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Author: Fisher, George, accomptant.
Title: The American instructor: or, Young man's best companion. Containing, spelling, reading, writing, and arithmetick, in an easier way than any yet published; and how to qualify any person for business, without the help of a master. : Instructions to write variety of hands ... How to write letters on business or friendship. Forms of indentures, ... releases, &c. : Also merchants accompts, and a short and easy method of shop and book keeping; with a description of the several American colonies. : Together with the carpenter's plain and exact rule: shewing how to measure carpenters ... To which is added, The poor planter's physician ... And also, prudent advice to young tradesmen and dealers. The whole better adapted to these American colonies, than any other book of the like kind. / By George Fisher, accomptant.
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Print source: The American instructor: or, Young man's best companion. Containing, spelling, reading, writing, and arithmetick, in an easier way than any yet published; and how to qualify any person for business, without the help of a master. : Instructions to write variety of hands ... How to write letters on business or friendship. Forms of indentures, ... releases, &c. : Also merchants accompts, and a short and easy method of shop and book keeping; with a description of the several American colonies. : Together with the carpenter's plain and exact rule: shewing how to measure carpenters ... To which is added, The poor planter's physician ... And also, prudent advice to young tradesmen and dealers. The whole better adapted to these American colonies, than any other book of the like kind. / By George Fisher, accomptant.
Fisher, George, accomptant., Slack, Ann Fisher, 1719-1778.
Philadelphia:: Printed by B. Franklin and D. Hall, at the new-printing-office, in Market-Street,, 1753.
Subject terms:
Business mathematics.
Handbooks, vade-mecums, etc.
Textbooks.
Booksellers' advertisements -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia.
URL: https://name.umdl.umich.edu/N05611.0001.001
How to cite: For suggestions on citing this text, please see Citing the TCP on the Text Creation Partnership website.

Table of Contents
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title page
THE PREFACE.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR YOUTH, To SPELL, READ, and WRITE TRUE ENGLISH.
Of Letters Great and Small, and when to be used.
Observations concerning the Sound of Letters, and which are omitted in Pronounciation.
Of Syllables, and their Divsion, being the Art of Spelling.
Of Stops, Marks, and Points, used in Reading and Writing, with their Places and Significations.
Of Abreviations.
DIRECTIONS to BEGINNERS.
To hold the Pen.
How to make a Pen.
Copies in Prose, and Clinking, in Alphabetical Order
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.
I.
K.
L.
M.
N.
O.
P.
Q.
R.
S.
T.
V.
W.
X.
Y.
Z.
Short Lines for Text Hand.
Double Lines in Verse.
A Receipt for Black Ink.
Ingredients for a Quart.
How to make Red Ink.
To keep Ink from Freezing or Moulding.
miliar Letters on several Occasions, and on divers Subjects.
A Letter from a Son to his Father.
A Letter from a Young Man to his Uncle.
The Uncle's Answer.
A Letter from a Niece to her Aunt.
A Letter of proffer'd Assistance to a Friend.
A Brother to a Sister.
A Letter from a Youth at School to his Parents.
From an Apprentice to his Friends.
A Letter of Recommendation.
A Daughter to a Mother, in relation to Marriage.
To a Country Chapman.
A Letter of Congratulation.
A Letter of Enquiry of Health.
A Letter by Way of Petition to a Friend.
A Letter of Friendship.
A Letter of Correspondence.
part
SUBSCRIPTIONS.
The Sons of Nobility.
For the Beginning of Letters.
Of Secret Writing.
Of ARITHMETICK.
Of Numerical-Letters.
ADDITION.
Addition of Money.
More Examples for Practice.
Addition of Avoirdupois Weight.
Addition of Troy Weight.
Examples of Troy Weight.
How to prove Addition.
A Table of the Parts of Apothecaries Weight.
A Table of Wool-Weight.
A Table of Liquid Measure.
SUBTRACTION.
A general Rule.
Subtraction of divers Denominations. Of Money.
MULTIPLICATION.
Now for Application.
Compound Multiplication.
Multiplication of Money.
The general Rule,
To prove Multiplication.
DIVISION.
More Examples by a single Figure.
The Use of the said Table.
The Proof of Multiplication and Division.
To prove Division.
REDUCTION.
Reduction Ascending.
By Reduction also,
The GOLDEN RULE: Or RULE of THREE.
The Stating the Question.
The Rule of Three Reverse, or of Indirect Proportion.
The Double Rule of Three Direct.
The Double Rule of Three Reverse.
Rules of Practice.
Even Parts of a Pound.
TARE and TRETT, &c.
