Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. The gratifying reception of this work having rendered a second impression necessary, the opportunity has been taken of adding a few new axioms and aphorisms, and of omitting or amending a few others.
The author desires to thank many correspondents at home and abroad for friendly criticisms and helpful suggestions.