LITERARY NOTICES. 



2 79 



sitions to the collections and of exchanges 

 is quite large. The " Kecord of Scientific 

 Progress," which forms one of the appen- 

 dices, is designed to take the place in part 

 of the " Annual Record of Science and In- 

 dustry," formerly published by Harper & 

 Brothers, and contains reviews in astrono- 

 my, by Professor Edward S. Holden ; geolo- 

 gy, by George W. Hawes, Ph. D. ; physics 

 and chemistry, by Professor George F. Bar- 

 ker ; mineralogy, by George W. Hawes, 

 Ph.D.; botany, by Professor William G. 

 Farlow ; zoology, by Theodore Gill; and 

 anthropology, by Otis T. Mason. Other 

 important articles in the appendix are " Ab- 

 stracts of the Smithsonian Correspondence 

 relative to Aboriginal Remains in the United 

 States," a description of the Luray Cavern, 

 Virginia ; a discussion of the barometric 

 observations of Professor Snell, of Amherst 

 College ; an account of investigations rela- 

 tive to illuminating materials, by Professor 

 Joseph Henry ; a bibliography of HcrscheFs 

 writings ; and reports of astronomical ob- 

 servatories. 



The Peaks in Darien, with some other 

 Inquiries touching Concerns of the 

 Soul and the Body. An Octave of 

 Essays. By Frances Power Cobbe. 

 Boston: George H. Ellis. Pp. 303. 

 Price, $1.50. 



The first of the essays in this book, 

 " Magnanimous Atheism," affirms the in- 

 efficiency of that creed of agnosticism, or 

 of Comtism, to frame a rule for moral guid- 

 ance ; the second, " Hygeiolatry," disputes 

 the doctrine that bodily health is the chief 

 good " for which personal freedom, cour- 

 age, humanity, and purity, ought all to be 

 sacrificed," and argues that there are num- 

 bers of instances in which disregard of life 

 and health is proper and even a duty. Com- 

 ing to particulars, it attacks the English 

 laws for the regulation of vice. Another 

 essay, on " Zoophily," is a vigorous but 

 one-sided protest against vivisection. In 

 other papers, Schopenhauer and his pessi- 

 mism are assailed, and the fitness of wo- 

 men for the ministry of religion is dis- 

 cussed. The essay which gives the title to 

 the book cites a number of instances of 

 cases wherein, in the opinion of the author, 

 " indications seem to have been given of 

 the perception by the dying of the blessed 



presences revealed to them, even as the veil 

 of the flesh has dropped away." The papers 

 afford lively reading, but the book is one of 

 opinions and sharp thrusts rather than ar- 



guments. 



The Fire-Protection of Mills; and Con- 

 struction of Mill-Floors : Containing 

 Tests of Full-Size Wood Mill Columns. 

 By C. J. H. Woodbury. New York : 

 John Wiley & Sons. 18S2. Pp. 196. 

 Illustrated. 



The avowed object of this book is to 

 reduce the risk of fire and its attendant 

 evils, as applied to mills, but many of the 

 precautions are applicable to other struct- 

 ures, and especially to all factories. The 

 first portion is devoted to a consideration 

 of those matters of equipment and general 

 management which experience has proved 

 to be efficient in the fire-protection of mills. 

 Under these we notice some practical sug- 

 gestions regarding fire-pails, and where and 

 how they should be kept ready for use. The 

 various forms of fire-pumps are described 

 and illustrated, the advantages and disad- 

 vantages of each being carefully stated. 

 The next subjects in order are hydrants, 

 stand-pipes, drip-couplings, hose-valves, and 

 nozzles ; also a table showing the quantity 

 of water discharged per minute from a one- 

 inch nozzle under pressure of from fifteen 

 to eighty-five pounds per square inch. Sev- 

 eral systems of " sprinklers," or perforated 

 pipes, intended for the more hazardous 

 parts of mills, are described. The efficiency 

 of these is often impaired by rust and paint 

 obstructing the orifices. The latter should 

 be guarded against by placing tacks in each 

 hole before the sprinklers are painted ; the 

 former by the use of a brass bushing. The 

 automatic sprinkler, the author says, is one 

 of the oldest devices for special fire ap- 

 paratus, the first patent having been granted 

 in 1806. A large number of automatic 

 sprinklers are figured, full size or half size. 



The next subject treated is the causes 

 of mill-fires, among which we find that 

 spontaneous combustion holds a prominent 

 place, second only to friction and foreign 

 substances in the picker. Matches and 

 lighting apparatus, of course, are dangerous 

 elements, as well as lightning, fire-works, and 

 stoves. In one case a freshet caused such 

 a rapid oxidation of iron turnings as to set 



