much study or previous acquaintance with the subject discussed. The conductors of the CONVERSATION LEXICON endeavored to select from every branch of knowledge what was necessary to a wellinformed mind, and to give popular views of the more abstruse branches of learning and science; that their readers might not be incommoded, and deprived of pleasure or improvement, by ignorance of facts or expressions used in books or conversation. Such a work must obviously be of great utility to every class of readers. It has been found so much so in Germany, that it is met with everywhere, among the learned, the lawyers, the military, artists, merchants, mechanics, and men of all stations. The reader may judge how well it is adapted to its object, from the circumstance, that though it now consists of twelve volumes, seven editions, comprising about ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND COPIES, have been printed in less than fifteen years. It has been translated into the Swedish, Danish and Dutch languages, and a French translation is now preparing in Paris.

A great advantage of this work is its liberal and impartial character; and there can be no doubt that a book like the ENCYCLOPÆDIA AMERICANA will be found peculiarly useful in this country, where the wide diffusion of the blessings of education, and the constant intercourse of all classes, create a great demand for general information.

In the preparation of the work thus far, the Editors have been aided by many gentlemen of distinguished ability; and for the continuation, no efforts shall be spared to secure the aid of all who can, in any way, contribute to render it worthy of patronage.

The American Biography, which is very extensive, will be furnished by MR. WALSH, who has long paid particular attention to that branch of our literature, and from materials in the collection of which he has been engaged for some years. For obvious reasons, the notices of distinguished Americans will be confined to deceased individuals: the European biography contains notices of all distinguished living characters, as well as those of past times.

The articles on Zoology have been written expressly for the present edition by Dr. JOHN D. GODMAN; those on Chemistry and Mineralogy, by a gentleman deeply versed in those departments of science.

In relation to the Fine Arts, the work will be exceedingly rich. Great attention was given to this in the German work, and the Editors have been anxious to render it, by the necessary additions, as perfect as possible.

To gentlemen of the Bar, the work will be peculiarly valuable, as in cases where legal subjects are treated, an account is

given of the provisions of American, English, French, Prussian, Austrian, and Civil Law.

The Publishers believe it will be admitted, that this work is one of the cheapest ever published in this country. They have been desirous to render it worthy of a place in the best libraries, while at the same time they have fixed the price so low as to put it within the reach of all who read.

Those who can, by any honest modes of economy, reserve the sum of two dollars and fifty cents quarterly, from their family expenses, may pay for this work as fast as it is published; and we confidently believe that they will find at the end that they never purchased so much general, practical, useful information at so cheap à rate.-Journal of Education.

If the encouragement to the publishers should correspond with the testimony in favor of their enterprise, and the beautiful and faithful style of its execu. tion, the hazard of the undertaking, bold as it was, will be well compensated; and our libraries will be enriched by the most generally useful encyclopedic dictionary that has been offered to the readers of the English language. Full enough for the general scholar, and plain enough for every capacity, it is far more convenient, in every view and form, than its more expensive and ponderous predecessors-American Farmer.

The high reputation of the contributors to this work, will not fail to insure it a favorable reception, and its own merits will do the rest.—Silliman's Journ. The work will be a valuable possession to every family or individual that can afford to purchase it; and we take pleasure, therefore, in extending the knowledge of its merits.-National Intelligencer.

The Encyclopædia Americana is a prodigious improvement upon all that has gone before it; a thing for our country, as well as the country that gave it birth, to be proud of; an inexhaustible treasury of useful, pleasant and familiar learning on every possible subject, so arranged as to be speedily and safely referred to on emergency, as well as on deliberate inquiry; and better still, adapted to the understanding, and put within the reach of the multitude. * * The Encyclopædia Americana is a work without which no library worthy of the name can hereafter be made up.-Yankee.

The copious information which, if a just idea of the whole may be formed from the first volume, this work affords on American subjects, fully justifies its title of an American Dictionary; while at the same time the extent, variey, and felicitous disposition of its topics, make it the most convenient and satisfactory Encyclopædia that we have ever seen.-National Journal.

If the succeeding volumes shall equal in merit the one before us, we may confidently anticipate for the work a reputation and usefulness which ought to secure for it the most flattering encouragement and patronage.-Feucral Gazette.

The variety of topics is of course vast, and they are treated in a manner which is at once so full of information and so interesting, that the work, instead of being merely referred to, might be regularly perused with as much pleasure as profit.-Baltimore American.

