Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 36.djvu/278

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Martin
272
Martin

occurred on 9 Feb. 1782. His valuable collection of fossils and curiosities was almost given away by public auction. The only discoverable record of his family is the mention of a son, Lovell Martin, in Gill's ‘Technical Repository,’ 1828. There was a portrait of him in Greene's Museum, Lichfield. There is an engraving of his portrait in the ‘Gentleman's Magazine,’ 1785, pt. ii. facing p. 743.

The following is a list of his works, other than those already mentioned: 1. ‘Elements of Geometry,’ 1733. 2. ‘Spelling Book of Arts and Sciences for the Use of Schools.’ 3. ‘Philosophical Grammar, in four parts: I. Somatology. II. Cosmology. III. Ærology. IV. Geology.’ ‘The whole extracted from the writings of the greatest naturalists of the last and present age, treated in the familiar way of dialogue, adapted purposely to the capacities of the youth of both sexes, and adorned and illustrated with variety of copperplates, maps, &c., several of which are entirely new, and all easy to be understood.’ This work appeared in 1735, and had reached a seventh edition in 1769; it was translated into French by Puisieux in 1749, and republished in French in 1764 and 1777. It may be regarded as the most successful of Martin's works. 4. ‘The Young Student's Memorial Book,’ 1735. 5. ‘A new System of Decimal Arithmetic,’ 1735, containing a new set of tables, showing the value of any decimal part of any integer, whether money, weight, measure, motion, time, &c. 6. ‘Trigonometer's Complete Guide,’ 2 vols. 1736. 7. ‘Description and Use of both the Globes,’ 1736. 8. ‘Elements of all Geometry,’ 8 vols. 1739. 9. ‘Description and Use of a newly invented Pocket Microscope,’ 1740. 10. ‘Logarithmologia,’ 1740. 11. ‘Micrographia Nova, or a new Treatise on the Microscope and Microscopic Objects,’ &c., Reading, 1742. 12. ‘Description and Use of a Case of Mathematical Instruments,’ 1745. 13. ‘An Essay on Electricity,’ 1746, ‘being an enquiry into the nature, cause, and properties thereof, on the principles of Sir Isaac Newton's theory of vibrating motion, light, and fire, and the various phenomena of forty-two capital experiments,’ &c. His experiments are popular experiments on electrical induction. The essay contains a dim forecast of modern theories in the statement: ‘This subtle matter or spirit appears to be of an elastic nature, and acts by the reciprocation of its tremors or pulses, which are occasioned by the vibrating motion of the parts of an electric body excited by friction.’ The preface contained some disparaging remarks on an essay on the same subject by John Freke [q.v.] , who replied in an appendix to his second edition, and was answered by Martin in a ‘Supplement containing Remarks on a Rhapsody of Adventures of a Modern Knight-errant in Philosophy,’ 1746. 14. ‘Philosophia Britannica,’ 2 vols. 1747; a new and comprehensive system of the Newtonian philosophy, astronomy, and geography, in a course of twelve lectures, with notes. The first volume is dedicated to Lord-chief-justice Lee; the second to the Earl of Orrery. 15. ‘Panegyric of the Newtonian Philosophy,’ 1749. 16. ‘On the New Construction of the Globes,’ 1755. 17. ‘Essay on Visual Glasses,’ 1756. 18. ‘Essay on the Use of Globes,’ 1758. 19. ‘New Elements of Optics,’ 1759. 20. ‘A sure Guide to Distillers,’ 1759. 21. ‘Venus in the Sun,’ 1761. 22. ‘A plain and familiar Introduction to the Newtonian Philosophy,’ 5th edit. 1765. 23. ‘Institutions of Astronomical Calculations,’ 1765. 24. ‘The Mariner's Mirror, or the Philosophical Principles of Navigation, including a Translation of Maupertuis's Nautical Astronomy,’ 1768. 25. ‘The Mariner's Mirror, Part ii., containing a new Method of finding the Longitude of a Ship at Sea,’ &c., 1769. 26. ‘Description and Use of a Table Clock upon a new Construction,’ 1770. 27. ‘Description and Use of an Orrery,’ 1771. 28. ‘Description … of a graphic Perspective and Microscope,’ 1771. 29. ‘Optical Essays’ [1770]. 30. ‘Logarithmologia Nova,’ London, 1772. 31. ‘The Young Gentleman and Lady's Philosophy,’ in the form of a Dialogue between Cleonicus, an Undergraduate, and Euphrosyne, his Sister; vol. i., ‘The Heavens and Atmosphere;’ vol. ii., ‘The Use of the Celestial and Terrestrial Globes, Light and Colours, Sounds and Music,’ 3rd edit. 1781; vol. iii., ‘Animal, Vegetable, and Mineral Kingdoms,’ 1782.

[Works; Gent. Mag. 1785, pt. ii. p. 583; Manning and Bray's Hist. of Surrey, iii. 89; Present State of Republic of Letters, 1735, xvi. 167; information kindly supplied by W. H. Brown, esq., assist. sec. Royal Microscopic Society.]

C. P.

MARTIN, DAVID (1737–1798), painter and engraver, born in 1737, was son of the parish schoolmaster at Anstruther in Fife. His brother, the Rev. Samuel Martin, D.D., was minister of the parish of Moniaive, co. Fife. He became a pupil of Allan Ramsay the portrait-painter [q. v.], and when quite young accompanied Ramsay to Rome. On his return he became a student at the academy in St. Martin's Lane, where he gained some premiums for drawings from the life. On leaving Ramsay Martin practised both as engraver and portrait-painter. He obtained considerable success in the latter line, and on return-