Contents -- Part I: Of the General Nature and Advantages of the Study of the Physical Sciecnes. -- Chapter I: Of Man regarded as a Creature of Instinct, of Reason, and Speculation.-General Influence of Scientific Pursuits on the Mind. -- Chapter II: Of abstract Science as a Preparation for the Study of Physics.-A profound Acquaintance with it not indispensable for a clear Understanding of Physical Laws.-How a Conviction of their Truth may be obtained without it.-Instances.-Further Division of the Subject. -- Chapter III: Of the Nature and Objects, immediate and collateral, of Physical Science, as regarded in itself, and in its Application to the practical Purposes of Life, and its Influence on the Well-being and Progress of Society. -- Part II: Of the Principles on which Physical Science Relies for its Succesful Prosecution, and the Rules by which a Systematic Examination of Nature should be Conducted, with Illustrations of their Influence as Exemplified in the History of its Progress. -- Chapter I: Of Experience as the Source of our Knowledge.-Of the Dismissal of Prejudices.-Of the Evidence of our Senses. -- Chapter II: Of the Analysis of Phenomena. -- Chapter III: Of the State of Physical Science in General, previous to the Age of Galileo and Bacon. -- Chapter IV: Of the Observation of Facts and the Collection of Instances. -- Chapter V: Of the Classification of Natural Objects and Phenomena, and of Nomenclature. -- Chapter VI: Of the First Stage of Induction.-The Discovery of Proximate Causes, and Laws of the lowest Degree of Generality, and their Verification. -- Chapter VII: Of the higher Degrees of Inductive Generalization, and of the Formation and Verification of Theories. -- Part III: Of the Subdivision of Physics into Distinct Branches, and their Mutual Relations.

Chapter I: Of the Phenomena of Force, and of the Constitution of Natural Bodies. -- Chapter II: Of the Communication of Motion through Bodies.-Of Sound and Light. -- Chapter III: Of Cosmical Phenomena. -- Chapter IV: Of the Examination of the material Constituents of the World. -- Chapter V: Of the Imponderable Forms of Matter, -- Chapter VI: Of the Causes of the actual rapid Advance of the Physical Sciences compared with their Progress at an earlier Period.