We view it as a publication worthy of the age and of the country, and can. not but believe the discrimination of our countrymen will sustain the publishers, and well reward them for this contribution to American Literature.Baltimore Patriot.

We cannot doubt that the succeeding volumes will equal the first, and we hence warmly recommend the work to the patronage of the public, as being by far the best work of the kind ever offered for sale in this country.-U. S. Gaz. It reflects the greatest credit on those who have been concerned in its production, and promises, in a variety of respects, to be the best as well as the most compendious dictionary of the arts, sciences, history, politics, biography, &c. which has yet been compiled. The style of the portion we have read is terse and perspicuous; and it is really curious how so much scientific and other information could have been so satisfactorily communicated in such brief limits.-N. Y. Evening Post.

A compendious library, and invaluable book of reference.-N. Y. American

This cannot but prove a valuable addition to the literature of the age.-Mer Advertiser.

The appearance of the first volume of this valuable work in this country, is an event not less creditable to its enterprising publishers, than it is likely to prove lastingly beneficial to the public. When completed, according to the model presented by the first volume, it will deserve to be regarded as the spirit of all the best Encyclopædias, since it comprises whatever is really desirable and neccssary in them, and in addition, a large proportion of articles entirely original, or expressly written for its pages. This is the condition of all the articles of American Biography, by Mr. Waish; those on Zoology, by Dr. Godman; and those on Mineralogy and Chemistry, by a gentleman of Boston, distinguished for his successful devotion to those studies. The work abounds with interesting and useful matter, presented in a condensed and perspicuous style; nor is it one of its least commendations that it is to be comprised in twelve octavo volumes, which may be placed on an office table, or occupy a shelf in the parlor, ever ready for immediate reference, instead of requiring almost a room to itself, like its ponderous predecessors, the Britannica, Edinburgensis, &c.

The vast circulation this work has had in Europe, where it has already been reprinted in four or five languages, not to speak of the numerous German edi tions, of which SEVEN have been published, speaks loudly in favor of its intrinsic merit without which such a celebrity could never have been attained To every man engaged in public business, who needs a correct and ample book of reference on various topics of science and letters, the Encyclopædia Americana will be almost invaluable. To individuals obliged to go to situations where books are neither numerous nor easily procured, the rich contents of these twelve volumes will prove a mine which will amply repay its purchaser, and be with difficulty exhausted, and we recommend it to their patronage in the full conviction of its worth. Indeed it is difficuit to say to what class of readers such a book would not prove useful, nay, almost indispensable, since it combines a great amount of valuable matter in small compass, and at moderate expense, and is in every respect well suited to augment the reader's stock of ideas, and powers of conversation, without severely taxing time or fatiguing attention. These, at least, are our conclusions after a close and candid examination of the first volume.-Am. Daily Advertiser.

We have seen and carefully examined the first volume of the Encyclopædia Americana, just published by Carey, Lea and Carey, and think our readers may be congratulated upon the opportunity of making such a valuable accession to their libraries.—Aurora.

The department of American Biography, a subject of which it should be disgraceful to be ignorant, to the degree that many are, is, in this work, a prominent feature, and has received the attention of one of the most indefatigable writers in this department of literature, which the present age can furnish.-Boston Courier.

According to the plan of Dr. Lieber, a desideratum will be supplied; the substance of contemporary knowledge will be brought within a small compass;and the character and uses of a manual will be imparted to a kind of publication heretofore reserved, on strong shelves, for occasional reference. By those who understand the German language, the Conversation Lexicon is consulted ten times for one application to any English Encyclopædia.-National Gaz.

The volume now published is not only highly honorable to the taste, ability and industry of its editors and publishers, but furnishes a proud sample of the accuracy and elegance, with which the most elaborate and important literary enterprises may now be accomplished in our country. Of the manner in which the editors have thus far completed their task, it is impossible, in the course of a brief newspaper article, to speak with adequate justice.-Boston Bulletin. We have looked at the contents, generally, of the second volume of this work, and think it merits the encomiums which have been bestowed on it in the northern papers. It continues to be particularly rich in the departments of Biography and Natural History. When we look at the large mass of miscellaneous knowledge spred before the reader, in a form which has never been equalled for its condensation, and conveyed in a style that cannot be surpassed for propriety and perspicu ty, we cannot but think that the American Encyclopædia deserves a placen every collection, in which works of reference forin a portion."-Southern Patriot.