I 



Bibliography. 



453 



ter from tlie celebrated Robert Fulton with a sketch of his first steam- 

 boat. The leiicr is dated Sept, 26, 1802, from Paris, and in it be 

 discusses ihe relative advantages of oars and paddles as a means of pro- 

 pelling a boat- PlatP 'IR mvps a niftiiri^ of lofin PWi-l.^a ci-^.»^. K,.of 



. ^. boat. Plate 28 gives a picture of John Fitch's steam^boat 

 W[th his own description of the apparatus in the Columbian Magazine 

 for December, 1786. A remarkable autograph letter follows under 

 date of Dec. 25, 1790, in which he states that he gave his country 

 this valuable invention on the 30th Aug., 1783, and had received no 

 compensaiion. He adds, "another inducement which urges me to 

 pursue this scheme is, to put it out of the power of future generations 

 to make excuses for the present one — and if I should die in penury, 



want, wretchedness and rags, that my country may have no excuse, 

 and that I may have the secret pleasure in the contemplation of re- 

 ceiving real pity from future generations." The work contains nu- 

 nierous titbits of scientific as well as general interest, mostly of a 

 persona? character. 



^ 16. The Serpent Symlol^ and the Worship of ihe Reciprocal PriiicU 

 ciples of Nature in America; hy E.G. SciUiEn. 254pp,8vo, New York: 

 1851. G. P. Putnam. American Archaeological Researches, No, 1. 

 Mr, Squier in his work on the Serpent Symbol, has brought his exten- 

 sive Archaeological knowledge to bear upon the history of primary re- 

 ligious ideas in the two continents. The work exhibits varied learning, 

 and abounds in facts and suggestions that are o^ great interest. We 

 are not prepared to admit however that they require or sustain the sys- 

 tem of religious philosophy that pervades its pages- We should do 

 ihe author however the justice to say that upon the main question, 

 whether the resemblances in ideas between races is due to early con- 

 nection or simply to identity of mental constitution, he observes ihat 

 he would not express a preference for either hypothesis, much less de- 

 cide between them ; and if he has leaned to the latter, it has arisen 

 from a desire to avoid the common error of attributing all coincidences 

 and resemblances to intercommunication of races in periods more or 

 less remote. Mr. Squier announces the following works of the Archte- 

 ological series as prepared for publication, or as far advanced. 1. 

 The Archaeology and Ethnology of Central America. 2. The Mexi- 

 can Calendar. 3, The Mythological System of the Ancient Mexicans. 

 4, The semi-civiltzed Nations of New Mexico. 



* _ 



Prof. j;W. Bailet: Microscopical Examinations of Soundings, made by the U.S. 

 Const Survey off the Atlautic Coast of the United States.— From the Smithsonian 

 Contributimw to Knowledge. 16 pp. 4to, with 1 nlute.— Al^o Microscopical Obser- 

 vations made in South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.--Sniithsonian Contributions to 

 Knuwled^re. 48 pp. 3 pL We have to defer a farther notice of these intcrestii^ 



memoirs to a following niunber. i i i j 



Samuel L.Dana: A Muck Manual for Farmers ; 3d edition, revised and enlarged. 



S46 pp. 12mo. Lowel and Boston: 1851. . ^ . ir 



M, Faraoav: ExT.i(*rimental Researches in Electricity.— 22ud series; Crysfallme 



U' 



u 



-f* 



From the 



possible relation of Gravity to Electricity.— On tha niagtietic ana t ^ 

 ditiou of bodies— Magnetic conducting power.— Atmospheric magnetism, 

 Philosophical Trim^actiom : l^o. 2ii, in the volume for 1849, 23, for 18o0, 21-27, 

 for 1851. » 



Sekiks, 



•Nov., 1861. 



58 



n 



1 



tm, 



