134 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



heavy expenditures of public money, while 

 it appears to have no interest in anything 

 which tends to decrease taxation. 



China : Travels and Investigations in the 

 " Middle Kingdom,^'' with a Glance at Japan^ 

 by General James H. Wilson (Appleton, 

 $l.'75), is an attractive book of travel, 

 especially to the business man. It is the 

 outcome of a trip to gather information as 

 to the desirability of investing American 

 capital in the building of railroads, and sup- 

 plying other modern improvements in China. 

 The natural features and resources of the 

 country, the volume and methods of busi- 

 ness, the bearing of government regulations 

 and social customs on commercial affairs, 

 and the attitude of the government toward 

 alien enterprises, are all discussed. The 

 book contains also sketches of Ciiinese and 

 Japanese history, with entertaining descrip- 

 tions of scenery, family life, amusements, 

 and superstitions in both countries. A map 

 of China accompanies the volume. 



A great deal of information about a fas- 

 cinating part of our own land is contained 

 in California of the South, by Drs. Walter 

 Lindleg and J. P. Widnei/ (Appleton, |2). 

 The questions that would be asked by the 

 tourist, invalid, settler, and investor here 

 find full and definite answers. A descrip- 

 tion of the climatology of the Pacific coast 

 comes first in the volume, and is accom- 

 panied by a colored climatic map of South- 

 ern California. In the second part of the 

 book the overland trip to California, and 

 the natural features, points of interest, ho- 

 tels, trade, wine and fruit production, and 

 mineral springs of the five southern coun- 

 ties are described, with statistics, maps, 

 and illustrations. Short papers are added 

 on " Comparative Valuation of Lands and 

 Products,'' by General Nelson A. Miles ; 

 " Trees, Shrubs, and Wild Flowers," " Pe- 

 troleum and Asphaltum," " Orange - Cult- 

 ure," " Public Schools," " Profits and Meth- 

 ods of Fruit - Raising," and " Ten Acres 

 Enough," by other writers familiar with 

 these special topics. 



Under the Soidhcrn Cross, by M. 3T. Bal- 

 lon (Ticknor, $1.50), is a gossipy account 

 of the author's travels in Hawaii, Australia, 

 Tasmania, and New Zealand. The purpose 

 of the book is evidently to entertain rather 



than to instruct ; not to furnish statistics 

 for the merchant or student, but to con- 

 tribute to the pastime of " fireside " travel- 

 ing, which has so many devotees. 



Section II of the special report on " The 

 Fisheries and Fishery Industries of the 

 United States " is A Geographical Review 

 of the Fisheries huhistrics and Fishing Com- 

 munities for the Year ISSO, and is prepared 

 by George Brown Goode and a staff of as- 

 sociates (United States Commission of Fish 

 and Fisheries). The contents comprise sep- 

 arate papers on the fisheries of each of the 

 Atlantic States, with accounts of the fish- 

 eries of the Gulf of Mexico, the Pacific 

 coast, and the Great Lakes, and an appen- 

 dix of " Historical References to the Fish- 

 eries of New England." The methods and 

 results of these industries are described by 

 towns and counties, and numerous tables of 

 statistics are inserted. 



21ie Bulletin of the United States Fish 

 Coinmission, Vol. VI, for 1886, contains a 

 very large number of letters from American 

 and foreign correspondents of the Fish 

 Commission relating to special topics in its 

 department. 



Geology and Mining Industry of Lead- 

 viUe, Colorado, with Atlas, by Samuel F. 

 Emmons (United States Geological Survey, 

 $8.40), forms Volume XII of the monographs 

 of the Geological Survey. The investigation 

 of this field was undertaken in 1879, and 

 the report M'as practically completed in the 

 fall of 1881, when an abstract of it was 

 made, which has been published. The in- 

 formation is less timely now than it would 

 have been immediately after it was gath- 

 ered ; for the thousands of persons who, a 

 few years ago, were eager to know about 

 the mines of Lcadville, have either got the 

 knowledge by experience — in many cases 

 dearly bought — or have turned their atten- 

 tion in other directions. The development 

 of the mines, too, has gone on rapidly, and 

 the ores have begun to change from car- 

 bonates and chlorides to sulphides. Still, 

 the thorough manner in which the work of 

 the geologist in charge and his assistants 

 has been done, and the liberal style in 

 which it has been illustrated with litho- 

 graphic andheliotype plates, make themon- 



