LITERARY NOTICES. 



245 



deep as possible into tlie question of Na- 

 ture's economy iu continuing, diversifj'iu^, 

 and giving stability to tlie course of life 

 upon our globe. 



An Alphabet in Finance. A Simple State- 

 ment of Permanent Principles and their 

 Application to Questions of the Day. 

 By Graham McAdam. New York : G. 

 P. Putnam's Sons. Pp. 210. Price, 

 $1.25. 



" This little book," we are told in the 

 preface, " was written as a political duty;" 

 and it would be a blessing to long-suffering 

 listeners and readers if every one who feels 

 a " call " to preach or to write was as well 

 fitted for the task he undertakes as Mr. 

 3IcAdam. He has succeeded in treating 

 the elementary principles of finance briefly 

 and at the same time clearly, simply, and 

 effectively ; and his discussion of the com- 

 moner fallacies and often-repeated stock 

 arguments of the inflationists is so good, 

 that it is to be hoped tlie book will find a 

 circulation among them. The chapters on 

 *' Money a Creation of Government," ' Pure 

 Credit Money," " What is a Specie Basis ? " 

 " Banking " all briefs are models of state- 

 ment in their way. Although the author 

 apparently accepts Mr. Jevons's views as to 

 the word value, the somewhat ambiguous 

 way in which he uses that term makes the 

 chapter on " The Qualities of Gold for 

 Money " slightly obscure, which is to be 

 regretted, for much of the success of infla- 

 tion arguments is rooted in the hazy notions 

 concerning what is called the value of gold. 

 We would call the author's attention to the 

 statement on page 130, that "$4,444 still 

 remains by custom the nominal par " (of 

 exchange), the fact being that the nominal 

 and real par have been in agreement, at 

 $4,866, both by usage and United States 

 statute for two years or more. 



Report of the Geological Survey of 

 iNniANA, 1875. By E. T. Cox, State 

 Geologist. Pp. 599. With Maps and 

 Plates. 



During the year 1875 the general work 

 of the survey of Indiana was carried on in 

 nine counties : Vigo, Huntington, Jennings, 

 Ripley, Orange, Vanderburgh, Owen, Mont- 

 gomery, and the southeastern part of Clay. 

 A special reconnaissance was made of the 

 coal-measure rocks of Putnam County ; also 



a special hydrographic survey of some of 

 the lakes in the northern portion of the 

 State. Besides the results of these re- 

 searches, the report contains observations 

 on fossil marine plants from the coal-meas- 

 ures, by Mr. L. Lesquereux, and a catalogue 

 of the Wabash Valley flora, by Dr. J. 

 Schenck. 



IvANHOE. By Sir Walter Scott. Also 

 Our Mutual Friend. By Charles 

 Dickens. New York : Holt"& Co. Pp. 

 350. Price, $1. 



These little volumes belong to the 

 " Condensed Classics " .series. The text is 

 absolutely identical with the original works, 

 except that much of the le.s essential mat- 

 ter of the latter has been omitted. If any 

 one thinks an acquaintance with all the 

 leading writers of his language to be neces- 

 sary, he must resort to condensations like 

 this. Life is not long enough to enable a 

 man to read our entire " polite literature " 

 through. 



Annual Reports of the Zoological Socie- 

 ty OF Cincinnati, for the years 1874- 

 '75-'76. Cincinnati : printed for the 

 Societ}'. 



It is to be regretted that an enterprise 

 containing so nmch spirit should not as yet 

 have proved a pecuniary success. The fol- 

 lowing is interesting : " In Europe there are 

 now [1874] in operation, or in process of 

 construction, more than eighty zoological 

 gardens, and, almost without exception, they 

 are profitable, and in some cases largely so. 

 The experience in Philadelphia is encourag- 

 ing, while that of the garden in San Fran- 

 cisco is ... . marvelous." Strange that 

 the last report contains no list or statement 

 of the animals ! 



David and Anna Matson. By Abigail 

 Scott Duniway. Pp. 194. With Illus- 

 trations. New York : S. R. Wells & Co. 

 Price, $2. 



Inasmuch as it does not lie within our 

 proviuce to estimate the value of works of 

 the imagination, we will only say of this 

 volume that its theme is the " tender pas- 

 sion," in one of its many phases ; that the 

 verses are smooth and musical enough, and 

 that the mechanical make-up of the book 

 is admirable as regards print, paper, and 

 binding. 



