Monthly supplement of the penny magazine of the Society for the Diffusion of…
"Monthly supplement of the penny magazine of the Society for the Diffusion of…" is an illustrated periodical miscellany produced in the early 19th century. It presents short, readable articles and reviews spanning architecture, machinery and industry, natural history, public monuments, travel writing, and contemporary literature, aimed at popular education and curiosity. The contents range widely. It opens with a report on the Abbey of St. Alban’s—its ancient history, mixed Roman and Norman
fabric, recent storm damage, and a public appeal for repairs—followed by a lucid review of Charles Babbage’s “Economy of Machinery and Manufactures,” highlighting the logic of mechanization and memorable examples such as caterpillar-made “lace” and the steam-driven workflow of a London daily paper. A Zoological Society report documents the birth of puma cubs and feeding experiments showing carnivores thrive on one daily meal. A note on Chantrey’s bronze statue of William Pitt precedes “Gleanings in Natural History,” with lively scenes of deer-taking in Richmond Park. Further pieces assess American institutions and finance and describe the booming gold mines of the southern United States; sketch the Calabrias, contrasting their rich resources with social misery; introduce William Cullen Bryant’s poetry (with “To a Waterfowl”) as a refined American voice; and recount Captain Mundy’s Indian tour, mixing camp life, close shaves with thieves, and dramatic hunts involving lions, tigers, and remarkably wise elephants. The supplement closes with publication notices for this affordable, instructive series. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
