LITER AB Y * NO TICES. 



855 



political history of the Dominion is divided, 

 for the purposes of the study, into three 

 important epochs : The era of the French 

 regime, from 160S to 1760 ; the period of 

 slow growth and accruing experience in tbe 

 working of representative institutions under 

 British rule, 1760 to 1840 ; and the period 

 of enlarged political liberties and respon- 

 sible government, 1840 to 1867. "Since 

 1867, the various provinces, united as the 

 Dominion of Canada, have entered on a 

 fourth era, pregnant with promise." 



Bulletin of the Scientific Association. 

 Peoria, Illinois. 1887. William H. 

 Park, Recording Secretary. Pp. 92. 



According to the historical address of 

 Dr. J. T. Stewart, the Association was or- 

 ganized in 1875, as a summer school for the 

 study of the natural sciences, at which Pro. 

 fessors Weod, Hyatt, Wilder, and Comstock 

 lectured. Meetings were held monthly, ex- 

 cept in summer, for seven years, and after- 

 ward weekly. During the period of the so- 

 ciety's existence, two hundred and two pa- 

 pers have been read, on a wide range of 

 subjects of scientific interest. The society 

 began with thirteen members, and now has 

 one hundred, while the average attendance 

 upon the meetings has increased from about 

 twelve to one hundred and five. The mu- 

 seum contains more than ten thousand speci- 

 mens, and the herbarium embraces the en- 

 tire flora of the Peoria section, " and more," 

 and the records of visitors to the rooms 

 show that interest in the collections is grow- 

 ing fast among the public. Besides a num- 

 ber of papers having a broader scope in 

 discussion, the " Bulletin " contains articles 

 of more special interest on the geology, pa- 

 leontology, flora, climate, and coleoptera of 

 Peoria and its vicinity, a study of "The 

 Lake as a Microcosm," and a memoir on 

 the " Immigration of Animals and Plants." 



TniRD Annual Report of the Commission- 

 ers of the State Reservation at Ni- 

 agara. Pp. 37. 



The commissioners report the reserva. 

 lion nearly clear of obstructions, only two 

 of the old buildings yet remaining on the 

 premises, and one of them to be removed 

 shortly. Improvements have been made in 

 many of the appurtenances of the property, 

 for the convenience of visitors and greater 



security. Plans were in preparation fcr 

 the restoration of the scenery of the shore 

 and islands. Some of the fruits of the work 

 of the commission are seen in the improved 

 government of the village of Niagara Falls. 

 A company having been formed to build a 

 railroad along the gorge of the river from 

 below the Falls to the Whirlpool, an act 

 has been secured protecting the reservation 

 against intrusion. The commissioners re- 

 gret that the whole debris, slope from the 

 Falls to the Whirlpool has not been included 

 within the reservation. The Falls were 

 visited during the excursion season by 187,- 

 7S1 persons coming in excursion trains, and 

 probably as many in regular trains. The 

 stay of the visitors is "longer than in for- 

 mer years." The latest measurements give 

 the rate of recession along the whole con- 

 tour of the Horseshoe Fall since 1842 as 

 about two and four tenths feet per year. 

 The recession of the American Fall has 

 been slight. The heights above the level 

 of the water in the river are, American Fall, 

 one hundred and sixty-seven feet ; Horse- 

 shoe Fall, one hundred and fifty-eight feet. 

 It is estimated that more than one thousand 

 species of flowering plants and ferns are 

 native at the Falls or in their neighborhood. 



Report of the Commissioner of Education 

 forthe Year 1884-85. By John Eaton. 

 Washington : Government Printing-Of- 

 fice. Pp. 848. 



The present (the fifteenth) annual re- 

 port of Commissioner Eaton is the last of 

 the series prepared by him. The year has 

 afforded abundant evidence of the value at- 

 tached to the annual reports of the Bureau in 

 the demand for copies at home and abroad ; 

 and, in consideration of this fact, the Com- 

 missioner emphasizes the need of uniform- 

 ity in the general plan and nomenclature 

 of State and local reports, as a means of 

 facilitating analysis and comparative study. 

 Attention is called to several particulars in 

 respect to school attendance. The actual at- 

 tendance is undoubtedly increasing, but im- 

 provement in respect to regularity is not so 

 decided as could be wished. " One of the 

 chief hindrances to the progress of our com- 

 mon schools is the multiplicity of school dis- 

 tricts and of independent local authorities. 

 . . . Wherever these ' petty school sovereign- 



