132 
NATURE 
[DECEMBER 10, 1903 
be allotted to any one laboratory is of necessity small. 
The Cavendish Laboratory in the past has done most 
excellent work in somewhat difficult circumstances, 
but at the present time there is a crying necessity for 
both increase of space and equipment to carry on the 
work of the laboratory under the best conditions. 
Splendidly equipped laboratories are now springing up 
in all parts of the world, and it is a matter of regret 
that funds should not be available for the extension 
and further equipment of the Cavendish Laboratory to 
keep pace with the times. Under Prof. Thomson, the 
laboratory has done splendid worl: in the past, and will 
continue to do splendid work in the future, but more 
and better work would be done if greater space and | 
| case 
more apparatus were available. An additional sum of 
20,000l. spent on the laboratory would greatly increase 
its efficiency, and it would be difficult to find an in- 
vestment for such a sum which would be productive 
of such great returns to the cause of science and in- 
directly to the welfare of the race, 
GREAT BENIN. 
[HOSE who are ac- 
quainted with Mr. 
Roth’s earlier meritorious 
books, ‘* The Tasmanians ”’ 
and ** The Natives of Sara- 
walk and British North 
Borneo,’’ will know what 
to expect in a new work by 
that enthusiastic and inde- 
fatigable student. One is 
impressed with Mr. Roth’s 
evident intention to be quite 
fair, and to present to his 
readers all the available 
data, but the literal quota- 
tions from various authors 
lead to inevitable repetition 
and occasional contradic- 
tion. As in his book on 
Borneo, Mr. Roth has been 
at great pains in collecting 
from scattered sources very 
numerous interesting illus- 
trations, which materially 
enhance the value of the 
book. Mr. Roth appears 
to have a_ predilection for 
issuing limited editions of 
his books, and we are in- 
formed that ‘‘ the number 
of copies of this work is 
limited to 320, and no other 
or cheaper edition will be 
issued,’ 
The permanent fame of 
Benin will rest not on the 
butcheries of slaves and 
other unfortunates which 
shocked the civilised world, 
but on the skill displayed 
by the native artists’ in 
wood and ivory carving, 
and more especially by the 
artificers in bronze and 
brass. The first castings 
that came to Europe re- 
vealed an unsuspected 
mastery of technique, and 
despite the publication of 
Fic. 1.—Engraved brass bottle, 
Height 16 in. British Mu- 
seum. From ‘‘ Great Benin,” 
by H. Ling Roth. 
1 “Great Benin, its Customs, Art and Horrors.” 
Pp. xxxii+234 with 275 illustrations. (Halifax: 
Ltd., 1903.) 
NO. 1780, VOL. 69 | 
By H. Ling Roth. 
F. King and Sons, 
several papers and a couple of memoirs by various 
students, there is yet more to learn concerning the 
significance of the very varied subjects represented. 
Mr. Roth takes a view that differs from that sup- 
ported by most previous writers; he believes that 
the art existed in Benin prior to the advent of the 
Portuguese at the end of the fifteenth century, 
and that it was just emerging from the stage of 
realistic represen- 
tations and begin- 
ning to make an 
attempt in the di- 
rection of decora- 
tion. As was the 
with many 
other things with 
which the Portu- 
guese came. in 
contact, these re- 
markable_ ex- 
plorers left their 
mark strongly im- 
pressed on this art 
work, and thus 
the natives began 
that series of bor- 
rowed forms 
which is so mixed 
up with native 
motives; perhaps 
Mr. Roth is some- 
what too prone to 
see exotic designs 
in Benin art 
work. 
We _ reproduce 
in the first figure 
a brass bottle with 
very character- pt 
istic interlaced Fic.,2-—Brass crmlen sf in; high Tn Ma 
. . x ' Ss co. . 
patterns, — which “Great Benin,” by H. Ling Roth. 
are evidently 
derived from 
leather-work. The brass armlet or leglet in the second 
figure has some typical ornamentation; it is said these 
long armlets or leglets are put on when the individual 
is quite young, and not taken off until death, if then; 
in the event of removal, the foot or hand has frequently 
to be chopped off first. ya y 
With so much to choose from, it is difficult to in- 
dicate what the book contains; the sociologist will find 
what is known concerning domestic life, court life, 
government, trade and industries; the ethnographer 
is informed about weapons, games, buildings, and 
what the people do and make. 
Mr. Roth’s object has been to gather together 
all he could discover about Benin, and, besides 
earlier publications, he has drawn largely upon Mr. 
Cyril Punch, an excellent observer who in addi- 
tion has furnished Mr. Roth with sketches and 
interesting photographs. Fresh information has 
also been given by the author’s brother, Dr. Felix N. 
Roth. 
Owing to the number of authors cited, added to the 
fact that none of them made anything like a study of 
the people, the information garnered by Mr. Roth is 
very fragmentary, but the author is not to blame for 
this, and the book will have further increased its 
usefulness if it indicates how imperfect our knowledge 
is. and leads to a more detailed and thorough study 
of the people. It will, however, always remain a 
valuable work for students, as references are given 
with fulness, and it is embellished with a large number 
of excellent illustrations 
