500 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



The New Method of Graphical Statics. 

 By A. J. Du Bois, C. E., Ph. D. 60 Il- 

 lustrations. Pp. 80. Price, $2. New 

 York : Van Nostraud. 



This book is made up of a series of ar- 

 ticles which appeared originally in Van 

 Nostrand's Engineering Magazine. The au- 

 thor's object is to win more general atten- 

 tion to a new method for a graphical solu- 

 tion of statical problems, which, during the 

 last ten years, has been gradually developed 

 and perfected, and which offers to the ar- 

 chitect, civil engineer, and constructor, a 

 simple, swift, and accurate means for the 

 solution of a great number of i^ractical 

 questions. 



Report upon the Condition of Affairs 

 IN Alaska. By H. W. Elliott. Wash- 

 ington: Government Printing-Ofiice. Pp. 



277. 



In 1874 Mr. Elliott was directed by the 

 Treasury Department to visit Alaska, for 

 the purpose of studying and reporting upon 

 the present condition of the seal-fisheries ; 

 the haunts and habits of the seal ; the 

 preservation and extension of the fisheries ; 

 the statistics of the fur-trade ; and the con- 

 dition of the natives. The results are con- 

 tained in the volume before us. The work 

 is full of valuable information. It is divided 

 into nine chapters, treating of the " Charac- 

 ter of the Country ; " " Condition of the 

 Natives ; " " Duty of the United States 

 Government ; " " Trade and Traders ; " 

 " The Sea-Otter ; " " The Seal-Islands ; " 

 "Habits of the Fur-Seal ;" "The Sea- 

 Lion ; " " Fish and Fisheries ; " and the 

 " Ornithology of the Prybilov Islands." 



OcR Wasted Resources. By William 

 Hargreaves, M. D. New York : Na- 

 tional Temperance Society. Pp. 201. 

 Price, $1.25. 



Dr. Hargreaves quotes statistics to 

 show that, in 1873, the income of the 

 people of the United States exceeded 

 $7,000,000,000. He thinks that, to the 

 use of intoxicating drinks, nearly all of the 

 crime and pauperism of the country is to 

 be attributed. He compares the cost of 

 intoxicating liquors with the total receipts 

 of sundry industries; sums up the losses of 

 the country from the trade in liquors ; tries 

 to show that the use of liquors and the 



liquor-trade destroy the influence of educa- 

 tion. Finall}', he lays down the proposi- 

 tion that "the use of and the traiSc in 

 strong drinks impede the progress of the 

 Christian Church, and the spread of the 

 gospel." 



Notes of Travel in Africa. By C. J. 

 Andersson. New York : Putnam's Sons. 

 Pp. 318. Price, $2.00. 



There appears to exist in the public 

 mind a genuine interest in the exploration 

 of Africa, and the number of books of 

 African travel published within the last 

 ten years is enormous. The writings of 

 C. J. Andersson have in no small meas- 

 ure contributed to the awakening of this 

 curiosity, and doubtless the present work, 

 made up from the memoranda of that dis- 

 tinguished traveler, will be read with the 

 same eagerness as his earlier publications. 



Dissertations and Discussions. By J. 

 Stuart Mill. New York ; Holt & Co. 

 Pp. 294. Price, $2.50. 



This is the fifth volume of the " Disser- 

 tations and Discussions," and it completes 

 the series. It contains five papers on " Land 

 Tenure ; " also essays on " Endowments ; " 

 on " Labor ; " on " Treaty Obligations ; " 

 cm Maine's " Village Communities ; " Taine's 

 " Intelligence ; " Crete's " Aristotle ; " 

 Baer's " L'Avere e I'lmposta ; " and Les- 

 lie's " Land Question." 



A Practical Treatise on Soluble Glass. 

 By Dr. Lewis Fecchtwanger. Pp. 164. 

 New York : L. Feuchtwanger & Co. 



The author points out the manifold uses 

 of soluble glass, for instance, as a means 

 of preserving timber and making it non- 

 inflammable ; as an ingredient in the com- 

 position of artificial stone ; for mixing with 

 paints to be applied to the surface of met- 

 als, glass, and porcelain ; in soap-making ; 

 in calico-printing, etc. 



Report of the Commissioner of Educa- 

 tion FOR 1874. Pp. 935. 



Contains, in addition to the observa- 

 tions and suggestions of the commissioner, 

 a great mass of statistics relating to the 

 state of education throughout the country 

 in the year 1874. 



