4IO 



NA TURE 



[August 23, 1906 



and New York are fully discussed, and one of 

 Che most instructive chapters is devoted to the 

 Simplon Tunnel with its approaches on the Italian 

 side between Domo d'Ossola and Iselle. Tlie 

 arrangements for the men, the power installation, 

 ventilation, air refrigeration, illumination, drainage, 

 workshops, buildings, as also the transportation 

 service, are dealt with in such a manner as 

 cannot fail to be useful to readers, and when it is 

 remembered that notwithstanding the innumerable 

 difficulties which were encountered from hard rock, 

 hot springs, and crushing timbers, an annual pro- 

 gress was attained of one mile at each face, a 

 record has been established which it will be very hard 

 to beat. Subsequent to the date at which the book 

 was written, it was found that in the bad ground at 

 44 km. from Iselle steel girders and timbers could not 

 contend with the load they were called upon to carry, 

 and that steel girders with cement concrete alone 

 enabled the work to be proceeded with. 



Much information is given as to the ventilation of 

 tunnels, and if only from a public point of view this 

 is satisfactory as indicating the greater amount of 

 attention which is now being devoted to this branch 

 of scientific engineering. 



The use of compressed air in caissons, which was 

 first applied at Rochester Bridge by Sir Charles Fox, 

 is gone into at length, and in connection with the 

 illness known as caisson disease it can be mentioned 

 that the admirable system of re-compression in cases 

 of men being affected was first proposed and carried 

 out by Mr. Moir. 



."X very important part of the book describes the 

 extended use which is being made throughout the 

 world of concrete in cement. Within the last ten 

 years this has come into favour and is being applied 

 10 works of all kinds. Even subaqueous tunnels, such 

 as that at Boston, are being wholly constructed of 

 concrete, and whereas a few years ago the material 

 was regarded with suspicion, to-day it is being loaded 

 to the extent of 15 tons per square foot. How to 

 render concrete air-tight and waterproof is a problem 

 with which the author deals. 



In the appendi.x is given a useful glossary of terms 

 used in tunnelling, and the book is rendered complete 

 by a fairly extended index of contents. 



ANCIENT ASTRONOMY. 



AstruiWDiy in the Old Testament. By Prof. G. 

 Schiaparelli. .'\uthorised English translation, with 

 many corrections and additions by the author. Pp. 

 viii-i-178. (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1905.) Price 

 3s. 6d. net. 



Researches into the Origin of the Primitive Constel- 

 lations of the Greeks, Phoenicians, and Babylonians. 

 Vol. ii. By Robert Brown, jun. Pp. xx-l-261. 

 (London : Williams and Norgate, 1900.) Price 

 los. 6d. 



WE have in these two books works of very 

 different scientific value. Prof. Schiaparelli 's 

 little book is that of an expert astronomer who has 

 also a remarkable knowledge of the archaeological 

 NO. I 92 I, VOL. 74] 



evidence as to the early history of astronomy in the 

 East. This knowledge he uses with telling effect, 

 bringing out his points in an orderly, marshalled, 

 logical, and therefore convincing way. He is 

 moderate and sensible in his deductions also, and never 

 allows himself to be carried away by that deplorable 

 impulse to wild philological comparison and identifi- 

 cation which has been the curse of work of this kind 

 hitherto. He has in his English edition also had 

 the benefit of the collaboration of the sanest and most 

 trustworthy critics of the Old Testament, Dr. Driver 

 and Mr. Cowley to wit, so that the reader may rest 

 assured that in reading the book he is not groping 

 darkly among Cheyneian cryptograms, nor need he 

 fear that he will be haunted by the unquiet spirit of 

 Jerahmeel. Neither the ubiquitous " Jerahmeel " nor 

 the elusive " Musri " (see Nature, June 26, 1902) 

 have a place in this eminently sane and work-a-day 

 volume, which both archseologists and astronomers 

 will find useful. The archaeologists, indeed, would 

 only be too grateful if the astronomers would help 

 them more than they do. The mysteries of Mahler, 

 for instance ; no unastronomical archaeologist quite 

 knows whether they are scientific gospel or not. An 

 instance of archieological ignorance of astronomy is 

 given on p. 68 — Arcturus confounded with Arctos, and 

 said to be a star in the Bear. 



Prof. Schiaparelli gives us a very lucid introduction, 

 followed by a series of chapters on the general 

 cosmology of the Old Testament, the stars and con- 

 stellations, the doubtful Mazzoroth (perhaps the two 

 phases of Venus), the arrangement of months, days, 

 &c., among the early Hebrews. All is most interest- 

 ingly expressed, and the archaeological and historical 

 references are most valuable. The connection of the 

 Jewish star-lore with that of the Babylonians is care- 

 full)' but moderately brought out. A serious defect in 

 the book is the lack of an index. The translator or 

 publishers undoubtedly deserve blame for not having 

 had one compiled. No doubt French or Italian 

 writers do not habitually make indices to their books. 

 That is their defect ; in England the reader wants 

 indices, and the fact ought not to have been forgotten 

 in this case. 



^\'e wish we could praise so highly Mr. Brown's 

 "Primitive Constellations," as, to judge from his in- 

 troduction, he is very sensitive to former criticisms. 

 But honestly we cannot. The author of the " Great 

 Dionysiak Myth " used to be hag-ridden by philo- 

 logical speculations of the kind which were fashion- 

 able in the davs of Max Miiller, Gladstone, and Sir 

 George Cox, but have been recognised to be bad 

 archecology these twenty years past. Of this we are 

 bound to say we do not see so much in the present 

 volume, and are glad of it, but at the same time 

 we regret that Mr. Brown cannot bring himself to 

 abandon his foolish explanation of the name Amalthea 

 as the Assyrian ,4mmd, " mother " + I (which we 

 suppose is the .Arabic el) + the Greek 6fla ; here you 

 have it, Amalthea, " the divine mother " ( !) Mr. 

 Brown is still unable to perceive the absurdity of 

 this. The learned author also used to be a victim 

 of the Greek transliteration fad of Gladstone and 