Tare at so much per Cask, Hogshead, Bag, &c.
Of TRETT.
Of FRACTIONS Vulgar and Decimal.
1. To Reduce a mixt Number to n iproper Fraction.
2. To reduce an improper Fraction to a whole or mixt Number.
3. To reduce Fractions to a common Denominator.
4 To reduce a Fraction into its lowest Terms.
5. To reduce a compound Fraction into a simple One of the same Value.
6. To find the Value of any Fraction, whether of Coins Weight or Measure.
Addition of Vulgar Fractions.
Substraction of Vulgar Fractions.
Multiplication of Vulgar Fractions.
2. To multiply a whole Number by a Fraction.
3. To multiply a Simple by a Compound Fraction.
Division of Vulgar Fractions.
Valuation of Decimals.
Addition of Decimals.
Substraction of Decimals.
Multiplication of Decimals.
Division of Decimals.
BOOK-KEEPING.
Instructions, Notes, Rules, and Directions for the right ordering and keeping Merchants Accompts, by the excellent Order of Charge and Discharge, com|monly called Debtor and Creditor.
Of the Books in Use.
Waste-Book.
JOURNAL.
Of the Leidger.
Profit and Loss is Dr.
Per Contra Dr.
To ballance or clear an Account when full written.
To remove an Account full written to another Folio.
How to balance at the Year's End, and thereby to know the State of your Affairs and Circumstances.
And first of Receipts of different Forms.
A Receipt in Part of Goods sold.
A Receipt given in a Receipt Book.
receipt
receipt
receipt
receipt
A Receipt on the Back of a Bill of Exchange.
Promissory Notes.
promissory note
promissory note
A Note given by Two.
A Bill of Debt.
A Bill of Parcels.
Bill.
A Woollen Draper's Bill. London, September 24, 1753.
A Linnen Draper's Bill, September 26, 1753.
A Grocer's Bill.
A Hosier's Bill.
A Fishmonger's Bill.
A Leather-seller's Bill.
A Pewterer's Bill.
Bills on Book Debts. A Woollen Draper's Bill.
A Mercer's Bill.
A Corn Chandler's Bill.
A Tobacconist's Bill.
A Stationer's Bill.
A Bricklayer's Bill.
Of Bills of Exchange.
A Bill payable at Sight.
part
part
A Foreign Bill of Exchange.
Notes on Bills of Exchange.
Of Endorsing.
Of Protesting.
Another Bill of Debt.
A Bill for Money borrowed.
The Form of an Invoice.
The Form of an Account of Sales.
instructions in mathematics
The Extraction of the Square and Cube Roots, of great Use in Measuring, Gauging, &c.
The Square Root.
The Extraction of the Cube Root.
Some Geometrical Problems useful in Mensuration.
Upon a right Line given to rect a Perpendicular, as in Figure 1.
How to raise a Perpendicular on the End of a Line.
First Method.
The Second Method.
How to divide a Right Line into two equal Parts, an at Right Angles; as in Figure the 3d.
Of Parallel Right Lines
To draw a Right Line Parallel to another Right Lin at a Distance given; as in Figure the 4th.
To bring any three Points (not in a strait Line) into a Circle by finding the Centre, so that the Circle shall pass thrhose Points; as in Figure the 5th.
How to make a Line of Chords Geometrically, to any assigned Length or Radius.
To make the Line of Chords; as in Figure the 6th.
Of Mensuration of Plains and Solids.
Superficial Measure.
Of the Square.
A General Rule for Dispatch.
Proper Directions for Joyners, Painters, Glsiers, &c.
Glasiers Work, by the Foot.
Painters Work by the Yard.
Joiners Work.
Carpenters Work.
The Operation by Cross Multiplication.
Bricklayers and Tylers Work. Of Walling.
Of Chimnies.
Gable Ends.
Paving.
Slating.
Plaistering.
Masons Work.
Prices of Stone and Urns.
Glaziers Work.
An Expeditious Way.
Of Board Measure.
Of Land Measure.
To measure a Geometrical, or True Square.
To measure a Parallelogram, or Long Square.
To measure a Rhombus.
To measure a Rhomboides.
To measure any Manner of Triangle.
To measure a Trapezium.
To measure any irregular Piece of Land.
Of a Circle.
Figure the Fourteenth.
Figure the Fifteenth.
To measure the Quarter or Quadrant of a Circle.
Solid Measure.
Digging.
Of a Globe.
To measure a Pyramid.
To measure a Cone.
Of Gauging.
To Gauge a Back, or Square Tun.
o find the Content of any round Tun, or Tub, whose Diameters at top and Bottom are parallel, but unequal.
