586 



NATURE 



[Oct. 1 8, 1883 



continuance of the annual grant for its prosecution. In 

 nothing did Logan show his admirable tact and know- 

 ledge of men more than in the way he met these objectors, 

 and turned them, if not into active friends, at least into 

 passive though perhaps not wholly convinced spectators. 

 Long before his death he had the satisfaction of seeing 

 the establishment he had founded advanced in popular 



vour and equipped with a much more liberal endow- 

 ment than he had been content with in its modest 

 beginnings. 



After the year 1851, when the reign of Universal Exhi- 

 bitions began, Logan was frequently under the necessity 

 of coming to Europe to look after the interests of Canada 

 at the various capitals where the products of all nations 

 were collected. There can be no doubt that though, so 

 far as his proper scientific researches were concerned, 

 these summers were entirely wasted, they were of the 

 utmost service to the province. The collections of the 

 Canadian Geological Survey were always one of the 

 most interesting features in the Colonial galleries, and 

 there can be no doubt that they did much to make 

 the resources of the country widely known all over the 

 world. 



Of the value of Logan's services to science in general 

 and to Canadian geology in particular, the best evidence 

 and monument are t© be seen in the voluminous series 

 of Reports which he published, and in the truly admirable 

 museum of Canadian minerals, rocks, and fossils which, 

 with the aid of his colleagues, he formed at Montreal. 

 As many of his letters show, he possessed no little literary 

 faculty, but he never cultivated it, and indeed he hated 

 the drudgery of writing. Had he been ambiiious of fame, 

 he might have attained a far wider reputation. His long 

 years of exploration, his adventures and experiences by 

 mountain, river, and forest, his felicitous power of rapid 

 sketching, would have furnished him with ample materials 

 for successive important and deeply interesting volumes, 

 while his unflinching regard for truth and entire abhor- 

 rence of exaggeration would have lent to his pages a 

 peculiar charm. But his ambition was to be at work in 

 the field. There he continued at his post until after he 

 had passed his seventieth year, when the confederation 

 of the provinces extended the sphere of the operations of 

 the Survey across the entire continent. Feeling himself 

 no longer equal to the increased duties of his office, he 

 resigned his connection with the Survey in the beginning 

 of 1869, intending to devote himself more particularly to 

 the investigation of some geological questions in which he 

 took special interest, and to see more of his friends in 

 Europe and of European geology than had previously 

 been in his power. But he did not long enjoy the 

 leisure he had so well earned. Retiring to Wales, 

 where his sister lived, he spent there the autumn of 

 1874, but before the end of winter began to be seriously 

 ill. He lingered until summer, and died on June 22, 

 1875. 



The narrative of Logan's life by Dr. Harrington is 

 simply and effectively given, much of its interest being 

 derived from the extracts from the journals and letters. 

 A few sketches are reproduced from the note-books. The 

 only fault we are inclined to find with the book is that 

 so few of these -ketches have been given. We remember 

 many a long year ago being allowed to peruse some of 



the note-books, and laughing heartily over the humorous 

 delineations of camp life on the Canadian rivers. Those 

 who knew Logan will be glad to have this pleasant 

 souvenir of him. Those who never knew him may learn 

 from it something of the charm that will keep his memory 

 green in the affections of many friends, both in the Old 

 World and in the New. 



Arch. Geikie 



OUR BOOK SHELF 



The Sea Fisheries of Great Britain and Ireland. By 

 E. W. Holdsworth. (London : Stanford, 1883.) 



Notwithstanding the extensive literary productions 

 connected with the Fisheries Exhibition itself, many 

 works, suggested by it, have already appeared. One such 

 is the volume before us — an admirable digest of the ques- 

 tion in hand. In the present state of our knowledge, the 

 chapter devoted to Ireland is exceedingly welcome, and 

 it may not be too much to hope that, in spite of the 

 gradual decline of its fishing industry, that country may 

 yet seize hold of this, at least one remaining hope. The 

 book is written in excellent style, clear and concise, well 

 balanced, and up to date ; of convenient size to be carried 

 in the pocket, and provided with a good index, we can 

 strongly recommend it to the host of visitors who frequent 

 our coasts, and so often find their way instinctively to the 

 nearest fishing village. One prominent feature is the 

 description of the various "rigs," a subject of great im- 

 portance of late, but which does not appear to have been 

 sufficiently dealt with in the Fisheries manuals. The 

 universal outcry of want of statistics is raised, and the 

 writer has made the best of such as he has gathered — 

 largely, from private sources. Those relating to the 

 gradual increase of larger and improved boats in our 

 fishing fleets are interesting, as leading up, we may hope, 

 notwithstanding acknowledged difficulties in the way, to 

 the introduction of steam-power. The illustrations are 

 good, but additional ones, setting forth the different 

 "rigs," and doing justice to other nets, as does that given 

 to the beam-trawl, would be acceptable. 



Agricultural Chemical Analysis. By Percy Faraday 

 Frankland. (London : Macmillan and Co., 1883.) 



Dr. Percy Frankland has done excellent service by 

 the publication of his book. There is good reason to 

 believe that practical agriculturists are rapidly becoming 

 alive to the importance of a knowledge of the scientific 

 principles which underlie their art, and the action of the 

 Science and Art Department in fostering the study of 

 those principles is calculated to increase the intelligent 

 appreciation of their value. The relations of chemistry 

 to agriculture have been indicated in times past in this 

 country in the writings and teaching of such men as 

 Davy, Johnstone, Ure, and others, and in more recent 

 times in the elaborate reports which we owe to the patient 

 industry and zeal of Sir J. B. Lawes and Dr. Gilbert. 

 Nevertheless it is to be feared that these works have been 

 practically sealed books to the great majority of even the 

 more enlightened of our agriculturists. Farmers are pro- 

 verbially, and perhaps not unnaturally, a conservative 

 class, and apparently nothing but the pressure of compe- 

 tition will force them from the beaten track. But science 

 is abroad even in Arcady. Farmers who buy feeding- 

 stuffs and artificial manures soon show a very rational 

 appreciation of the significance and value of such items 

 as "albuminoids," "soluble phosphates," and "available 

 nitrogen." They will find all about such matters, together 

 with much else relating to the chemistry of their art, in 

 Dr. Percy Frankland's excellent little work. 



T. E. T. 



