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were scarcely twelve and eleven years old when they ravaged a city and put all the inhabitants to the sword. Some of the laws are mentioned twice, and each time they are different in it." These are but a sample of a host of such errors which the author dwells on. The book throughout is full of interest, and the plates representing various objects, chiefly from Eastern temples, are remarkably interesting. Altogether we are much pleased with the book, which is, however, of a class unsuited to our pages. We wish the author had given his name, for then we could more thoroughly thank him for the good efforts which he has made, and for which, even though he be unknown, we thank him.

HERI

RADIANT HEAT.*

[ERE we have a book which cannot be termed a popular work in any sense of the word, but which may be read, we think, with interest even by those who have little knowledge of the subject, but who have minds capable of taking up questions of this kind. It consists of a series of memoirs chiefly on the subject of radiant heat. These have for the most part been contributed to the "Philosophical Transactions," and the "Philosophical Magazine," and they together form such an admirable essay on the whole subject that we fancy Professor Tyndall did rightly in reproducing them. Furthermore, they will certainly tend to let many understand who were ignorant before, of the nature of the dispute between the author and Professor Magnus. They will, from this point alone, be of service, for they will show how convincingly strong are the arguments Professor Tyndall advances, and how admirably his experiments have been devised and carried out. To our minds, individually, the most popularly interesting paper of the whole is that on calorescence, which is headed by those aptly-chosen lines from Lucretius. We see no reason why any of our readers should be unable to follow the author through this portion of his book, which is written in Professor Tyndall's usually eloquent, forcible, and clear style, and which is amply illustrated by woodcuts. Altogether the book is of course an excellent one, and we sincerely hope its sale will fully recompense its publishers.

GANOT'S POPULAR NATURAL PHILOSOPHY.†

E do not know whether this book is to be regarded as superior to all think ourselves that it is not. Still, it must be admitted that it is a very

"Contributions to Molecular Physics in the Domain of Radiant Heat," by John Tyndall, LL.D., F.R.S., Professor of Natural Philosophy in the Royal Institution. London: Longmans, 1872.

"Natural Philosophy for General Readers and Young Persons," Translated and Edited from Ganot's " Cours Élémementaire de Physique." By E. Atkinson, Ph.D., F.C.S., Professor of Experimental Science in the Staff College. London: Longmans, 1872.

good book of its kind, and that it is by the same author as that of, perhaps, the best-known manual of physics. It is carefully prepared by the English editor, who has discharged his task of translation very well indeed; there being, as far as we have seen, an utter absence of any of that peculiar French idiom so objectionable in a translation. The book is nicely printed, and its illustrations are, in our estimation, the very best part of the whole volume. These are excellently done, and are no less in number than 414. We fancy we notice a few errors here and there in the optical illustrations; but they are defects by the absence of special rays rather than otherwise. In the next edition, too, it would be as well if Dr. Atkinson would look it over carefully, so as to avoid those errors which are absolutely inevitable in the first. We would point to one, for example, that certainly appears so to us. It is on p. 339, eight lines from the bottom. The author, speaking of the immense value of the spectrum analyses, says that "their extreme delicacy constitutes them a most valuable help in the quantitative analysis of the alkalies," &c. Surely he meant qualitative in this case. There are others also in the volume, but of much less importance. Altogether, the translation is very creditable to the editor.

