CHAPTER V.

SECT. 1.--ON THE COLOURS OF LIGHT.

Colours, the beauty of nature--Opinions which were formerly entertained respecting their cause--Sir I. Newton’s experiments with the Prism--Colours and phenomena produced by the prism--Imperfection of optic lenses--Various illustrations--Differently coloured rays have not the same illuminating power--Heating and chemical properties of some of the rays of the solar spectrum--property of communicating the Magnetic power--Fraunhofer, and his discoveries in reference to the spectrum--Experiments on white and coloured light

_page_ 123-137.

SECT. 2.--ON THE COLOURS OF NATURAL OBJECTS.

Colours not in the objects themselves, but in the light which falls upon them--Illustrations of this position--Atmosphere the source of a variety of colours--Various natural phenomena, in relation to colour, explained

_page_ 137-143.

SECT. 3.--PHENOMENA OF THE RAINBOW.

Rainbow described--Experiments to illustrate its cause--Descriptions of its various phenomena, and optical explanations of their causes--Rainbows exhibiting _complete circles_--Their appearance in different countries--Summary view of the principal facts respecting the rainbow--_Lunar_ rainbows--Scriptural allusions to the rainbow--Whether there was any rainbow before the deluge

_page_ 144-157.

SECT. 4.--REFLECTIONS ON THE BEAUTY AND UTILITY OF COLOURS.

Beauty and variety derived from colours in the scenery of nature--Colours produced by the atmosphere in different countries--What would be the aspect of nature, in heaven and on earth, were there only one colour--How it would affect the common intercourse and employments of society--Wisdom and Beneficence of the Creator displayed in the diversity of colours--Throughout all the systems of the universe, a diversity of colours prevails--This subject has a tendency to inspire us with gratitude

_page_ 158-168.