Bibliography. 149 
and the surfaces generated by revolving conic sections around their 
axes, form the staple of these treatises. The reason of this is that 
any other curve or surface must give an equation above the second 
degree, or one containing transcendental functions, either of which 
makes too knotty a subject for common students, and needs the skele- 
ton keys of calculus. Any one on comparing the facility, certainty, 
and conciseness of analytical geometry with the wordy, ungeneralized, 
and fortuitous methods of the old-fashioned conic sections, will surely 
b scartes, and pronounce this a case of stage coach versus rail- 
road. The English have reason to know this; for their adhesion to 
9 
on this subject, he has not done his duty. The clearness a 
appropriate character of his instruction to fourteen successive classes 
at the U.S. Military Academy, show that it was his duty to improve on 
is predecessors. We think he has done so to such an extent as much 
'0 facilitate the study of this subject. The reasons given in the preface 
E. B. H. 
6 feet oy’ s Wind and Current Chart.—This large Chart, measuring 
eet by 8 in its surface, includes a map of the Atlantic Ocean be- 
rth and the equator, nearly the whole of which area 1s 
different colors for the figures and lines, the chart is 
TruPlexity naturally consequent upon so many and involved marki 
The author has of his arduous lab th 
Moa impor ze subject he has under inves apiece eed es 
in the Physics of the world, and is 
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