MISCELLANY. 



123 



be a pauper or millionaire ; a laborer or 

 capitalist ; a peasant or prince — which de- 

 termine, in short, whether his own internal 

 momentum or centrifugal force shall be 

 overpowered by the potent gravitation, or 

 centripetal force, which is constantly pros- 

 trating human efforts, or shall enable him to 

 maintain an independent position, and re- 

 volve IN AN ORBIT OF HIS OWN." 



A Treatise on the Method op Govern- 

 ment Surveying. By Shobal V. Clev- 

 ENGER, U. S. Deputy Surveyor. New 

 York: D. Van Xostrand. 200 pp., 

 12mo. 



The author states that the peculiarities 

 of Government surveying being unexplained 

 by existing works on land-surveying, new 

 contractors with the Government are often 

 embarrassed by the want of information on 

 the subject. To meet this want, the treatise 

 was prepared. The principles of surveying, 

 the application of astronomy, and the uses 

 of instruments and of logarithmic tables, 

 are expounded briefly but intelligibly. Sug- 

 gestions are also made for procuring a sur- 

 veying outfit, and for rendering the alkaline 

 waters of the Western Plains fit for drink- 

 ing. Tables of convergences, logarithms, 

 etc., are given at the end. The book is 

 bound in morocco for pocket-use. 



The Borderland of Science. By Richard 

 A. Proctor, B. A. Philadelphia : J. B. 

 Lippincott & Co. 438 pp., 8vo. Price, 



8-t.oo. 



This is an embodiment in book-form of 

 a series of essays previously published in 

 the CornhUl Magazine. The title forcibly in- 

 dicates the nature of the subjects discussed, 

 these being generally beyond the pale of 

 exact science, yet possessing in some de- 

 gree a scientific character. However, with 

 regard to the last three essays, " Gambling," 

 " Coincidences," and " Ghosts," it is difficult 

 to recognize their claim to a position under 

 the title, except in the effort of the author 

 to combat, after an analytical or scientific 

 method, the errors prevailing on those sub- 

 jects. The essay on " The Herschels and 

 the Star-Depths " sketches the observations 

 of those great astronomers on the " dark 

 portions " of the heavens, and their result- 

 ing discoveries of nebulae. " A Voyage to' 

 the Sun," and "A Voyage to the Ringed 



Planet," in the assumed and fanciful form of 

 a journey to those luminaries, describe their 

 features and the peculiar .theories relating 

 to each. " Life in Mars " discusses the rea- 

 sons for believing that some kind of animal 

 life exists upon that plaent, and " A Whew- 

 ellite Essay on Mars " gives the reasons 

 for doubting that that life resembles such 

 as we see upon our own. Besides several 

 other essays on astronomical subjects is one 

 on " Earthquakes," another on " Coal," and 

 still another on "Flying and Flying-Ma- 

 chines." The clear and vigorous style and 

 varied character of its contents make the 

 book highly interesting. It is to be regret- 

 ted that it was not published in a cheaper 

 edition. 



The Galvanometer and its Uses. By C. 

 H. Haskins. New York : D. Van Nos- 

 trand. 76 pp., 12mf^ 



Of suitable size, this book is intended 

 as a pocket manual for students of electri- 

 city, as well as a reference-book for experi- 

 enced electricians. It explains, at the be- 

 ginning, the laws upon which galvanometric 

 measurements are based, next the galva- 

 nometer itself, and lastly the uses of the in- 

 strument. It is illustrated throughout. To 

 the end are appended useful tables of the 

 wires and tangents, and of the weights and 

 resistances of iron and copper wires. 



MISCELLANY. 



Relics of an Ancient Malayan Ciyiliza- 

 tion, — At the November meeting of the 

 California Academy of Sciences, photographs 

 of curious hieroglyphics, cut in wood and 

 found on Easter Island, were received from 

 Mr. Thomas Croft, of Papeeti, Tahiti, In 

 accordance with vague traditions current 

 among the natives, they were supposed to 

 represent the written language of some pre- 

 historic race. The stone idols found on the 

 island exhibit a refined form of art, and 

 other relics found there go to prove that the 

 present population are the degenerate relics 

 of a once powerful nation. In the letter 

 accompanying the hieroglyphics, Mr. Croft 

 stated, from the best information he could 

 obtain, that none except the priests, and a 

 chosen few, could decipher these strange 

 characters. At a recent meeting of the 



