May i8, 1905] 



NA TURK 



53 



OVR BOOK SHELF. 



Beitrdge zur Physik der freien Atniosphdre. Edited. 



with the cooperation of a number of distinguished 



meteorologists, by R. Assmann (Berlin) and H. 



Hergesell (Strassburg). Vol. i. Part i. (Strass- 



burg : Triibner, 1904.) 

 On receiving the first number of a new periodical, the 

 question of the need and room for such a publication 

 first rises to one's thoughts. It must be admitted 

 that it is not easy to see the necessity for a magazine 

 so highly specialised as the one before us. That the 

 investigation of the upper atmosphere is a separate 

 branch of study in itself is very questionable; and 

 there are already the Meteorolo gische Zeitschrifl, the 

 Veroffentlicliungcn dcr internationalcn Kouunission 

 jiir wissenschaftliche Luftschiffahrt, and the IHiis- 

 trierte Aeronauiische Mitteiliingen, all suitable for 

 the discussion of such investigations. 



The subject-matter of this first number of the 

 Beitrdge is exceedingly interesting, and of no little 

 importance. It contains three articles, each by a high 

 authority on the subject dealt with. 



The first, by Prof. Hergesell, is devoted to proving 

 that kites can be raised to great heights quite in- 

 dependently of the weather conditions where a large 

 expanse of water and a high-speed motor-boat are 

 at the disposal of the observer, this being the same 

 result as that arrived at by Rotch and by Dines. The 

 more immediate object of the present article is to 

 urge the possibility and necessity of founding an 

 observatory on Lake Constance specially devoted to 

 the investigation of the upper atmosphere. 



In the second article Prof. Assmann describes " a 

 year's simultaneous kite ascents in Berlin and Ham- 

 burg," with special reference to the existence of a 

 warm current of air flowing almost constantly 

 between 500 metres and 1000 metres above the sur- 

 face. That such a current should exist is very in- 

 teresting, and further observations as to its extent, 

 strength, and permanency are very much to be 

 desired. 



The remaining article treats of the methods em- 

 ployed by Dr. A. de Quervain in determining the 

 paths traversed by balloons sent up with registering 

 instruments only. The methods described can only 

 be employed so long as the balloon remains within 

 the range of vision of a telescope ; they are really 

 trigonometrical. The first is the simple method of two 

 theodolites at the ends of a base line, and the second 

 similar, with the exception that only one theodolite 

 is used, the heights of the balloon at the moments of 

 observing with the theodolite being obtained later 

 from the curve drawn by the barograph carried with 

 the balloon. 



Articles for future numbers, which are to be pub- 

 lished as may be found convenient, are promised by 

 Prof. Sprung, Prof. Wiechert, Dr. ]. Maurer, and 

 Dr. A. de Quervain. " G. C. S. 



The Inventor's Guide to Patent Law and the New 



Practice. By James Roberts, M.A., LL.B. Pp. 



viii+109. (London: John Murray, 1905.) Price 



2S. 6d. net. 

 This is a well written handbook on British patent 

 law and practice in which the inventor will find in- 

 formation of use to him. The new practice referred 

 to in the title is the search by officials of the Patent 

 Office for anticipations within the fifty years prior to 

 an application, and the possible enforced statement 

 as to these which the patentee may have imposed 

 upon his own specification. 



While the information derived from a search by 

 olificials of the Patent Office may be of the greatest 

 use to a patentee, there is considerable doubt as to 



NO. 1855, VOL. 72] 



the advantage either to the patentee or to the com- 

 munity of allowing what may in reality be a specifi- 

 cation of a valuable invention to be marred by an 

 ofiicial statement as to certain prior specifications. 

 There is a fear that an ofiicial with insufficient ex- 

 perience of practice either in works or in the Chancery 

 Court may attach too great importance to what are 

 known as paper anticipations, and by insisting on re- 

 ferring to them prevent a patent which otherwise 

 might have been the basis of a successful manufactur- 

 ing process, and be good enough to stand attack in 

 the courts, from being even looked at by any manu- 

 facturer. However this may be, it is impossible to 

 cast any doubt upon the Patent Office without paying 

 a tribute to the great courtesy with which the hum- 

 blest stranger who goes there is met, and the help 

 that he is sure to receive short of professional advice. 

 The library, too, and its arrangement is an admirable 

 feature. 



References to large standard works on patent law 

 are very numerous, and will be of great service to the 

 reader who desires more detailed information on 

 diflicult points than can possibly be given in a 

 moderate compass. B. 



A Manual of Mining. By M. C. Ihlseng and E. B. 

 Wilson. Fourth edition. Pp. xvi + 723. (New- 

 York : John Wiley and Sons ; London : Chapman 

 and Hall, Ltd., 1905.) Price 21s. net. 

 Based on the course of lectures delivered at the 

 .School of Mines of Colorado, Prof. Ihlseng's book, 

 which is regarded in America as the best text-book 

 on the subject, has been enlarged under the joint 

 authorship of Mr. Wilson to include coal mining, 

 which received scant attention in previous editions. 

 Excepting that ore dressing and coal washing are 

 not touched upon, it now covers much the same 

 ground as Sir C. Le Neve Foster's " Elements of 

 Mining and Quarrying." The arrangement is, how- 

 ever, altogether different. The book is divided inln 

 two parts, mining engineering and practical mining. 

 The former deals with prospecting, preparatory work, 

 methods of mining, power generation, hoisting 

 machinery, electric generation and water power, 

 hoisting machinery and underground conveyances, 

 underground haulage systems, wire rope transmis- 

 sion, the compression of air, pumping, mine gases, 

 ventilation, distribution of air, the illumination of 

 mines, and accidents in mines. 



The second part deals with shafts, sinking in 

 running ground, timbering, driving drifts, tunnels 

 .md gangways, drilling and boring machines for ex- 

 plorations, miners' tools, channelers, drills and coal- 

 cutters, and blasting. It is difficult to see the objecl 

 of this division into mining engineering and practical 

 mining. In this country it is not usual to draw a 

 sharp distinction between theory and practice in 

 engineering work. Moreover, the order of the chap- 

 ters in each section does not appear to be so logical 

 as that followed in English and Continental text- 

 books. Thus on p. 30 the steam shovel is described, 

 but it is not until p. 621 that we come to a description 

 of the ordinary pick and shovel. On p. 47 the blasting 

 of coal is dealt with, but it is not until p. 685 thai 

 the operation is described and the theory of blasting- 

 explained. The book contains much useful informa- 

 tion, but the lack of method in the arrangement 

 cannot fail to militate against its use as a text-book. 

 The illustrations, many of which are excellent, are 

 largely borrowed from makers' catalogues, and are 

 not nearly so useful for educational purposes as rough 

 sketches specially drawn would be. 



The frequent misprints in figures in the index and 



in the references should have been carefully guarded 



I against in a book intended for students. Several 