To gauge a Butt, Pipe, Hogshead, Barrel or any othe close Cask.
To find the Quantity of Liquor remaining in a sphe|roidical Cask standing on its Head.
Some Uses of the Square and Cube Roots.
e. To find the Side of a Square equal to the Area of a given Superficies.
3. The Area of a Circle being given, to find the Periphery.
4. The Area of a Circle being given, to find the Diameter.
5. Any two Sides of a Right Angld Triangle being iven, to find the third Side.
Another Way to find the Length and Thickness of Masts in Yards, viz.
The Description.
A small Representation of the Globe.
Its Description.
Of Heighths.
To find the Hour of the Day.
To find the Latitude of a Place.
Of Dialling.
To fix a Dial North and South.
Of Upright Planes.
An Erect Direct North Dial.
An East Direct Dial, in Latitude 40 Degrees.
An Erect and Direct West-Dial.
An easy Way how to fix a Dial North and South.
Of Beautifying and Colouring Dials.
To make the Fat Oil for Dials.
The Gold Size for Dials.
A Mixture for Hour-Lines.
To draw Golden Letters or Figures for the Hours.
Of the Dial Plane.
Of Colours and Dying.
Of mixing Colours.
Of Dying Wool, Stuffs, &c.
A Hint of Generals, or Things proper to be known and remember'd on proper Occasions.
part
Barrels of sundry Commodities.
Things in Wholesale Trade, bought and sold by the Thousand.
Things sold and bought at Six Score to the Hundred.
Of Money.
Imaginary Money.
Instrumental Arithmetick.
1. The Carpenter's Plain Rule.
2. Gunter's Line.
To number on the Line.
To find a Number on the Line, as suppos34.
To find a small Number on the Line, as sup|pose 12.
Multiplication by the Line.
Division by the Line.
The Rule of Three Direct.
Rule of Three Inverse.
The Use in Board Measure.
In Timber Measure.
Brick Work.
3. Coggeshall's Sliding Rule.
Its Description.
The Use of the Double Scale.
To measur by the Rule.
Of the Girt Line.
Board Measure.
When Dimensions are Feet and Parts, and the Content requir|ed in Feet and Parts.
legal instructions
Of Bonds, and Conditions of Bonds.
A Bond from one to one.
A Bond wherein two Persons are bound to one.
A Condition of a Counter Bond, or a Bond of Indemnity, where one Man is bound for another.
A Condition to perform Covenants in a Deed.
A Condition of an Arbitration Bond, with an Umpirage.
The Umpirage.
Of Releases of Rights, Actions, Claims and Demands.
A General Release of all Demands.
A Release of Personal Actions.
Of Letters of Attorney, and other Authorities, &c.
A Letter of Attorney.
A Letter of Attorney by a Seaman.
Of Articles of Agreement.
Articles for the taking down an old House, and building up a new One, for a certain Sum of Money.
Of Bills of Sale, and Bargains and Sales.
A Bill of Sale of Goods.
A Bill of Sale of Part of a Ship, with its Furniture, &c
A Bargain and Sale of Lands.
Of Gifts, Grants, Exchanges, &c.
A Deed of Gift of Goods and Chattels.
A Deed of Gift of Lands, &c.
Of Indentures.
An Indenture for placing forth an Apprentice.
Licence.
A Licence to a Debtor.
Of Leases, Distress for Rent, &c.
A Lease of a House for a Term of Years.
Of Assignments.
An Assignment of a Bond.
Of Mortgages, &c.
A Mortgage of Goods.
A Mortgage of Lands.
Of Conveyances, Feoffments, Wills.
A Lease or Bargain and Sale for a Year, as the Foun|dation of a Release.
A Release or Conveyance of Lands.
A Deed of Feoffment of a Messuage.
A Will with Devise of Lands, Goods and Chattels.
miscellaneous information
A short, but comprehensive Account of all Arts and Sciences.
Of the Seven Wonders of the World.
Of the MUSES.
Of HERCULES.
A short Historical Table of the most remarkable Events, that happened in the World, from the Creation to the Death of Julius Caesar.
A short Abstract of the History of England.
WILLIAM the Conqueror,
WILLIAM RUFUS,
HENRY I.
STEPHEN,
HENRY II.
RICHARD I.
JOHN.
HENRY III.
EDWARD I.
EDWARD II.
EDWARD III.
RICHARD II.
HENRY IV.
HENRY V.
HENRY VI.
EDWARD IV.
EDWARD V.
RICHARD III.
HENRY VII.
HENRY VIII.
