NOVEMBER 5, 1903] 
NATURE : 
American figures are swollen by taking the value of 
the metals and not the value of the ores, but even if 
the comparison with this country were made upon 
strictly identical lines, we should still be a long way 
behind. 
In r1901 the United States produced more coal, 
copper, gold, iron, lead, salt and silver than any other 
country in the world. The yield of coal was about 
one-third of the world’s supply. This mineral is 
mined in twenty-eight different States, Pennsylvania 
being, of course, by far the most important. Twenty- 
four States are producing iron ore, Minnesota heading 
the list with 11 million tons of red hamatite. 
Montana yields about two-fifths of the copper of the 
United States, the Lake Superior district about one- 
quarter, and Arizona about one-fifth. 
Colorado has outstripped California, and is now the 
leading gold-producing State. 
Mr. Oliphant’s chapter upon natural gas is sure to 
claim much attention, and is of special import for 
those who are interested in our new supply in Sussex. 
The advantages of this cheap and economical fuel are 
lauded to the skies by the author, who reckons that 
the quantity tapped and supplied in 1901 exceeded one 
cubic mile in volume; 21,848 miles of mains, 2 to 36 
inches in diameter, are employed in distributing the 
gas to consumers. 
We learn from Mr. Struthers that the United States 
are the largest producers of borates in the world. 
Most of the borax is obtained by treating the cole- 
manite of California. 
According to Mr. Joseph Hyde Pratt, who deals with 
abrasives, artificial corundum is now being employed 
in the manufacture of emery wheels. It appears that 
bauxite is converted into corundum by means of great 
heat and pressure in an electrical furnace. The 
mineral monazite is far more widely distributed than 
was imagined when its name was chosen in allusion 
to its supposed rare occurrence; it derives its com- 
mercial value from the small percentage of thoria 
which it contains. The quantity washed from gravels 
and sands in North and South Carolina in rgo1 
amounted to 334 tons. 
In dealing with a great work like the volume under 
review, it may seem ungenerous to point out a small 
and trifling error, but probably Mr. Birkinbine will be 
glad to correct the statement that ‘‘ no true manganese 
ore is won’”’ in Great Britain. The Merionethshire 
ore cannot be fairly described as ‘‘ manganiferous iron 
ore’? when an analysis? shows 25 per cent. of man- 
ganese and only 4 per cent. of iron. 
CLIMATOLOGY. 
Handbook of Climatology. Part i. General Climat- 
ology. By Dr. Julius Hann. Translated by Robert 
de Courcy Ward. Pp. xv + 437. (London: Mac- 
millan and Co., Ltd., 1903.) Price 12s, 6d. net. 
HE translation into English of the first volume of 
Dr. Hann’s ‘“‘ Climatologie ”’ is a very welcome 
addition to the library of English-speaking meteor- 
ologists. The translation does not extend to the last 
1 Halse, ‘‘On the Occurrenge of Manganese Ore in the Cambrian Rocks 
of Merionethshire.”” (Proc. N.E. Inst. M. and M. Eng., vol. xxxvi. 1887). 
NO. 1775, VOL. 69] 
two volumes of the original work, which deal with 
special climatology, as it has been found “ impractic- 
able’? to translate them. This is greatly to be re- 
gretted, for the generalisations which constitute the 
science of climatology cannot be satisfactorily treated 
without reference to the statistical data and the 
means for verifying them. Moreover, a com- 
pendious review, in English, of the statistics of the 
various meteorological elements arranged accord- 
ing to geographical distribution is constantly wanted 
for many purposes, and either a translation of Dr. 
Hann’s volumes, or a reproduction in an abridged 
form of Dr. Buchan’s volume of the Challenger re- 
ports, is a necessity of which every student of meteor- 
ology must be aware. It is quite true that such a 
survey would be a work of reference, and would not 
serve as a text-book in a course of general climatology, 
and as that is Prof. Ward’s purpose in preparing the 
translation, we must unfortunately wait for some other 
interest to prompt the translation of the two volumes 
of special climatology. 
The translator himself explains the relation of the 
English version to Hann’s first volume :— 
“This translation, as it stands, essentially repro- 
duces the original. Numerous references, especially 
such as will be most useful to English and American 
students, have been added, and changes have been 
made in the text in order to bring the discussion down 
to date. A natural temptation to expand the original 
has been yielded to in very few cases only. Practically 
all of the important publications which have been 
issued since the completion of the second German 
edition are referred to. Some new examples of 
different climatic phenomena have been added, chiefly 
from the United States. Most of the examples given, 
however, necessarily still relate to Europe, because the 
climatology of that continent has been studied more 
critically than that of any other region. A few cuts 
have been made where the discussion concerned 
matters of special interest to European students only.”’ 
Among recent works, references to which have been 
incorporated, Bartholomew’s “ Atlas ”’ is conspicuous, 
but the remarkable Russian ‘‘ Climatological Atlas,”’ 
published in 1900, is not, although it furnishes a large 
number of illustrations of climatological principles. 
A distinction is drawn by Hann between climatology 
and meteorology, but when one deals with general 
climatology it is rather hard to maintain the distinc- 
tion. In dealing with the analysis of climates into 
solar, or mathematical climate, and physical climate, 
with such subdivisions as mountain climate, conti- 
nental and marine climates, forest climate, and such 
supplements as mountains as climatic barriers, geo- 
logical changes of climate and periodic variations of 
climate, all of which are treated in the book, it is 
obvious that neither author nor translator would be 
content with the mere analysis of figures representing 
these different sections. The mode of classification at 
once suggests the causes of climate, and the investi- 
gation of such causes is practically general meteor- 
ology. 
It is scarcely necessary to refer to the admirable way 
in which Dr. Hann arranged his introductory volume 
to include a survey of all the general facts about 
climate and its local variations, and to produce a book 
