376 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY, 



and the problems solved are precisely such 

 as arise for solution every day in the work- 

 shop of the mechanic or the amateur handi- 

 craftsman. We cannot better indicate the 

 character of the work than by naming a few 

 of the heads under which the matter it con- 

 tains is arranged. Thus we have the head- 

 ing " Miscellaneous Tools, Instruments, and 

 Processes," which includes hints on the 

 microscope, hydraulic press, drills, screw- 

 propeller, etc. ; " Cements, Glues, Varnish- 

 es," "Solders," "Metals," "Steam-En- 

 gine," "Fire-arms," "Clock-work," "Glass," 

 " House and Garden," " Drawing and Mod- 

 eling," " Photography," " Musical Instru- 

 ments," "Electricity and Telegraphing." 



The Mechanical Engineer : His Prepara- 

 tion AND his Work. By R. H. Thurs- 

 ton, C. E. Pp. 24. New York : Van 

 Nostrand. 



This is an address to a graduating class 

 of the Stevens Institute of Technology, by 

 the Professor of Mechanical Engineering. 

 Prof. Thurston, in the first place, recalls to 

 the minds of the young engineers the rare 

 educational advantages they have enjoyed 

 at the Institute : very full instruction in 

 mathematics and physics ; in modern lan- 

 guages ; the English language and literature; 

 principles of engineering, and the practice of 

 the arts connected therewith. So far, the 

 students have been working at the founda- 

 tion ; the superstructure they must build by 

 their own efforts. The professor exhorts 

 them to be wide-awake, observant, conscien- 

 tious, true to their clients, progressive, radi- 

 cal in theory but conservative in practice, 

 and diligent in study. 



Politics as a Science. By Chas. Reemelin. 

 Cincinnati : R. Clarke & Co., Printers. 

 Pp. 186. 



In this work the author well sustains 

 the reputation he has long enjoyed of being 

 a profound thinker. It contains the results 

 of Mr. Reemelin's meditations during many 

 years meditations reduced to writing from 

 time to time without any definite intention 

 of publishing upon the laws and phenom- 

 ena of politics. As reading corrected his 

 views, these detached meditations were 

 amended, and gradually the purpose ripened 

 to gather them together and put them in 

 permanent form. 



Melanosiderite : A New Mineral Species 

 from Mineral Hill, Delaware County, 

 Pennsylvania ; and on Two New Varie- 

 ties of Verniiculites, with a Revision of 

 other Members of this Group. By Jo- 

 siAH P. CooKE, Jr. From " Proceed- 

 ings of the American Academy of Sci- 

 ences." Pp. 12, 



The first of these papers is a brief de- 

 scription of the physical and chemical char- 

 acters of a new mineral which, according 

 to the author, is closely related to the ses- 

 quihydrates of iron. It contains about 

 seventy-five per cent, of sesquioxide of iron, 

 seven per cent, of silica, and thirteen per 

 cent, of water, the remainder being alumina. 



The second paper is a full account of 

 the physical properties and chemical con- 

 stitution of two new varieties of vermic- 

 uUte, a mineral having a granular, scaly 

 structure, and composed mainly of silica, 

 alumina, magnesia, iron, and water. Its 

 name is derived from the circumstance 

 that, when heated, its scales open out into 

 worm-like threads. 



On a FffiTAL Manatee and Cetacean, with 

 Remarks upon the Aflinities and An- 

 cestry of the Sirenia. By Prof. Burt 

 G. Wilder. Reprinted from the Ameri- 

 can Journal of Science and Arts. Pp. 

 10. Illustrated. 



This is a preliminary paper describing, 

 with measurements, the external parts of a 

 foetal manatee, a little less than three inches 

 long ; and a foetal cetacean but a trifle 

 longer, and supposed to be the embryo of 

 a porpoise or dolphin. Then follow some 

 remarks on the afiiuities of the sirenia, in 

 which the author, after referring to the 

 present state of opinion on the subject, 

 gives reasons for viewing them as near re- 

 lations of the ungulates. 



Examination of Gases from the Meteor- 

 ite OF February 12, 18Y5, By A. W. 

 Wright. Pp. 6. 



Prof. Wright analyzed some fragments 

 of the great Iowa meteorite of 1876, and 

 the results of his investigation are given in 

 the pamphlet before us. He finds the spec- 

 trum of the gases contained in the meteor- 

 ite to closely resemble that of several of 

 the comets. Other facts are cited to show 

 that a comet is simply a meteorite of con- 

 siderable magnitude, or a swarm of many 

 i of lesser size. 



