Feb. I, 1872] 



NA TURE 



261 



The Astronomy (by the Astronomer Royal) is the 

 shortest article in the book, extending over no more than 

 12 pages. Hydrography, on the other hand, occupies 49 

 pages, and contains much useful information regarding 

 SDundings, the discovery of land, sailing directions, and 

 artificial harbours. The directions are essentially practi- 

 cal and eminently suggestive ; thus, take the following 

 froin Approaching a coast : — "Always bear in mind that 

 no description can equal a tolerably faithful sketch, ac- 

 companied by bearings. In all four sketches take angles 

 roughly with a sextant between objects at the extremities 

 of four drawings, and two or more intermediate ones, and 

 aftix them to the objects of the moment, and have at 

 least one angular height in the picture ; let that be of the 

 highest and most conspicuous or best defined object." 



The article on Tides (26 pages) gi/e; minute direc. 

 tions for tide observations and the construction of curve 

 tables. The next section, on Terrestrial Magnetism, 

 by Sir Edward Sabine, is of great importance, and de- 

 scribes the methods of observation most in vogue ; the 

 observations of local attraction, of vibration, of deflection, 

 and so on. We miss, however, any account of the mag- 

 netism of iron ships, and the elimination of the compass 

 error caused thereby. Also we feel assured that simple 

 instructions for travellers as to the use of compasses on 

 land, in the mid-t of forests, &c., would prove of much 

 service, ^'nder the heading Meteorology we find direc- 

 tions for observing systematically a large number of aerial 

 phenonieia, water-spouts, bull's-eye signals, showers of 

 dust and ashes, cyclones, various electrical manifestations, 

 &c. Passing over the articles on atmospheric waves and 

 barometrfc curves, we come to that on Statistics, which 

 is of very general interest, and relates to the state of 

 education and crime of a people, the manufactures, com- 

 merce, currency, revenue, municipil regulations, &c_ 

 This is followed by " Medicine and Medical Statistics," 

 regarding the various fevers and other diseases to which 

 travellers are specially exposed, with hints for determining 

 the geographical distribution of diseases. 



The chapter on Ethnology by the late J. C. Prichard 

 revised by Mr. E. B. Tylor, is to be specially commended 

 to the notice of travellers ; under the term he includes 

 " all that relates to human beings, whether regarded 

 as individuals, or as members of families or com- 

 munities ;" the physical and social history of man. 

 This chapter is divided into three parts;— (i) of the 

 Physical Character of Nations ; (2) Characteristics of the 

 state of Society, &c. ; (3) Language, Poetry, Literature. 

 We are lamentably deficient in our knowledge regarding 

 the earlier history of the physical sciences, and are glad 

 to find that Mr. Tylor alludes to the acquirement of know- 

 ledge of this nature in the following paragraph : — " The 

 crude notions entertained by uncivilised races on subjects 

 within the scoce of physical science are matters worthy 

 of inquiry. Science they can ha'-dly be said to possess, 

 though this was scarcely true with the ancient Mexicans. 

 All nations observe the changes of the moon, and measure 

 the lapse of time with a greater cr less degree of accuracy 

 by the movements of some of the heavenly bodies. The 

 speciil names given to the months, if any, should be 

 recorded. Inquiry should be made whether the motions 

 of the planets are observed, and whether these bodies are 

 distinguished from fixed stars ; what ideas are current as 



to the conformation of earth and sky and the cause of 

 eclipses ; whether attempts are made to ascertain the 

 duration of the solar year, whether there are names for 

 the constellations, and what they are if they exist." 



Of the remaining portions of this work we need only 

 allude to that devoted to " Seismology, or Earthquake 

 Phenomena," by Mr. Robert Mallet, which contains many 

 details as to the observation of effects of rare occurrence 

 in these latitudes, but to the traveller in South America the 

 suggestions would be invaluable. Thus we have an account 

 of instruments for observing the velocity and directionof the 

 shock of an earthquake, observations to be made in a city 

 affected by an earthquake, and the preparation of coseismal 

 and meizoseismal curves. To conclude : the whole work 

 is wonderfully suggestive, not alone to the traveller, but 

 to the home observer ; it teaches us to arrange in order 

 and systematise our observations, and in so doing conveys 

 a great deal of collateral information. 



G. F. RODWELL 



OUR BOOK SHELF 



Gmelin-Kraut's Handbuch der Chemic, Anors-anische 

 Chcinie. In Drei Baudot, Scc/i^fc umgenrbcitcte Atiflage. 

 Herausgegcben von Dr Karl Kraut, Heidelbetg. 

 Ers:er Band zweite Abtheilung, pp. 176. (London : 

 Williams and Norgate.) 



It is now eighteen years since the appearance of the fif.h 

 edition of this work ; this, of course has necessitated the 

 change from the old atomic weights to the new, but the 

 arrangement of the elements and sections of the book has 

 been retained as in former editions. The present volume 

 has been thoroughly revised, the information having been 

 brought up to a, very recent date ; should the remaining 

 volumes beequally reliable, it will probably be the most com- 

 plete work on inorganic chemistry in any langauge. Dr. 

 Kraut has obtained the assistance of Drs. Naumann, 

 Ritter, and Jor^ensen, in order to expedite the conclusion 

 of the work. There is no book to our knowledge which 

 contains so large an amount of information in a small 

 space as Gmelin's Handbook. It is, as expressed in the 

 preface, a complete, concise, and systematic handbook of 

 chemistry up to the latest tiine. The merits of this book 

 for the purposes of reference are so well known that it 

 would be quite superfluous to enter into any lengthened 

 description of it. In the volume now unr'er considera- 

 tion oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, boron, phosphorus, and 

 sulphur, with some of their more important compounds, 

 are treated of; the article on ozone and its properties is 

 perhaps typical of the book, it occupies fouiteen pages, 

 and forms a very valuable and complete history of this 

 body. The completion of the book may be looked for 

 with interest, although necessarily it will be some time 

 before this can be accomplished. 



Astronomical Phenomena in 1S72. By W. F. Denning, 

 Hon. Sec. of the Observing Astronomical Society, 

 (London : Wyman and Son.) 



This brochure consists of some general remarks on 

 astroncinical observing, and some forty pages of data 

 almost entire'y taken from the "Nautical Almanack" 

 for 1872. The former are addressed to the simplest 

 tyro, and are so meagre as to give the impression 

 of a want of accurate knowledge. In the section 

 touching upon instruments we are told that " with 

 regard to the spectroscope, micrometer, and other 

 astronomical appliances, it will be better to say but very 