ESSAYS ON ASTRONOMY.*

MR. PROCTOR has so long and so frequently contributed papers to our

columns that we suppose our readers will think we are prejudiced in his favour. It is not so, however. We see Mr. Proctor's good qualities, and we see his faults also; but the latter are so very small in comparison with the former that they are almost insignificant. He has eminently the faculty-the too dangerous acquirement in the case of a scientific man—of writing. Let him take up any subject which he understands, and he is able to write there and then a long paper on the subject. Whilst most men would require to collect material, and, having done so, to arrange it, and, having settled the matter, would have considerable difficulty in committing their thoughts to paper, with Mr. Proctor it is done at once. This gives him a great advantage over his fellow-workers. But it has its disadvantages. It leads a man to contribute something to nearly every journal, and this is what Mr. Proctor does, and it is where, we think, he errs. If even it be granted that in the majority of cases he is but popularising that which he has aired in scientific arenas at an earlier date, he is, at all events, doing that which the majority of scientific men refrain from, and which is generally thought to give a man a character for light thinking rather than for serious heavy work. However, in the essays before us at present this idea will not occur to anyone. They are all serious papers, a few taken from our own pages, and others from various other journals, the majority of

* "Essays on Astronomy: a series of papers on Planets and Meteors, the Sun and Sun-surrounding Space," &c.; preceded by a sketch of the life and work of Sir John Herschel. By Richard A. Proctor, B.A., F.R.A.S. London: Longmans, 1872.

them appearing to be excerpted from the "Proceedings of the Royal Astronomical Society." All the papers are good, some of them indeed are excellent; but they have all come before scientific readers before, and are now addressed to the general public. The opening chapters are about the most generally interesting in the volume, as they deal with the life and labours of the late Sir John Herschel; but all will be found interesting and profitable reading.

WE

BOTANY FOR BEGINNERS.*

E think that Dr. Masters has not been guilty of a commercial mistake in publishing the book before us, the greater part of which originally appeared in the pages of the "Gardener's Chronicle." But altogether apart from the monetary aspect of the question we have reason to be grateful to the author for the trouble he has taken to write a genuinely popular work; a book, be it understood, which is absolutely devoid of the abominable twaddle of most popular treatises, but which is couched in language intelligible to every reader, which is so arranged that each difficulty is provided for, and each technicality is explained as the young student goes on, and which, nevertheless, does not keep the pupil for days learning the interminably dry details of the flower and stem in the abstract, but which plunges in medias res of botany at once. The first six chapters deal with various plants so common as to be accessible to every one even in this huge city, and the remaining four treat of the physiology and classification of vegetables. The illustrations are most of them novel to the student, and are nearly eighty in number. We certainly thank the author very heartily for so admirable a little book as the "Botany for Beginners."

WE

ANTI-DARWINISTS.+

E have before us two books whose whole aim is to show us the errors of the Darwinism doctrines, and the truth of the older views. We cannot agree with the conclusions of either. In fact, neither has a single argument to adduce that, resolved to its simplest elements, can resist the general doctrines of evolutionists; but the one is written in a true scientific spirit: we do not say that it has a great deal of science in its pages, but the spirit of science is there, calmness, coolness, patience. The other has not an atom of scientific value, and very little of mere literary worth either.

"Botany for Beginners: an Introduction to the Study of Plants." By Maxwell T. Masters, M.D., F.R.S. London: Bradbury and Evans, 1872. "The Higher Ministry of Nature, viewed in the light of Modern Science, and as an aid to advance Christian Philosophy." By J. R. Leifchild, M.A. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1872.

"Esse and Posse: a Comparison of Divine Eternal Laws and Powers, as severally indicated in Fact, Faith, and Record." By H. T. Braithwaite, M.A. London: Longmans, 1872.

Both books we disapprove of because of the views they contain, but the one, that of Mr. Leifchild, we can commend to those who wish to read such a book, while for the other, which bears the name of a Mr. Braithwaite, we cannot say a syllable in favour of. In style it is affected, in reasoning fearfully shallow, in substance it has nothing upon its naked bones. It is, therefore, an empty, vacuous work, in no way to be recommended. On the other hand, Mr. Leifchild's work, though it is large, calmly written, dealing with its opponents in a truly Christian spirit, and above all things nicely written, is a poor argument against the thousand reasons which the evolutionists can urge against it. In any case, we commend it to the notice of our readers, but we cannot honestly recommend the empty book which Mr. Braithwaite has given us.

