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XIX. Notices respecting New Books. 



A Manual of Qualitative Analysis. By Robert Galloway, Esq., 

 F.C.S. ;:nd Edition. 8vo. Pp. 197. Churchill, London. 



BEGINNERS in the study of chemistry are much indebted to 

 Mr. Galloway for the great pains lie has taken, in the book 

 before us and in his ' First Step in Chemistry,' to remove from the 

 path of the student the many difficulties and obstacles which hinder 

 his early progress. These difficulties, so puzzling and discouraging 

 to the pupil, are too often forgotten or neglected by the compi- 

 lers of such text-books ; but our author has evidently devoted con- 

 siderable and especial attention to them, and we think he has been 

 successful in most materially facilitating the acquisition of sound 

 knowledge in the first stages of chemical study. 



The book is written in a very clear and intelligible style; in fact 

 the author has perhaps sometimes committed the pardonable fault of 

 repetition, in order to avoid any possible ambiguity. The second 

 edition has also been considerably improved and enlarged, several 

 new and useful chapters having been added. A most important 

 feature of the system pursued consists in contrasting the chief pro- 

 perties of the individual members of each group of substances, by 

 placing a description of these properties in parallel columns ; thus 

 the student, after experimentally demonstrating their behaviour with 

 reagents, is enabled to devise for himself methods for the separation 

 and individual detection of the different members of the group before 

 him. We cannot but greatly admire this plan of teaching chemical 

 analysis, which, whilst it calls into exercise the powers of observa- 

 tion, at the same time appeals to the judgement and reasoning facul- 

 ties of the experimenter. The adoption of methods of study like 

 this, cannot fail still further to increase the value of the natural 

 sciences as instruments of intellectual discipline. We can con- 

 fidently recommend Mr. Galloway's work as a valuable text-book, 

 both to the regular laboratorjr student, and to the beginner who has 

 not the advantage of professional instruction. 



XX. Proceedings of Learned Societies. 



ROYAL SOCIETY. 

 [Contiuued from p. 72.] 

 June 18, 1857.— The Lord Wrottesley, President, in the Chair. 

 "^HE following communications were read: — 



1 



Contribution towards the History of Thialdiue." By A. W. 

 Hofmanu, LL.D., F.K.S. 



Researches into the behaviour of several organic bases with bi- 

 sulphide of carbon, which I intend to lay before the Society at a 

 later period, have led to some experiments with thialdine, the 

 results of which I may be allowed briefly to state, since they are 

 but loosely connected with tlie principal object of the inquiry. 



