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THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



in all nations ; and it will also be of a special 

 value to the scientific students of ethnology, 

 not only for the breadth and care of its 

 discussions, and the immense amount of in- 

 formation condensed in its text, but also 

 for the copious wealth of its references to 

 the literature and authorities of the sub- 

 ject. 



No just idea of its broad range of inter- 

 esting topics pertaining to the nature, char- 

 acters, habits, and diversities of man, can 

 be conveyed in a brief notice of the work. 

 But, as its materials are derived from the 

 most instructive portions of history, from 

 the descriptions of races furnished by trav- 

 elers, from wide geographical observation, 

 and from the various sciences which illus- 

 trate the constitution of man and his inter- 

 course with surrounding Nature, the facts 

 brought forward have a very wide diversity 

 of interest, so that we cannot dip into the 

 volume anywhere without becoming quickly 

 absorbed in the question under consideration. 

 The book is divided into two parts. In 

 the introduction to the first part the author 

 devotes himself to the question of man's 

 place in creation, of the unity or plurality 

 of the human race, of the place of its origin 

 and the problem of its antiquity ; then fol- 

 lows a series of disquisitions on the physi- 

 cal characters and the linguistic characters 

 of man, and the industrial, social, and re- 

 ligious phases of his development. The 

 second part is descriptive of the races of 

 maukind, which are taken up in their lead- 

 ing divisions, and in their geographical dis- 

 tribution, and considered with as much de- 

 tail as the limits of the work will allow. The 

 book, of course, has nothing like the com- 

 prehensiveness or strictness of method and 

 classification that characterizes Mr. Spencer's 

 great work, " Descriptive Sociology ; " nor 

 has it the depth and completeness of analysis 

 of social phenomena that mark the " Prin- 

 ciples of Sociology" by the same author; 

 but, as a resicme of the subject in a single 

 handy volume, we have probably nothing 

 so good in the language. 



Report of the Geological Survey of Ohio. 

 Published by authority of the Legisla- 

 ture of Ohio. 4 vols. Columbus : Nev- 

 ins & Myers, State Printers. 



The first geological information obtained 

 concerning the State of Ohio was derived 



from a report made by a committee which 

 took its observations in the summer of 

 1836. Geology was then a science in a 

 preliminary stage of development, and the 

 application of the existing knowledge was 

 impeded by ignorance of the general out- 

 lines of the country. Paleontology was in 

 much greater obscurity, and it is natural 

 that the report of that period should seem 

 imperfect at the present time. 



In March, 1869, the Legislature passed 

 a bill authorizing a complete survey of the 

 State by a committee of competent men. 

 In addition to a minute geological investi- 

 gation, they were to make a careful chemi- 

 cal analysis, including a classification of 

 the various soils, and the best means for 

 promoting their utility ; and were to take 

 observations to determine the local causes 

 producing variations of climate, etc. 



The officers appointed were Prof. J. S. 

 Newberry, chief geologist ; Edward Orton 

 and E. B. Andrews, assistant geologists ; T. 

 G. Wormley, chemist ; F. B. Meek, paleon- 

 tologist, besides a number of local assist- 

 ants. They entered upon their work June 

 1, 1869, and finished it June 1, 1874, at a 

 cost of $256,000, including the publication 

 of four volumes of reports. For rapidity 

 of action, thoroughness of results, and 

 moderation in the expense, this survey con- 

 trasts most favorably with those made in 

 other States. Thus far there have been 

 published two volumes on geology and two 

 on paleontology, with maps of some of the 

 counties. In the volumes on paleontology 

 there are a large number of plates and il- 

 lustrations, which are admirable specimens 

 of careful work and beauty. Ohio is rich in 

 fossil remains, having contributed largely 

 to the cabinets of other States, and this is 

 the first occasion on which they have been 

 presented to the public. The plan of the 

 corps was to publish six volumes, two on ' 

 geology, two on paleontology, one on eco- 

 nomic geology, and one on zoology, botany, 

 and agriculture. The last two volumes 

 have not yet been published, though the 

 work of composition is far advanced. 



Surveys had been made previous to this 

 one in many of the other States, which 

 presented discrepancies that had given rise 

 to much bitter discussion. It was, there- 

 fore, of importance that Ohio should be 

 thoroughly explored, as it formed the key- 