EDWARD VI.
Queen MARY,
ELIZABETH.
JAMES I.
CHARLES I.
OLIVER CROMWELL
CHARLES II.
JAMES II.
WILLIAM III.
Queen ANNE
GEORGE I.
GEORGE II.
To innoculate FRUIT-TREES.
To graff FRUIT-TREES.
Of Pruning FRUIT-TREES.
Sort of Melasses made of Apples; the Account com|unicated to the Royal Society, by Paul Dudley, Esq of New-England, and published in the Philosophical Trans|actions, Numb. 374.
A short Account of the British Plantations.
HUDSON's BAY,
NEWFOUNDLAND,
NOVA-SCOTIA, or ACADIA,
NEW-ENGLAND
NEW-YORK,
NEW-JERSEY,
PENNSYLVANIA.
MARYLAND and VIRGINIA,
NORTH and SOUTH-CAROLINA'S,
GEORGIA,
BERMUDAS,
JAMAICA,
LEEARD ISLANDS,
BARBADOS,
The FAMILY'S BEST COMPANION; giving instructions how to pickle and preserve; to make divers Sorts of Wines of our Product; together with many excellent and approved Medicines, Salves, &c. necessary in all Families.
Of Pickling, Preserving, Candying, &c.
To Pickle Cucumbers.
To pickle Cucumbers green.
To pickle French Beans.
To pickle Eldern, or any other Buds of Trees.
To pickle Walnuts to eat like Mangoes.
To pickle Mushrooms.
To pickle any Sort of Flowers for Sallads, as Clove-Gil Flowers, &c.
To pickle Samphire, Broom Buds, Ashen-Keys, Purslain, &•
To pickle Lemon and Orange Peel.
To preserve green Apricots.
To preserve Fruit Green.
To preserve Rasberries.
To preserve Barberries.
To preserve Currants.
To preserve Walnuts Green.
To preserve Grapes.
To preserve Cherries.
To candy Cherries.
To candy Pears, Plumbs, Apricots, &c.
To candy Flowers.
Of making sundry Sorts of Wines.
Currant Wine.
Artificial Claret.
Goosberry Wine.
Rasberry Wine.
Damson Wine.
Wine of Grapes.
Wine of Strawberries or Rasberries.
A short Way for Cherry Wine.
Black Cherry Wine.
To make Cyder.
Mead.
Of Jellies.
Every Man his own DOCTOR: Or the POOR PLANTER's PHYSICIAN.
COUGH.
WHOOPING COUGH.
PLEURISY.
FEVER, Pain in the Head, Eye, or Ear.
QUINSEY.
SORE-THROAT.
CONSUMPTION.
BLOODY-FLUX.
WHITE-FLUX.
LOOSENESS.
GRIPING.
CHOLICK.
DRY-GRIPES.
HEART-BURN.
PALSEY.
EPILEPSY.
LETHARGY.
FEVER, with violent Purging and Vomiting.
AGUE.
CONTINUAL FEVERS.
SLOW FEVER.
WORM FEVER.
CACHEXY.
YELLOW JAUNDICE.
DROPSY.
BLEEDING PILES.
FLOODING.
BLEEDING at the NOSE.
SPITTING or PISSING of BLOOD.
WHITES.
GLEET.
DIABETES.
VAPOURS.
UPPRESSION of the COURSES.
STONE in the BLADDER.
GRAVEL.
SUPPRESSION of URINE.
BLIND PILES.
RUPTURE.
KING's EVIL.
YAWS.
PAPA's REMEDY.
POX.
CANCER.
RHEUMATISM.
GOUT.
BITE of a RATTLE SNAKE.
BITE of a MAD DOG.
FILM.
SORE EYES.
SPRAIN.
BROKEN SHIN.
SWELLING to DISCUSS.
SWELLIG to BREAK.
SEAR CLOTH.
DEAFNESS.
An Index of Diseases mentioned in Every Man his own Doctor.
An Index of Ingredients made use of.
The Printer to the Reader wisheth Health.
POSTSCRIPT.
An Addition of some farther RECEIPTS.
BRUISE or SCALD outward.
BRUISES INWARD.
BOUND in the BODY.
CANKER in the MOUTH.
For a COUGH.
CONVULSIONS in CHILDREN.
For the Stone or Stoppage in the Urine.
To make Melilot excellent for Plaisters.
Advice to a young Tradesman, written by an old One.
An Explanation of Mr. J. B's Twelve Cyphers.
Lately published, and to be sold by B. FRANK|LIN, and D. HALL, at the New-Print|ing-Office, the following BOOKS, viz.