98 



NATURE 



[June i, 1893 



with equal energy and ability. But the scale of magnifi- 

 cence depicted is more likely to breed a spirit of discontent 

 in those who do excellent work with smaller means, than 

 furnish a scheme on which they can conduct their more 

 modest establishments. We are the more disposed to 

 quarrel with the author for the space devoted to this long 

 and tedious description because we feel that useful matter 

 which Dr. Waldo could so ably have contributed has 

 been crowded out. Under the title " Apparatus and 

 Methods " we could have hoped space would have been 

 found for " Methods of Reduction." Dr. Waldo admits 

 not only that the ordinary observer is at times at a loss 

 for reliable guidance in the reduction and discussion of a 

 particular series of observation, but that the specialist 

 in other inquiries into which meteorology enters or 

 may enter cannot find the observations put into a form 

 ready for use. Possibly the author feels that the subject 

 of reduction is sufficiently large to demand a treatise to 

 itself, but nevertheless many a meteorologist who has 

 carefully tabulated his readings, for years it may be, 

 would turn to a book expressly addressed to himself in 

 the hope of finding some hints, which would enable him 

 to extract something useful from his observations or at 

 least to reduce them on systematic and uniform lines. 



Having dismissed the subject of instruments and 

 observatories, the author proceeds to discuss the 

 Thermodynamics and general motions of the atmosphere, 

 and these two chapters, upon which has evidently been 

 lavished an immense amount of care, sustain the 

 interest of the book and carry us a long way into a very 

 difficult subject. It cannot be said that these chapters 

 are light reading. The author has attempted a difficult, 

 it may be an impossible task, for he virtually proposes to 

 give the results of mathematical analysis without the use 

 of mathematical symbols. Such forms of descriptive 

 writing are seldom a success for any class of readers 

 and it is scarcely too much to say that any one who can 

 follow the successive steps of the argument, put forward 

 by the various authorities here quoted, would find his 

 work easier if the author had not dispensed with the 

 assistance of ordinary symbols. But any one who 

 struggles successfully with the difficulties of these 

 chapters will find himself put in possession of the latest 

 views of the exponents, of what the author has called 

 the German School of Meteorology, though at the head 

 of it we should place Prof Ferrel with his high American 

 reputation. 



Of the views of the various authorities here set out, we 

 think Prof. Ferrel fares the best, as being most clearly 

 expressed and in the completes! detail, but in this 

 instance Dr. Waldo was assisted by the fact that Prof. 

 Ferrel has himself translated his book on "Recent Ad- 

 vances in Meteorology," published under the auspices of 

 the United States Government in 1885, into a popular 

 treatise on " The Winds." We are thus enabled to have in 

 this section and particularly in the following one on the 

 " Second iry Motions of the Atmosphere," copious extracts 

 from Prof Ferrel's book in his own words, and this is 

 extremely fortunate, for Ferrel's views have altered not a 

 little since he first submitted them to public consideration, 

 and it is a little difficult to be certain that we have the 

 last words of this distinguished meteorologist. For the 

 remainder, it would be a great advantage to the reader 

 NO. I 23 I. VOL. 48] 



if the various views quoted from the original authorities 

 were not left so disconnected, but the points of harmony 

 and divergence brought into stronger relief- The author 

 is too content to stand in the background and allow the 

 various authorities to put forward their views without 

 sufficiently accentuating their strong points. Indeed, it 

 would seem at times as though the several points of 

 divergence were not fully appreciated. We may illustrate 

 this peculiarity by an instance which also shows the 

 indifference of the author to English authorities on the 

 theoretical side, a peculiarity to which we have already 

 called attention in practical work. In the historical 

 account of Ferrel's work is mentioned (p. 275) the fact 

 that Prof. James Thomson published a paper in the Pro- 

 ceedings of the British Association, 1857, "expressing 

 somewhat of the same dissatisfaction with current 

 theories that Ferrel had printed in 1856, and the line 

 of reasoning as regards a new theory was much of the 

 same nature, but not so complete as Ferrel's. This paper 

 is now chiefly valuable historically." Then follows a 

 defence of the late Prof Thomson against a possible charge 

 of plagiarism. We doubt whether this defence will be 

 appreciated, for in 1857 the views of the Glasgow Professor 

 differed widely from those held by Prof. Ferrel. That they 

 have gradually approached since, is due rather to the 

 fact that Ferrel has modified his views as originally held. 

 The distinguishing feature, or at least one distinguishing 

 feature, in the theory of the latter, a theory which Prof 

 Thomson had characterised as pervaded by impossi- 

 bilities and incongruities, is the assertion that there 

 must be a heaping up of the top layers of the atmosphere 

 to a maximum height at about the parallel of 28 , and 

 a depression of them not only over the Equator but 

 around the Poles and in high latitudes generally. He 

 would thus produce six zonal vortex rings of circulation, 

 three in the Northern and three in the Southern Hemi- 

 sphere. Prof Thomson's theory was a modification of 

 the older theory of Hadley, recognising and emphasising 

 the conditions to which a thin stratum of air would be 

 submitted under the effects of friction and impingement 

 at the earth's surface. As the final outcome of his theory. 

 Prof. Thomson concluded that in temperate latitudes, 

 there are three currents at different heights : — " That 

 the uppermost moves towards the Pole and is part of a 

 grand primary circulation between equatorial and polar 

 regions ; that the lowermost moves towards the Pole, 

 but is only a thin stratum forming part of a secondary 

 circulation ; that the middle current moves from the 

 Pole and constitutes the return current for both the 

 preceding, and that all these three currents have a 

 prevailing motion from west to east in advance of the 

 earth." 1 Those who have foil owed the development of 

 Prof Ferrel's ideas will find and will admit, that his 

 later theory, published in i860 bears a far greater likeness 

 to that published by Prof Thomson in 1857, than it does 

 to his own earlier efforts in 1856. If there be any 

 plagiarism, and it is not at all necessary that there 

 should be, since the change of view could be amply 

 explained by the gradual growth and improvement of 

 Ferrel's views in the interval, it can scarcely affect the 

 reputation of the English meteorologist. 



But the value of the book is not to be measured by 



' Phil. Trans, vol. 1B93 .A. p. 675. 



