May 



22, 



1890] 



NA rURE 



77 



\ 



laws of elasticity break down long before breaking takes 

 place, it is not surprising that he should find himself in 

 disagreement with the results of theoretical elasticity. 



A summary of the author's theory is given on p. 31, in 

 the shape of ten hypotheses, most of which are of general 

 acceptation, except perhaps number 8, which asserts that 

 "The algebraic sum of the direct forces of compression and 

 extension can never become zero ; " while number 4 is 

 redundant, and opposed to the principles of elementary 

 statics. 



After the length of time the theory of the beam has 

 been worked at, it is natural to expect the treatment 

 to have fallen into a conventional groove ; but there is an 

 unfamiliar appearance about the present pages, which 

 makes it difficult to find out where the originality claimed 

 by the author for his theory comes in ; while many of his 

 statements about the position of the neutral line (p. 27) 

 "" at the inception of the loading being at the bottom or 

 extended side of the beam, and moved upwards by reason 

 of the deflection and equally with it," are in direct 

 opposition to the ^careful observations of Mr. W. H. 

 iiarlow. 



A great many additional pages, reaching to number 

 166, are devoted to applications to beams of different 

 materials, cast-iron, wrought-iron and steel, and timber ; 

 but the method is the same throughout, so that the 

 essence of the book would go into very few pages. The 

 treatise is a great contrast in this respect to most recent 

 American publications on practical subjects. 



A. G. G. 



Chambers's EncyclopcEciia. New Edition. Vol. V. 

 (London and Edinburgh : W. and R. Chambers, 

 1890.) 



The new volume of the present edition of " Chambers's 

 Encyclopaedia" deserves in all respects as cordial a re- 

 ception as that which has been given to the preceding 

 volumes. The editor has done his work with admirable 

 care, selecting for the various subjects writers competent 

 to deal with them, and setting apart for each subject, as 

 nearly as possible, the space that properly belongs to it 

 in accordance with the scheme of the work as a whole. 

 Of the strictly scientific contributions, we need only say 

 that those of them we have been able to examine are 

 sound and concise. With regard to the articles on geo- 

 logy and heat, it may be enough to mention that the 

 latter is by Prof. Tait, the former by Prof. James Geikie, 

 to whom also have been intrusted the articles on the 

 Glacial period and the geology of Great Britain. The 

 climate of Great Britain is the subject of a short but 

 luminous paper by Dr. Buchan. An excellent account of 

 gas and gas-lighting is given by Dr. Alfred Daniell, 

 and Prof. Ewing describes the gas-engine. Mr. Keltie 

 contributes an interesting paper on geography, and Dr. 

 J. S. Mackay writes with his usual clearness on geometry. 

 Mr. F. Hindes Groome's article on the gypsies may be 

 noted as a capital summary of many curious facts and 

 theories. Mr. J. Arthur Thomson, in his article on 

 heredity, displays wide reading and an impartial judg- 

 ment ; and Dr. J. Anderson's article on hill-forts shows 

 how much solid information may be packed into a small 

 space by a writer who knows his subject thoroughly. 



Essays of an Americanist. By Daniel G. Brinton, M.D. 



(Philadelphia: Porter and Coates, 1890.) 

 MO.ST of the papers in this volume have already been 

 printed, but some have been substantially re-written, and 

 each of them derives an added value from the fact that it 

 appears in association with other essays on kindred sub- 

 jects. Dr. Brinton classifies the various papers under the 

 four headings, " ethnologic and archiTJologic," " mytho- 

 logy and folk-lore," " graphic systems and literature," and 

 "linguistic." To those who are familiar with his contri- 

 butions to ethnology and anthropology we need scarcely 



NO. 1073, VOL. 42] 



say that the volume sets forth the results of much fresh 

 thought and solid work. In some respects the conclusions 

 at which Dr. Brinton has arrived differ widely from those 

 of most other anthropologists. He holds, for example, 

 what he calls " the specific distinction of an American 

 race," and " the generic similarity of its languages." He 

 is also persuaded that the tribes of this race "possessed 

 considerable poetic feeling," and maintains " the absolute 

 autochthony of their culture." These and other positions 

 he defends with much ingenuity, and even those readers 

 whom he may fail to convince will find that it is worth 

 while to master his arguments. As an example of the 

 thorough way in which he works at his subject, we may 

 note his chapter on the Toltecs, whose far-famed empire 

 he describes as " a baseless fable." 



Esquisse Historique sur la Marche du Ddveloppement de 

 la Gdomctriedu Triangle. ByE. Vigarid. (Association 

 Frangaise pour I'Avancement des Sciences — Congres de 

 Paris, 1889.) 



This is a full and carefully drawn-up sketch of what is 

 sometimes called the modern geometry' of the triangle. 

 It carries on the bibliographical notice contributed by M. 

 E. Lemoine to the same Association (1885) up to the 

 present time, and supplies some of the lacunae in that 

 notice. The author appears to be very fair towards 

 foreign mathematicians, and any deficiencies in noticing 

 English contributions are due to there being at present 

 no account of results which may be buried in such 

 journals as the Mathematician, the Ladfs and Gentle- 

 man's Diary, and similar works. We have little doubt 

 that an examination of these would lead to the unearthing 

 of many anticipations of recently obtained results. 



LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. 



[ The Editor does not hold himself responsible for opinions ex- 

 pressed by his correspondents. Neither can he undertake 

 to return, or to correspond zvith the writers of, rejected 

 manuscripts intended for this or any other part of Nature. 

 No notice is taken of anonymous communications.^ 



A Uniform System of Russian Transliteration. 



In Nature, vol. xli. pp. 396-97, which has only now reached 

 Tashkend, there is a very interesting note under the above title. 

 It is stated that " the recommended system will be adopted with- 

 out delay." How is this to be understood? Does it mean that 

 the system is finally settled ? It would be a pity if this were so, 

 because the proposed method of transliteration contains a point 

 which would be a source of perplexing difficulties when used in 

 practice. 



The suppression of the semi-vowels 5 and 6 (hard and soft 

 pron unciaiion) at the ends of words, would make many of them 

 indislinguisliable. For instance, with the propo-ed system, the 

 words 



ribMb (dust) would be = puil 

 and iibMi (heat) ,, = puil 



Onji (did heat) ,. = bit 



and OiiJb (a bill) ,, = bit 



»ipi (precipice) ,, — yar 



and )ipi> (verdigris) ,, = yar 



jaHh (given) ,, = dan 



and .laiib (tribute) ,, = djn 



and so on. 



The differences of these sounds exist for some purpose in the 

 Russian language, and they ought to be rendered in some way 

 in the transliteration. Perhaps the simplest plan would be to 

 adopt the Polish method of denoting the soft pronunciation with 

 an accent above the letter in question. The words just given 

 would then be written dan and dalt, yar a.nAyai; &.c. 



I may be allowed to make some further suggestions. They 

 are of minor importance, but would tend to improve, in my 

 opinion, the proposed system. 



Would it not be more convenient to transliterate the Russian 

 bt withj, as is done in the Polish language? The proposed 

 symbol ui does not even remotely represent the right sound, and 



