148 
Intellectualism is the curse under which the author’s 
friend fell, a martyr going at the last unwilling to his 
fate. To this we owe the degeneration held to be 
typically fiz de séécle. We must meet the danger, exor- 
cise the curse, by derogating from our claim to construe an 
absolute, and entering instead upon our heritage as men. 
“ The Ideality of the life of feeling is the remedy.” 
Dr. v. Schoeler is undoubtedly fitted to write the 
history of philosophical and scientific ideas in certain 
fields. His chapter on matter, and his section on the 
achievement of nineteenth century surgery prove this. 
And his general power of appreciation and range of 
interest carry him a long way towards the adequate 
treatment of his encyclopedic task. But his rhetorical 
tendencies, shown, for example, in his interesting 
chapter on Nietzsche, and his exuberance, give the book 
an ineffectiveness which a smaller work might escape. 
And there is no index to a critique of all philosophy and 
all science, though laden on every page with citations ! 
H. W. B. 
OUR” BOOK SHELF. 
Les Plantes Utiles du Sénégal—Plantes Indigénes— 
Plantes Exotiques. Par Le R. P. A. Sébire. Pp. Ixx 
+ 341 (Paris: J. B. Bailliére et Fils, 1899.) 
RAPID strides have been made of late in opening up to 
commerce the several European possessions on the West 
Coast of Africa, and though much has already been done 
so far as vegetable products are concerned, only a small 
percentage of such products find their way regularly into 
European commerce, such, for instance, as palm oil, 
ground nuts, rubbers, chillies, and a few drugs, including 
kino, cinchona bark (introduced), strophanthus seeds, 
kola, &c. 
With regard to timbers, there is a wide field for 
development, as there are many valuable woods in the 
forests that should find a ready market in Europe. 
African mahogany, afforded by Ahaya senegalensis and 
other trees, is regularly imported into Europe, the trade 
in this timber having, during the last decade, increased 
enormously, and though it may lack the figure of Central 
American mahogany, it commands a ready sale in 
European ports. Taking into consideration all these 
facts, any contribution, however small, of the nature of 
the book under review must be accepted with thanks, so 
long as the facts and figures are trustworthy. In the 
preparation of the work the author’s aim has been to 
provide those engaged in agricultural pursuits, or in the 
development of the vegetable economic resources of 
Senegal, with a manual of useful instruction. The book 
affords detailed information on indigenous plants, those 
that have become acclimatised, and further with those 
recommended for experimental cultivation. 
The first forty pages deal with such subjects as the 
seasons, water supply, soils, injurious insects, &c., and 
is followed by a list of exotic economic plants culti- 
vated in the country, with notes on the results obtained, 
the plants being classified according to their uses. 
Synoptical tables follow of generic and native names, 
together with a list of medicinal plants, arranged accord- 
ing to the diseases in the treatment of which they are 
employed. The main portion of the book, covering 300 
pages, consists of a list of plants arranged under their 
respective natural orders, with scientific and native 
names and details bearing upon their properties, uses, 
and distribution. This portion of the work contains 
much valuable information, and bears evidence of zeal in 
its preparation. Besides dealing with indigenous and 
acclimatised plants, notes are given on various exotics 
NO. 1546, VOL. 60] 
WAT ORE. 
[JuNE 15, 1899 
and their uses with the view to their introduction into 
the Colony, or as an aid in determining the properties of 
indigenous plants upon the assumption that allied species 
in a given natural order possess similar properties. This 
is an excellent idea, and adds to the usefulness of the 
work. An index of Latin and French names, together 
with lists of native names, complete the work. In a book 
of this description, written on the spot, one naturally 
expects to find errors. The scientific names in many 
instances are obsolete or incorrectly spelled, and due 
care has not been exercised in the introduction or omiis- 
sion of capital letters, italics, &c. It would have been 
much better had the information been concentrated 
under fewer heads, and a good general index of scientific 
and native names combined would have added to the 
utility of the book. This may be remedied in another 
edition, but as the work now stands it can be recom- 
mended with confidence to those engaged in the develop- 
ment of the vegetable resources of Tropical Africa as a 
very useful addition to the limited number of such books 
already existing. Many illustrations of interesting sub- 
jects are intercalated in the text. J. M. HILLIER. 
Applied Geology. By J. V. Elsden, B.Sc. (Lond.), F.G.S. 
Part II]. Pp. vi+ 250, with 186 Figures. (London : 
“The Quarry” Publishing Co., Ltd., 1899.) 
THE first part of this work was noticed in NATURE, 
vol. lviil. (1898), p. 615. The second part consists of 
eleven chapters and an appendix. The first chapter 
(Chapter vi. of the work) deals in 19 pages with un- 
stratified ore deposits. In the following chapter (vii.) 
the occurrence of the non-metalliferous minerals is 
described. We have, for example, 2} pages on coal, 
1 on petroleum, and 1 on diamonds. As these pages 
include the illustrations, it is clear that the amount of 
information is completely out of proportion to the 
importance of the subject. No doubt the author would 
plead the lack of space for more, but surely in that 
case he should have made a judicious selection of the 
literature bearing on the subjects in question, and given 
full references to it. The same remark as to the almost 
complete absence of references applies to the book as a 
whole. Not only would such references have rendered 
useful short sketches of great subjects, which, standing 
alone, are almost useless, but they would have given the 
weight of authority for many statements which, un- 
supported, appear dogmatic. Chapter viii. is devoted 
chiefly to prospecting, developing, bed-mining, and 
vein-mining. The next four chapters deal with 
“Building and Ornamental Stones.” They are chiefly 
illustrated by sixteen drawings of microscopic rock 
sections, clearly executed but without any indication 
of the amount of magnification. On. p. 76 the igneous 
rocks are classified into three groups—Plutonic, In- 
trusive and Volcanic; but it by no means follows, as 
there stated, that intrusive rocks are microcrystalline, 
still less that volcanic rocks are necessarily partly or 
entirely glassy, nor is it logical to classify serpentine as 
intrusive, while peridotite, of which most serpentines are 
merely altered examples, is termed plutonic. Rocks 
used in the arts and manufactures are described 
in Chapter xiii. Engineering geology, especially the 
subjects of water-supply, embankments, tunnels and 
cuttings, occupies Chapters xiv. and xv., and the final 
chapter is devoted to surface features such as soils. In 
an appendix are given “simple rough methods for the 
determination of minerals and rocks,’ and there is a 
good index. 
The work is very readable, well illustrated, and suited 
for geological students who wish to learn some of the 
applications of the science. The practical man will also 
gain useful hints, though he will feel rather at sea in 
reading some of the petrographical descriptions, and 
will wish for more details or references on many practical 
points. 
