ApRIL 18, 1907 | 
NATURE 581 
The atlas contains, besides the frontispiece—a 
bathymetrical hemisphere with London as centre— 
fifty-three maps. There is a political map of the 
world in Mercator’s projection, and four small world- 
maps on an equal-area projection showing produc- 
tions and consumption of foodstuffs, rainfall, and 
postal delivery. This last map employs a novel method 
of showing by a system of colouring the number of 
days taken to convey letters, posted in London, to 
different parts of the globe where there is a postal 
service. Next follows a useful series of maps show- 
ing.steamer routes, railways, and telegraphs. Europe 
is represented by one general map and fourteen 
physical, commercial, and political maps of the 
British Isles. Asia has eight maps, of which India 
takes up six; the others are-a general map of the 
continent and one of Persia and Afghanistan. The 
number of maps given to Africa is disproportionally 
large. In addition to one general and five divisional 
maps, there are four of the British African colonies, 
while the Australasian colonies are comprised in three 
maps—a general map of Australia on two sheets, 
unfortunately on different scales and in entirely 
different styles, and a map of New Zealand. With 
regard to the American continent, there is no general 
map of Canada, only three fairly large-scale 
divisional maps, and general maps of North and 
South America, the latter on two sheets. There is 
also a map of the North American Transcontinental 
railways. 
The atlas has no index, which much lessens its 
use as a work of reference. 
SOME BOOKS ON CHEMICAL ANALYSIS. 
Notes on Qualitative Analysis, Concise and Ex- 
planatory. By H. J. H. Fenton. New edition, 
revised. Pp. vi+147. (Cambridge: University 
Press, 1906.) 
Church’s Laboratory Guide. Revised and partly re- 
written by Prof. E. Jsinch. Pp. xvi+349. 
(London: Gurney and_ Jackson, 1906.) Price 
6s. 6d. net. 
Inorganic Qualitative Chemical Analysis for Advanced 
Schools and Colleges. By W. S. Leavenworth. 
Pp. vit+153. (Easton, Pa.: Chemical Publishing 
Co.; London: Williams and Norgate, 1906.) Price 
6s. 6d. net. 
Outlines of Qualitative Chemical Analysis. By F. A. 
Gooch and P. E. Browning. Pp. vi+145. (New 
York; J. Wiley and Sons; London: Chapman and 
Hall, Ltd., 1906.) _Price 5s. 6d. net. 
Oualitative Analysis as a Laboratory Basis for the 
Study of General Inorganic Chemistry. By W. C. 
Morgan. Pp. xiv+351. (London: Macmillan and 
Co., Ltd., 1906.) Price 8s. net. 
Smalley Chemical Analysis. By G. S. Newth. 
Pp. 147. (London: Longmans, Green and Co., 
1906.) Price 2s. 
R. FENTON’S well-known ‘‘ Notes on Qualita- 
tive Analysis’? is a mine~ of closely-packed 
practical information which, as the title-page states, 
is concise and explanatory. A student who works 
through the book and remembers only half the tests 
NO. 1955. VOL. 75 | 
described should be well charged with chemical facts. 
The ordinary equations are generally used, an equa- 
tion in terms of the ionic hypothesis being occasionally 
brought under the notice of the student. 
Church’s well-known ‘ Laboratory Guide,’? which 
has been revised and partiy re-written by Mr. E. 
Kinch, is exactly what its name implies. It is a 
practical guide to students of agriculture who wish 
to apply their chemical knowledge to that subject 
only. It does not pretend to deal with theory, which 
is left to the lecture-room, and the explanatory part 
is therefore reduced to a minimum. The book con- 
tains a series of exercises on the preparation of simple 
substances, on qualitative analysis, and, finally, on 
quantitative analysis, which fills up more than half 
the book. The simpler preparations being completed, 
the student is introduced to superphosphates, soils, 
and manures. Blood and bones and various materials 
of agricultural interest are dealt with qualitatively 
and quantitatively. Thus the student is not allowed 
to feel that he is being caught in the toils of pure 
science which may lead him anywhere or nowhere; 
he is, as it were, kept in full view of the farm and 
in touch with its products. There is very much to 
be said for this method, provided the scientific found- 
ations are carefully laid. As to the exercises them- 
selves, they are evidently devised and described by an 
experienced hand. 
The volume on ‘Inorganic Qualitative Analysis,” 
by Mr. Leavenworth, is very like other books on the 
same subject. The directions are clear, correct, and 
concise-——if anything too concise, for the suggestion 
that a reaction in certain circumstances may fail, is 
rarely recorded. The more general use of equations 
and the discussion of theoretical points would have 
made the exercises more of an intellectual and less 
of a mechanical process. 
Of a somewhat different stamp is the volume by 
Gooch and Browning. The subject is approached in 
a more philosophical spirit. The principle of mass 
action—the basis of all chemical change—is discussed 
in the introductory chapter. The reactions are ex- 
pressed by equations, and the conditions  attecting 
precipitation, &c., are carefully indicated. The 
student is thus made to feel that each step requires a 
little forethought; that each reagent can only be 
effective under properly chosen conditions—in snort, 
his intelligence is appealed to. There are several 
unfamiliar methods introduced, such as the separation 
of manganese from cobalt, nickel and zinc by means 
of acetic acid, the use of potassium ferricyanide for 
distinguishing cobalt and nickel, and the use of amyl 
alcohol for separating strontium and calcium. The 
English reader is reminded that ‘‘ Robin’s egg blue,”’ 
which describes the colour of the manganates, has 
reference to the American bird. Although the con- 
stitution of salts is described under the terms 
of basic and acidic ions, no attempt is made to 
develop the subject on Ostwald’s “ Scientific Found- 
ations ’’; but the usual equations are employed. The 
book is carefully written, well printed, substantially 
bound, and may be confidently recommended as quite 
one of the best of its kind. 
