710 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



as connected with this subject the author 

 discusses in another essay the question 

 " What shall be taxed ? " The general con- 

 clusions to which this series of inquiries leads 

 him are, that the working classes are obtain- 

 ing a constantly increasing and the capital- 

 ists a constantly diminishing share of an 

 increasing product ; that the share which 

 any person may secure depends upon his 

 use of his own abilities ; and that all laws 

 restricting the free use of time and talent 

 are inconsistent with progress. In the latter 

 portion of the volume are papers on " Slow- 

 burning Construction " (illustrated) ; " The 

 Missing Science " (in which an economical 

 method and apparatus for cooking are de- 

 scribed) ; " A Single Tax on Land " ; and 

 "Religion and Life." The discussions in 

 this volume are characterized by thorough- 

 ness of study, and an earnest desire to spread 

 enlightenment on these important subjects. 



A third hand-book of pronunciation has 

 been published by William H. P. Phyfe, en- 

 titled Seven Thousand Words often Mispro- 

 nounced (Putnam, $1.25). It is intended to 

 include all the English words and names and 

 the foreign words liable to be mispronounced 

 by an English-speaking person. The words 

 are all arranged in one alphabetical list, the 

 names only beginning with capitals. Pro- 

 nunciation is indicated by respelling in full, 

 and in some cases how the word is not sound- 

 ed is also indicated, and other explanatory 

 notes arc inserted. Where several important 

 pronunciations of a word occur, the fact is 

 indicated, Webster's pronunciation being gen- 

 erally placed first. Prefixed to the list are a 

 chapter on the sounds of the English lan- 

 guage, suggestions on the use of the book, 

 and a key of diacritical marks. The author 

 enumerates forty-two sounds in English, al- 

 though the American Philological Associa- 

 tion recognizes only forty the two addition- 

 al ones being obtained by distinguishing the 

 vowel in serge from that in urge, and the one 

 in dog from that in odd. Two instances of 

 carelessness are, that the author names as one 

 :>f his authorities " Worcester's Unabridged 

 Dictionary," meaning " Worcester's Quarto 

 Dictionary," and the only pronunciation of 

 Algonquin given in the Supplement to Web- 

 ster is ignored. The volume is printed in 

 clear type on fine paper. 



We have received of what might be 

 styled calendar publications of the Smith- 

 sonian Institution, Mr. G. H. Boehmer^s Re- 

 port on Exchanges for the year ending June 

 30, 1887, and nine Accounts of Progress in 

 as many branches of investigation in the 

 year 1886. In the first of these publications, 

 Mr. Boehmer, after relating the year's trans- 

 actions in his office, reiterates the recom- 

 mendation that has been made in previous 

 reports, for the designation of a permanent 

 agency abroad to give personal attention to 

 the business of exchanges. His opinion 

 that otherwise only temporary results can 

 be obtained is confirmed by his own experi- 

 ences. In his Account of the Progress of 

 North American Geology for 1886, Mr. Nel- 

 son H. Darton has sought to include ab- 

 stracts, without bias or partiality, of all im- 

 portant publications distributed during the 

 year. It is unfortunate, and hardly in keep- 

 ing with the character of an institution like 

 the Smithsonian especially when three 

 years are taken for the printing that hur- 

 *ried preparation is offered as a reason for 

 imperfections, and limitations of space for 

 omitting the bibliography, which is to be 

 made a bulletin of the Geological Survey. 

 Mr. C. G. Rockwood, Jr., arranges his Ac- 

 count of Progress of Vulcanology and Seis- 

 mology under the heads, as heretofore, of 

 Vulcanology including volcanic phenomena 

 of 1886, volcanic phenomena of previous 

 years, and causes of volcanic action ; Seis- 

 mology earthquakes of 1886, earthquake 

 lists of 1885 ; catalogues of earthquakes of 

 previous years, and study of earthquakes ; 

 and Seismometry instrumental records and 

 instruments. A bibliography of eight pages 

 is appended. Mr. John Belknap Marcou 

 furnishes to the series a Bibliography of 

 North American Paleontology, giving the 

 titles of works in the order of the authors' 

 names, alphabetically, and descriptions or 

 analyses of the contents of the more elabo- 

 rate ones, in some instances of considerable 

 fullness. The Account of Geography and 

 Exploration, by William Libbey, Jr., com- 

 prises extremely brief accounts, by conti- 

 nents, of the principal explorations of the 

 year, their purposes and facts. In the Ac- 

 count of Progress in Physics, Prof. George F. 

 Barker gives lucid analyses of the principal 

 papers presented, with results determined 



