TEE PROGRESS OF SCIENCE. 



3§3 



the competent specialist will see that 

 the correct technical terms are em- 

 ployed and that explanatory foot-notes 

 are given in all doubtful cases. Here, 

 however, the French word that means 

 addition is sometimes rendered as 

 ' unite ' and the word that means sub- 

 traction is rendered ' draw from.' 

 What is the meaning of such expres- 

 sions as ' manner of relating past 

 events with the probability of causes,' 

 ' to conclude the order of preference,' 

 ' diminution of subsistences,' etc. ? We 

 are told that stars are ' called double, 

 on account of their conjunction ' and 

 that • laws are the ratios which con- 

 nect particular phenomena together.' 

 The strange expression ' salubrity of 

 the sun ' only ceases to be puzzling 

 upon reference to the original, where 

 we learn that sol is the word which 

 the translators suppose to mean ' sun.' 

 On one page ' primary number ' is 

 used six times where prime number 

 should have been employed. Expecta- 

 tion is a common term in the theory 

 of probability, but the translators pre- 

 fer the word ' hope.' DeMoivre is a 

 name well known to American math- 

 ematicians but the translators call him 

 ' Moivre,' as Laplace properly did. 

 For the same reason, no doubt, Pliny 

 appears as ' Pline,' but it is hard to 

 understand what reason or fact justi- 

 fies the statement that ' the duration 

 of the rotation of Saturn is 0.427 

 minutes.' 



In the concluding paragraph of the 

 essay occurs the well-known statement 

 of Laplace that the theory of prob- 

 ability is really only common sense 

 reduced to calculation. The transla- 

 tors, however, calmly tell us that ' the 

 theory of probabilities is at bottom 

 only common sense reduced to calculus.' 

 Alas, that American scholarship and 

 American science should have fall 

 upon them the blot of such poor work. 

 No doubt, the translators put forth 

 this book, really believing it to be a 

 creditable production; they honestly 

 think that they are good linguists and 



that they have a good knowledge of 

 the subject matter of Laplace's essay. 

 Such a state of mind can only be due, 

 we think, to grave defects in the 

 methods of instruction in the schools 

 and colleges where these men were 

 educated, methods not worse probably 

 than those in many others. Lastly, 

 what shall be said of publishers who 

 issue such crude material and therebv 

 bring disgrace upon American scien- 

 tific literature! Here was an oppor- 

 tunity where both translators and pub- 

 lishers might have won credit and ad- 

 vanced mathematical learning, for a 

 good translation of this essay, well 

 annotated, would furnish excellent col- 

 lateral reading to many students of 

 probability and least squares. Na- 

 thaniel Bowditch honored himself and 

 American science by his magnificent 

 translation of Laplace's ' Mecanique 

 celeste,' and thereby astronomical 

 learning was advanced in all lands. 

 The translation of this essay on prob- 

 abilities, however, brings no credit to 

 any one, but much disgrace to many, 

 and the only possible reparation that 

 the publishers can make is to im- 

 mediately withdraw the book from the 

 market. 



SCIENTIFIC ITEMS. 



We note with regret, the deaths of 

 Dr. John Daniel Runkle, professor of 

 mathematics at the Massachusetts In- 

 stitute of Technology since its founda- 

 tion and president from 1870 to 1878; 

 of Professor J. B. Johnson, dean of 

 the College of Engineering of the Uni- 

 versity of Wisconsin; and of M. Hervg 

 Faye, the eminent French astronomer. 



The coronation honors in Great 

 Britain have been announced, in spite 

 of the postponement of the coronation. 

 A new order of merit has been estab- 

 lished which includes in its list of 

 twelve original members the names of 

 four distinguished men of science, 

 namely, Lord Rayleigh, Lord Kelvin, 

 Lord Lister and Sir William Huggins. 

 Among those who have been knighted 



