Search

This volume contains an introduction to land surveying and its underlying mathematical principles. Included are practical problems, illustrated examples, and reference tables.

This volume (174 pages) contains an introduction to land surveying and its underlying mathematical principles. Included are practical problems, illustrated examples, and reference tables.

The book, entitled "Land Surveying," opens with an introduction to geometry and trigonometry then focuses on practical surveying applications (around p. 49). Definitions, theorems, and problems are illustrated with diagrams and example problems. The remainder of the volume (pp. 142-174) pertains to surveying measurements, methodology, and tools. The author explained different measurements, such as Scottish units, English units, and the "chain," and applied mathematical principles to surveyors' practices. Many problems include ink-and-watercolor pictures of irregularly shaped lakes or fields, and several concern locations referred to as "Broom Park," "Mire Park," "Farm Park," and "Hill Side Farm." Additional subjects of study are land division and measuring levelness. The volume also contains tables of measurements. Decorative geometric drawings, done in ink with the occasional addition of watercolors, are interspersed throughout the book.

In this book, a traveling New England schoolteacher recorded instructional exercises, instructional explanations, poetry, and biographical information about pupils. The author taught in New Hampshire and present-day Maine. Subjects of instruction include arithmetic, surveying, geometry, nautical navigation, and writing.

A traveling New England schoolteacher recorded instructional exercises, instructional explanations, poetry, and biographical information about pupils in this volume (220 pages, 8" x 12") between 1787 and 1811. The author taught in New Hampshire and present-day Maine and entered personal information about teaching appointments throughout the volume. Individual lessons are dated as early as 1787, and the volume includes several lists of male and female pupils from teaching engagements in various towns, dated as late as 1811. Some lists of students are accompanied by the students' birthdates. Classes convened in schoolhouses, other public structures, and private homes.

Each page has a subject label, and several pages are comprised of miscellaneous questions entitled "A Collection of Questions," occasionally attributed to The London Magazine. Much of the volume pertains to instruction in mathematical subjects such as algebra, geometry, and trigonometry, and it includes diagrams, examples, and practical applications. Lengthy sections are devoted to surveying and nautical navigation (including "plane-sailing"), often with many diagrams. Other sections concern subjects such as writing and history, with examples of proverbs, deeds, marriage licenses, and letters for copying. Some pages have collections of anecdotes, proverbs, and poems, usually pertaining to morality and religion. A number of lengthier poems concern death and weddings, and one is entitled "Rodgers & Victory[:] Tit for tat. Or the Chesapeake paid for in British Blood!!!" Other parts include a cure for jaundice, a "rebus," a table of symbols for astronomical objects, information about "Occult Philosophy or Magic," instructions for gauging a copper kettle and a man of war, and a list of nouns with corresponding verbs and participles. Some of the material is copied from outside sources, such as John Love's Geodesia.