130 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



methods of investigation adopted in min- 

 eralogical and petrographical research ; the 

 optical methods and the micro-chemical 

 methods are considered in turn. 



The second part is devoted to the study 

 of mineral determination. A table for de- 

 termining the system of crystallization of the 

 rock-forming minerals is followed by a most 

 elaborate set of tables which give the com- 

 position and chemical reactions of the min- 

 erals, their structure, association, etc. 



A great number of illustrations are scat- 

 tered through the book, and a feature that 

 will prove most welcome is the bibliography 

 to Part II, which contains references to 

 many works on mineralogy, and to numer- 

 ous memoirs that have been published in 

 scientific periodicals. 



History of the Pacific States of North 

 America. By Hubert Howe Bancroft. 

 Vol. XXVIII. Alaska, 1730-1885. San 

 Francisco : A. L. Bancroft & Co. Pp. 

 775. Price, $5. 



Alaska furnishes materials for a more 

 varied and interesting history than any one 

 would imagine before reading this volume. 

 The story is really full of incident and ad- 

 venture, and is graphically presented. The 

 early history of Alaska, as the publishers 

 well remark, is wholly different from the 

 history of any other part of America. It 

 dates from a different quarter of the globe ; 

 the territory was seized and occupied by a 

 people who never mingled in American af- 

 fairs before or since. " For reckless cour- 

 age, for indifference to suffering and death, 

 for cruelty and iniquity, the Russians were 

 in no wise behind the Spaniards. And the 

 character and customs of the Russians them- 

 selves are no less objects of interest than 

 those of the natives of Alaska, which, for 

 the most part, are unlike those of other 

 American aboriginal peoples. The Russian 

 fur-trade, as it was in the beginning, the 

 century march of the Cossacks across Si- 

 beria, the voyages of discovery to the oppo- 

 site coast of America, and the fur-hunting 

 expeditions which followed, are all full of 

 thrilling interest." Of the importance of 

 Alaska the author has a much better opin- 

 ion than generally prevails, and observes 

 that " Scandinavia, her Old-World counter- 

 part, is possessed of far less natural wealth, 



and is far less grand in natural configuration. 

 In Alaska we can count more than eleven 

 hundred islands in a single group. We can 

 trace the second largest water-course in the 

 world. We have large sections of territory 

 where the average yearly temperature is 

 higher than that of Stockholm or Chris- 

 tiania, where it is milder in winter, and 

 where the fall of rain and snow is less than 

 in the southern portion of Scandinavia." 

 And the area of this part of the terri- 

 tory is greater than that of Scotland and 

 Southern Scandinavia combined. The re- 

 sources, also, of Alaska, " though some of 

 them are not yet available, are abundant, 

 and of such a nature that, if properly econ- 

 omized, they will never be seriously im- 

 paired." To procure material for this his- 

 tory, Mr. Bancroft dispatched an agent well 

 acquainted with its affairs, on three distinct 

 journeys to Alaska, who visited all places 

 of historical importance and persons of his- 

 torical note, and thus obtained much fresh 

 information ; explored, by his assistants, 

 documentary material in Sitka, San Fran- 

 cisco, and Washington ; was aided by his 

 friend M. Pinart, and men of letters and 

 officers in St. Petersburg, in collecting in- 

 formation from the Russian archives ; and 

 obtained all the accessible authorities in 

 print in Russia, other European countries, 

 and the United States. This volume has 

 the distinction from the others of being the 

 first of the series which is complete in itself, 

 with preface, and index from the beginning 

 of the history to the present day. 



Practical and Analytical Chemtstry. By 

 Hexry Trimble, Ph. G. Philadelphia : 

 P. Blakiston, Son & Co. Pp. 94. Price, 

 $1.50. 



This book is intended for the use of 

 students of medicine, pharmacy, and others 

 who may have but a comparatively limited 

 amount of time to devote to the study of 

 chemistry. Part I, " Practical Chemistry," 

 discusses briefly the preparation and proper- 

 ties of gases and the preparation of salts ; 

 Part II treats of " Qualitative Analysis " ; 

 Part III of " Quantitative Analysis." The 

 former contains some reference to the reac- 

 tions of organic compounds, the latter em- 

 braces examples for practice in both gravi- 

 metric and volumetric estimation. 



