yi6 



NA TURE 



[November 17, 1923 



fervent hope of the applied worker is the appearance 

 of another Linnaeus. 



British naturalists who know what Linnaeus did will 

 welcome most the possibility now afforded them of 

 realising what Linnaeus was. Thanks to the piety of 

 Prof. Fries, our l)elief in the courage of his youth and 

 the high purpose of his whole career is more than 

 confirmed. We learn with relief that the tales of 

 injustice done to him were never countenanced by 

 Linnaeus, and gather with satisfaction that these acts 

 of injustice never occurred. The story of an averted 

 duel was evolved from the inner consciousness of a 

 German admirer after both Linnaeus and Ros^n were 

 dead. The circumstantial account of his strained re- 

 lations with Browall is a fable as impossible as it is 

 impertinent. The frigate despatched to recover his 

 collections is a figment of English artistic fancy. If we 

 regret the loss of the legend of the gorse on Putney 

 Heath, we do so less because of the story than because 

 we learn with sadness that Linnaeus did not love our 

 nation. We find compensation in this opportunity of 

 seeing ourselves as others see us, and take comfort from 

 the assurance that his feeling was not due to the 

 insular reserve, not to say frigidity, which marked his 

 reception in Great Britain in 1736. The many acts of 

 kindness subsequently done to him by both, effaced 

 from his memory the original misjudgment, by Miller 

 of his capacity, by Dillenius of his aims. What Linnaeus 

 was unable either to forget or forgive was that the 

 English should have permitted Sweden to purchase, for 

 the paltry sum of 15/., the priceless West Indian collec- 

 tion of Dr. Patrick Browne. Looking back through 

 the mist of years to 1758, we may perhaps pardon the 

 generous indignation of Linnaeus at English philistinism. 

 We can at least appreciate his feelings, and if we do 

 not share his anger, this is only because we know that 

 the spirit he disliked is as rampant now as it was when 

 Linnaeus lived. 



Fortunately, Linnaeus was spared the knowledge that 

 this spirit is not peculiar to our nation. Inwoven in 

 the web of his scientific thought we find a silver thread 

 of faith in Divine Providence. But, alongside this, 

 there lay a thread of darker hue. For the guidance of 

 his son, Linnaeus noted instances, in his own experience, 

 of " Nemesis Divina." Was the feeling aroused by 

 English disrespect towards the collection of Browne 

 the reflex of a subconscious dread lest like disrespect 

 be shown towards his own ? Fate ordained that the 

 collection of Linnaeus should come to England, and 

 Sweden knows that it has been guarded here with all 

 the respect and care that Sweden has shown towards the 

 Jamaica collection the study of which caused Linnaeus 

 to neglect " friends, relations, house and fatherland." 

 Histor}', for once, can point to a case in which the 

 NO. 2820, VOL. I 12] 



contemplation of parallel injuries has increased mutual 

 regard, and has helped to cement the ties that link 

 two kindred and friendly nations. 



Chemistry of the Metals. 



(1) A Treatise on Chemistry. By the Rt. Hon. Sir 

 H. E. Roscoc and C. Schorlemmer. Vol. 3 : The 

 Metals. New edition completely revised by B. Mouat 

 Jones and others. Part i. Pp. xv + 829. Part 

 Pp. viii + 831-1565. (Lond'>" A? .- n.;)] .n :.n,i r 

 Ltd., 1923.) 50^. net. 



(2) Metals and Metallic Compounds. By Ulick i 

 Evans. In 4 vols. Vol. 1 : Introduction, Metall 

 graphy, Electro-Chemistry. Pp. xii + 468. 21s. n« 

 Vol. 2 : Metals of the " A " Groups. Pp. xi + 396. 

 185. net. Vol. 3 : The Transition Elements. Pp 

 xii + 270. 145. net. Vol. 4: Metals of the "B 

 Groups. Pp. xii + 350. 185. net. (London: 1 

 Arnold and Co., 1923.) 



(i) ^ I ^HE last revision, in 1913, of volume ii. 

 J. Roscoe and Schorlemmer's " Treatise 

 carried the volume up to the largest convenient dime:, 

 sions for binding. The present revision has resulted 

 in the separation of the volume into two parts, each 

 containing some 800 pages, as compared with nearly 

 1000 pages in the volume on the " Non-Metals." Once 

 more the revision has been carried out in such a way 

 as to preserve fully the original character of the work, 

 and many readers would have been disappointed if any 

 other policy had been adopted. On these lines much 

 valuable new information has been included in the 

 volume, which will continue to occupy an imique place 

 in English chemical literature. It is, however, a mattei 

 of opinion how long this policy should be continued 

 in view of the increasing extent to which modcrr 

 inorganic chemistr\' is being developed on physico 

 chemical lines. Sooner or later, it will probably b« 

 necessary to introduce equiHbrium-diagrams in the tex 

 and to deal with chemical processes in which reversibl 

 actions are used on a more definite physico-chemica 

 basis. 



The revisers have been perhaps a Httle too carefu 

 in retaining old matter in the text. The full detail 

 which are still given of the Leblanc soda process an< 

 of the Bessemer process for steel are really of historic^ 

 interest only now that the last Leblanc plant an 

 Bessemer converter have been shut down. It is 

 question whether they ought to be retained as a pai 

 of the systematic teaching of chemistr)- merely becaus 

 a generation will probably elapse before they cease t 

 be the subject of possible questions in examinations 



The crystallographic sections of the book have bee 

 fully revised by Mr. Barker ; but it is a pity that tl 



