848 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



plants much in the same manner as it does 

 upon the nervous system in animals, is a 

 statement which needs to be reconciled with 

 the undoubted fact that the power of bend- 

 ing to the light is beneficial to plants, and 

 may in all probability have been specially 

 acquired under the action of natural selec- 

 tion. Experiments have abundantly shown 

 that growth is exceptionally promoted by 

 light continuously kept up, as in the polar 

 summer, or when the absence of sunlight 

 is compensated by the electric ray. Here- 

 in is, of course, involved the intricate prob- 

 lem of the sleep of plants, which is carried 

 on through two chapters of the highest in- 

 terest. Saturday Review. 



Guide to the Study of Political Econ- 

 omy. By Dr. Luigi Cossa. Translated 

 from the second Italian edition. With 

 a Preface by W. Stanley Jevons, F. E. 

 S. London: Macmillan & Co. 1880. 

 Pp. 237. Price, $1.25. 



This is a work which no English student 

 of economics can fail to find of the greatest 

 value, in helping him to a knowledge of the 

 extent and worth of the economic writings 

 of foreign authors. Dr. Cossa is peculiarly 

 fitted, by his wide acquaintance with eco- 

 nomic literature and by his breadth of view, 

 to make a competent and trustworthy guide, 

 and the translation of his work into the chief 

 European languages sufficiently attests its 

 merit. The work comprehends a brief ex- 

 position of the scope, character, and method 

 of the. science, with an historical review of 

 its position and doctrines in ancient and 

 modern times, and a long list of the writ- 

 ings of economists of all countries, with in- 

 dications of their worth. In the first chapter 

 the science is defined and its demarkation 

 from allied branches of knowledge pointed 

 out. The division of the science and its re- 

 lation to other sciences occupy the author 

 in the next two chapters, the views of a 

 number of leading economists being given. 

 The chapter upon method contains a brief 

 but excellent discussion of the questions in- 

 volved in the controversy between what are 

 known as the historical and philosophic 

 schools, Dr. Cossa pointing out the error of 

 main position of the former school, while 

 admitting the value of much of the work 

 accomplished by its members. A consider- 

 ation of the importance of the science and 



an examination of some of the objections to 

 it complete the more general part of the 

 work, the remainder being devoted to the 

 historical review. This includes a notice of 

 the political economy of the ancients, of the 

 middle ages, and of modern times, treating 

 briefly in the latter period of that of the 

 physiocrats, of Adam Smith and his suc- 

 cessors, of the economists of the present 

 century, and closing with a consideration 

 of contemporary Italian economists. An 

 index of the authors quoted in the text is 

 placed at the close of the volume, the list 

 containing over seven hundred names. 



The Young Folks' Cyclopedia of Persoks 

 AND Places. By John D. Champlin, Jr., 

 late Associate Editor of the " American 

 Cyclopaedia. " With numerous Illustra- 

 tions. New York : Henry Holt & Co. 

 1881. Pp. 936. Price, $3.50. 



This work, including both real and fabu- 

 lous persons and places, is intended, in con- 

 nection with the " Young Folks' Cyclopaedia 

 of Common Things " by the same author, to 

 cover the usual range of cyclopedic knowl- 

 edge. The language is simple ; technical 

 terms where admitted are explained ; the 

 illustrations are selected to exclude those 

 common in school-books, and preference is 

 given to those showing restorations of clas- 

 sic scenes and famous buildings. The pro- 

 nunciations are indicated approximately by 

 plain English letters ; and the size of coun- 

 tries and cities is made more plain by com- 

 paring them with States and towns at home. 

 Most of the facts are brought down to 1880. 



James Smithson and his Bequest, by 

 William J. Khees ; and The Scientific 

 Writings of James Smithson, edited by 

 William J. Rhees. Washington : Pub- 

 lished by the Smithsonian Institution. 

 1879. Pp. 227. 



The preparation of a biography of the 

 founder of the Smithsonian Institution has 

 been delayed on account of the scantiness 

 of the materials. Unusual exertions were 

 made last year to collect the facts and 

 incidents of the life of Mr. Smithson, but 

 nothing new was elicited. The few facts 

 which are known have been collected by 

 Mr. Rhees as all the information likely to 

 be obtained, and are presented for the first 

 time as an authentic account of the man 



