752 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



possible in the first edition ; for with the 

 increase of knowledge the science has been 

 perfected. Professor Dana recognizes the 

 advances that have been made in elucidat- 

 ing the progress of life upon the globe, and 

 gives in his adherence to the great doctrine 

 of evolution, although entertaining specula- 

 tions of his own in regard to the mode of 

 its working. He admits that " the evolution 

 of the system of life went forward through 

 the derivation of species from species ac- 

 cording to natural methods not yet clearly 

 understood, and with few occasions for su- 

 pernatural intervention." The modifications 

 in the new edition which have reference to 

 the doctrine of evolution are very significant. 



The Ship of Fools. Translated by Alex- 

 ander Barclay. 2 vols. Edinburgh : 

 William Patterson. New York : Apple- 

 tons. 1874. Price, $25.00. 



This curious old book was written by 

 Sebastian Brandt, a German ecclesiastic, 

 two years after the discovery of America. 

 It is a popular poetical satire, directed 

 against the vices and follies of the times 

 just before the Protestant Reformation; 

 but the sorts of people that provoked 

 Brandt to ply his satirical lash are not 

 without representatives in our own day ; 

 and hence, as a book of instruction-, the 

 " Ship of Fools " is by no means out of 

 date. Soon after its publication it was 

 translated into Latin, Dutch, Low German, 

 and French ; and in 1509 it was rendered 

 into English by Alexander Barclay. The 

 work now possesses mainly a philological 

 and bibliographical interest, and has been 

 expensively reproduced in exact fac- simile, 

 in tyjDe, text, and illustrations, of the original 

 edition. The English version is rather an 

 adaptation of the original to English modes 

 of life than a mere translation. It is well 

 observed in the introduction : " Barclay's 

 ' Ship of Fools ' is not only important as a 

 picture of the English life and popular feel- 

 ing of his time; it is, both in style and 

 vocabulary, a most valuable and remark- 

 able monument of the English language. 

 Written midway between Chaucer and Spen- 

 ser, it is infinitely more easy to read than 

 either." The language is strongly Saxon. 

 Of the original .work it is said that, " for 

 upward of a century it was, in Germany, a 



hook of the people in the noblest and widest 

 sense of the word ; and it was assumed to 

 be so familiar to all classes that, even dur- 

 ing Brandt's lifetime, the German preacher, 

 Gailer von Kaiserberg, went so far as to 

 deliver public lectures from the pulpit on 

 his friend's poem, as if it had been a script- 

 ural text." 



The Psychological and Medico-Legal 

 Journal. New Series, No. 1. July, 

 18*74. Conducted by William A. Ham- 

 mond, M. D., assisted by T. M. B. Cross, 

 M. D. $5.00 per annum. New York : 

 F. W. Christern. 



This is a continuation, in a new form, 

 of Dr. Hammond's Quarterly Journal of 

 Psychological Medicine^ and it will probably 

 take a more popular shape in its new phase 

 of development. The leading article of this 

 number is a complete report of the chief 

 editor's address before the Neurological 

 Society, on the " Effects of Alcohol on the 

 Nervous System." It details the results of 

 many experiments made by Dr. Hammond 

 upon himself, to test the physiological in- 

 fluence of various forms of alcohol, and is 

 an interesting and instructive contribution 

 to the literature of the subject. The dis- 

 cussion which followed the address, by vari- 

 ous physicians, is given ; and there are sev- 

 eral important notices and reviews of works 

 upon psychological and medico-legal ques- 

 tions. The periodical is at present a 

 monthly, but this is, perhaps, provisional. 

 It is well printed, and has a neat and at- 

 tractive aspect. 



United States Commission of Fish and 

 Fisheries. Part I. Report on the Con- 

 dition of the Sea-Fisheries of the South 

 Coast of New England in 1871 and 1872. 

 By Spencer F. Baird, Commissioner. 

 With Supplementary Papers. Wash- 

 ington : Government Printing - Office, 

 1873. 



For many years, in this country and 

 Great Britain, both popular and scientific 

 opinions have been much vexed by the 

 question whether the great harvest of the 

 sea was not in danger of very serious dimi- 

 nution. It seemed to be generally thought, 

 those only objecting who were engaged in 

 such matters, that nets, wears, pounds, etc., 

 were fast exterminating our food-fisheries. 

 It was even argued by many fishermen that. 



