(ii) PREFACE. 



that far more than ten times the space contained in the 

 present volume would be necessary to give even an ap- 

 proximately complete abstract of the progress of science 

 in each of the departments embraced within the scope of 

 this work ; much more than that amount will in fact be 

 employed in the annual reports that are hereafter to be 

 made and published on the progress of the several depart- 

 ments of science for the past year. These reports, how 

 ever unlike the present volume will not appear till at 

 least one and in some cases two or three years have elapsed 

 from the year in question. These too are, to a certain ex- 

 tent, addressed rather to experts and special students in the 

 various branches of science than to the general reader, for 

 whom the " Annual Record " is more especially designed. 

 In them the several branches embraced herein are respect- 

 ively reported upon in volumes varying from little less 

 than live hundred pages to nearly two thousand each year. 

 Each special department of science has now its own organ 

 for the record of discoveries within its domain. All these 

 are extremely useful to the investigator, and enable him to 

 economize precious time that would otherwise be spent in 

 frequent references to numerous volumes, some of which 

 are almost or quite inaccessible to all save a favored few. 

 Several are also very elaborate, and the special subdivisions 

 within a single branch are reported upon by experts in the 

 respective subdivisions. Excellent examples of such re- 

 ports are found in the Jahresbericlite and Jahrbilcher, 

 published in Germany, on the mathematical, 1 physical, 2 

 and chemical 3 sciences, the titles of some of which are 



1 Jahrbuch iiber die Fortschritte der Mathematik im Verein mit anderen 

 Mathematikern herausgegeben von Carl Ohrtmann, Eelix Miiller, und Albert 

 Wangerin. Berlin: Druck und Verlag von Georg Reimer. . . . [8vo]. 



2 Die Fortschritte der Physik im Jahre . . . Dargestellt von der Phy- 

 sikalischen Gesellschaft zu Berlin. . . . Jahrgang. Redigirt von Dr. B. 

 Schwalbe. Berlin : Druck und Verlag von Georg Reimer. . . . [8vo]. 



3 Jahresbericht iiber die Fortschritte der reinen, pharmaceutischen und 

 technischen Chemie, Physik, Mineralogie und Geologic Bericht iiber die 

 Fortschritte der Cliemie und venvandter Theile anderer Wissenschaften. Fur 

 . . . Giessen. J. Rickers'che Buchhandlung. . . . [8vo]. 



With a second title-page, viz. : Jahresbericht iiber die Fortschritte der 