TRULY

A MARVELLOUS CHART.*

TRULY a wonderful work that which gives in the space of an ordinary map-a circle of about one foot two inches across-every star which is to be found in Argelander's wondrous star-maps of the Northern Hemisphere. In other words, this map of Mr. Proctor's displays at once in the proportionate size and in their exact position, no less than 324,198 heavenly bodies. It is certainly a marvel of work, and is best studied by means of a good large reading lens. Indeed, without this it will look to many aged persons as simply a dirty circle, which has a filthier aspect in some parts than others. Besides this there is published with it a key map, in which the larger constellations of the Northern Hemisphere are distinctly represented, and the figures on this can be very readily distinguished in the photographic map-for it has been done by photography, as being more exact. Truly enough has Mr. Proctor said, that "to the general student of science the chart is chiefly of use in affording the means of enlarging his conceptions respecting the glories of the celestial depths. If he remembers that every one of the dots in the chart represents in reality a sun-a sun perhaps exceeding our own in magnitude and splendour-he cannot fail to be impressed with a sense of the grandeur of the stellar universe." This admirable map we, through some mistake, omitted noticing in our last number, and we beg to offer our ample apologies for the fact to both our readers and the author.

"A Chart of the Northern Hemisphere, on an equal-surface projection; showing all the stars in Argelander's series of forty full-sheet charts324,198 in all, with a key map on the same projection." By R. A. Proctor, B.A., F.R.A.S. Manchester: Photographed and Published by A. Brothers, 1871.

SHORT NOTICES.

Conversations on Natural Philosophy. By Mrs. Marcet: revised and edited by her son, Francis Marcet, F.R.S. 14th edition. London: Longmans, 1872. Those who like this book-and we believe it can number its admirers by thousands-will be pleased to find a new edition of it. It is, so far as we have examined it, tolerably accurate, and it is fuller than many text-books on the subject. The illustrations are both numerous and good, and the chapter on spectrum analysis is singularly excellent.

On the Antagonism between the Actions of Physostigma and Atropia. By Thomas R. Fraser, M.D., Lecturer on Therapeutics at Surgeons' Hall, Edinburgh. Edinburgh: Neil & Co., 1872. This is a work reprinted from the "Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh." It contains nearly 200 pages, accompanied by numerous charts, and is certainly the most voluminous account which has ever been published upon the action of two drugs. It has an interest of the highest kind, not for the general reader, but for the medical man; and we hope there are few who are interested in the opposite action of drugs who will not carefully study Dr. Fraser's important results. The general conclusion at which the author has arrived from hundreds of experiments, though not exactly novel, is nevertheless of importance. He says (page 617) that "the conditions of the experiments, and the symptoms that were observed, render it certain that atropia prevents the fatal effect of a lethal dose of physostigma, by so influencing the functions of certain structures as to prevent such mortification being produced in them by physostigma as would result in death."

The Sun: Ruler, Fire, Light, and Life of the Planetary System. By R. A. Proctor, B.A. 2nd edition. London: Longmans, 1872. We need only say that this volume has gone to a second edition, and has sold more than 2,000 copies in the year. The present issue contains several new illustrations and some important additions.

London: Longmans,

Popular Physiology. By E. D. Mapother, M.D. 1871. This book was not noticed, through some omission, in our recent number. It is a very small book of over 100 pages. Contains a good many illustrations. It is only intended for the most elementary possible of classes.

The Earth's Crust: a Handy Outline of Geology. By David Page, LL.D., F.G.S. Blackwood & Sons, 1872. This is the sixth edition of a good elementary outline of the science. It is just the sort of book for a classbook in school-rooms.

The Year Book of Facts in Science and Art. By John Timbs. Lockwood & Co., 1872. This contains just the usual amount of matter, with the usual degree of printer's blunders or other erroneous matter. We cannot at all approve of so badly edited a volume.

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