The young student's pocket companion, or Arithmetic, geometry, trigonometry, and mensuration. With an appendix

number, dominical letter, epact, leap year, new and full moons, the moon's age, and fouthing, with an eafy method of finding the fun's place any day, place of the moon's nodes, and thence to find any full, or change whether either fun or moon will be eclipfed

or not.

Alfo an epitome of an almanac, and the method by which it may be made perpetual, by which may be found in lefs time than a minute, the day of the month in any year to come.

To which we have added a table and its ufe, by which any perfon that can caft a money account by addition only, may find the price of any number of yards, feet, pounds, ftones, hundreds, gallons, hogfheads, tuns, &c. from one to a thousand, at any price from a farthing to ten pounds, confequently by this table anfwers may be found to feveral milions of different questions.

It only now remains to make an apology, according to custom for the publication of this collection in the form it now appears, after such a number of books on these subjects.

ift Some authors have treated on numbers only, as HILL, COCKIN, HUTTON, WINGATE, ADDINGTON MALCOMB, but those seperate come not under 3s. and and from that to 12s.

zd. Others have treated of geometry, trigonometry, decimals, logarithms, and the extraction of roots, as MARTIN, EMERSON, WHISTON, EUCLID, HAWNEY; WARD, &c. which alfo coft from 45. to 12s. each

3d. Others have treated of mensuration, as HAWNEY, HUTTON, ROBERTSON, FLETCHER, &c. from 4s. to 145.

4th. None of these that I have feen have explained the nature of repetends, and circulating decimals, or fhewn by an easy method when eclipfes of the fun or moon happen; with feveral other things that might be enumerated.

5th. To purchase all thefe authors would require 4 guineas at least, in which you would have fome things

not

not to be found in the pocket companion, and fome things would be wanting that the pocket companion fupplys, but here you have at the expence of half a rown every thing of real ufe, to form the man of trade or bufinefs.

6th. Confidering the expence that attended pur chafing a useful affortment of books on these subjects, I thought a few leifure hours could not be better applyed than in compiling the pocket companion, for the fake of the common clafs and the great number of widdows fons; that are to be found in all fea port towns and their environs, whofe parents or guardians cannot well fpare five fhillings to lay out in books for their improvement in this molt useful knowledge.

7th There are but few fo destitute of friends, relations or well wishing and well difpofed neighbours of ability to make a prefent of the pocket companion, to the needy youth, that are willing to add induftry to a capacity in order to acquire fuch useful knowledge, as may qualify them for bufinefs; fo that this book tho' fmall may become a valuable gift. Should there happen in our neighbourhood any fuch diligent fludious perfons deftitute of ability and friends, on application to me they fhall each have the loan of one gratis for a few months, fo long as the number fet apart for that purpose are undifpofed of.

Laftly. The pocket companion has been gradually improving into the prefent form, thro' the course of my practice upwards of twenty years, fo that now being age it is hoped that it will be of general utility, both to the young ftudious learner, and to the young tutor. As it contains every thing that is of real ufe, ncceffary to come into a learners book, and but little that is fuperfluous. Should the examples in fome rules be thought too few, that defect may eafily be fupplied by the mafter in the courfe of teaching; As a greater number of examples would have occupied the room of things more immediately useful, and of more confequence.

To conclude, we thankfully acknowledge the kind afliftance of all our generous fubfcribers, hereby foli

citing, that on perufal of these fheets, they may be
kind enough to favour us with a line of their approba-
tion or the contrary; or if on examination any materi-
al error, defect, or omifion, appear fuch information
fhall be gratefully received, in order that the next
impreffion may be altered, amended, or improved ac-
cordingly.

As I am not confcious of any faults commited in this
piece; I hope there are but few, though in fuch a vari-
ety of articles it is fcarcely poffible but fome will efcape
unobferved. Therefore I muft defire the courteous and
good natured reader (for whom it is written) that he will
rather kindly inform me of the errors, and defects in
this piece, than cenfure and condemn the book. For as
truth is what I feek, it will be a pleasure to retract or
correct any thing herein, when it appears to be incon-
fiftent with that, or the reafon of things.

JOHN DRAPER,

WHITEHAVEN,

MAY 12th.

1772.

CONTENTS.