Notices respecting New Books. 439 



Mr Patterson %vill be fulJy appreciated by them. Want of space 

 udl not allow us to do more than notice! that the depa tmeS of 

 Ethnology and of An:mal and Vegetable Physiology are\n he hand 

 of he well. known writers Latham. Mann, and Lankester We 

 hasten to consider more carefully those parts of the book with whose 

 subjects we are more immediately connected 

 i!L tfZ "i:^'! ^^^?\ «f thelessons on Physical Geo- 



oT«nli-,r o„3 ~\\\ '-"'' wessons on l^nvsical (ieo- 



graphy. and, as might be expected from the originator of the whole 



sameTf'M; ftT^ f ''f "^^'^ ^^ ^^'^'^ ^^ -^^^ sarth 

 r«?Sp. Jl ; ^"^t%^"l^e^^' the writer of the pages on Gee ' 



rathei Mmeralogy. From a director of the Geological S 



wril"lf '"?"^' ^^"P^'^^.^ *° ^'^^'^ interesting'article 



Irl^d "' °^- n^'"'" " ^''''''' °f '^' Geological Surfey of 

 reland one naturally expects to have interesting^rticles, or at 

 east, aruc les free from gross inaccuracies; but justice, and the very 



ndhl int rf ir"'"?' "T''' ^' '"^ ''' '''''"^'^^ productions arl 

 T.)Z^ ^!^^ "°' ^'"1 ^'°™ ^^^ °^°'* egregious blunders ; indeed 

 the book would be considerably improved if his part of it ;ould be 



seTer Js^tb'^'^ri?- \' ^-^^ ^"^^^ ^^'-^ '^at a sentence o 

 severe as this should not be lightly pronounced, nor should it be 

 unaccompanied by proofs; no other consideration except tMs^vould 

 induce us to give greater prominence to errors which vJe feel Ture a 

 LTon a^"" T.f >^^" ^r^""'''- ^^- -t'^'- are M: iterest! 



h!t flsW f H r7 T'i'^' ""^ °^^^^ ■'^'^'>'' ^°t-« absence of 

 that f.eshness and hie which we believe to be indispensable. The 

 uninteresting descriptions of minerals, unenlivened, as they to a 



TcheS :;;':?' '^ ?'"^^'">" associations, are far more calculated 

 to check than to awaken in the reader any love for the science. 



and tl e autwl ""^ ' ^°"'''^ ^'' themselves often inaccurate. 



and the author s ignorance or unpardonable carelessness will unfor- 



tunately either confuse or misinform the attentive read r For 



istance, on page 72 the reader is informed by Mr. Juke that 



common salt is formed by the combination ot' soda with ySo 



bv the r V \ "V'^r ''^' ^y ^'■°^- Frankland. that it is formed 

 by the combination of sodium and chlorine. Which is he to believe } 

 Mr. Jukes calls fluor-spar a fluorate of lime. No such compound a 

 he latter is known to chemists.-fluor-spar is fluoride of calcium 

 Iodine and bromine are placed among the seven substances wS 

 according to Mr. Jukes -when pure.'are always found i. the Se 

 of gas or aeriform fluid;" now every chemical- book we have seen 

 tel s us that iodine is a dark-coloured solid having a metallic lustre, 

 and that bromine is a hguid of a very deep brownish-red colour, and 

 dmost three times heavier than water. Again, we are told that 

 platinuni "is the heaviest of all metals except gold.'' Now he 

 specific gravity of platinum, although it varies a little >*ith its struc! 

 ture. IS about 215. whereas that of gold is only 19-5. Mo e blun. 

 ders might be exposed, but the above surely' warrant our severe 

 sentence. With the hope, therefore, that Mr. Jukes will either be 

 more cautious, or decline writing altogetlier in such books, we pass 

 on with p casure to Professor Frankland^s lessons on Chemistry.^ 

 nJuT. r'' '"any good qualities, and from the spirited 



and pleasant manner in which they are wiitteu. they will no doubt. 



