348 



NATURE 



[August 8, 1907 



coast ; whilst half an hour for tow netting, in view of 

 the fact that two or three collections are apparently 

 put into the same bottle, is certainly too long. 



The illustrations, 123 in number, are mainly derived 

 from photographs, the majority of which show a con- 

 siderable lack of skill on the part of the photographer. 

 One or two appear to be out of focus, many are too 

 much of the soot arid sawdust type; while in others 

 the background chosen is not calculated to show up 

 the " sitter " to the best advantage. Typographical 

 errors, of which there are a fair number, are almost 

 invariably confined to scientific names, such as Nephtys 

 for Nephthys, Maidae for Maiadse, Spangus for Spa- 

 tan s;iis. 



In spite of the above faults, we can, however, recom- 

 mend the book to all beginners in the fascinating art 

 of shore collecting, although, of course, it does not 

 obviate the necessity of access to monographs on the 

 various groups. R- A. T. 



Field Operations of the Bureau of Soils, 1904. (Sixth 

 Report.) Pp. 1151 + a case of 53 maps. (Wash- 

 ington : United States Department of Agriculture, 

 1905.) 

 The United States Survey of Soils continues from year 

 to year its enormous task, under the direction of its 

 chief, Mr. Milton Whitney, and the present sixth 

 report ditiers in no essential respect from its prede- 

 cessors. The soil divisions are mapped upon a basis 

 of physical texture, the same name being used right 

 across the continent for soils which are judged to be 

 of the same tvpe, however different the origin or 

 however remote the locality from that of the type 

 originally credited with the name. It is just this 

 classification which has been called in question by the 

 critics of the survey in the United States, who dis- 

 credit both the methods of identification and analysis 

 which are adopted, and also the rapidity with which 

 the work is pushed along. Certainly when the cost 

 of the survey a.inounts to less than los. per square 

 mile, as in the present case, the distribution of soils 

 in the United States must be very different from what 

 we are familiar with in the Old World, or else the 

 maps can be little more than very sketchy first approxi- 

 mations. However, we are too far away to have any 

 means of forming a judgment in this domestic dis- 

 cussion, but what the English reader will always find 

 jt value in this survey are the preliminary general 

 accounts of the physiography and agricultural develop- 

 ment of each area. There we get sketches of the 

 stvle of farming and the local conditions which com- 

 pare, though in a more scientific fashion, with the 

 reports on the counties of England initiated by Arthur 

 Young a little more than a hundred years ago. 

 Doubtless in time these reports will have the same 

 permanent value for .\merica as a detailed picture of 

 the state of the country and the position of its chief 

 industry. 



Hypnotism and Spiritism — .4 Critical and Medical 

 Study. Bv Dr. Joi-eph Lapponi ; translated by Mrs. 

 Philip Gibbs. Pp. xiv + 268. (London: Chapman 

 and Hall, Ltd,, 1906.) Price 5i-. net. 

 The opening chapter deals with the historical data 

 connected with hypnotism and spiritism, and the author 

 points out how spiritism passed through the various 

 stages of spirit rapping up to definite materialisation. 

 Dr. Lapponi then describes what is understood by 

 hvpnosis, and it is clear that his views are not in 

 accord with those held by most authorities at the 

 present time. When the reader reaches the chapter 

 on "Details about Spiritism," he will find a most 

 vivid description of a stance, as given by " some of 

 the best and most esteemed mediums." The author 

 honestly states that he has not had personal experi- 



NO, 1 97 I, VOL. 76] 



ence of the " truth and reality of the marvellous 

 phenomena " which he describes; nevertheless, he is 

 evidently convinced of its actual existence. Dr. 

 Lapponi gives some interesting accounts of the mystic 

 performances of the Indian fakirs, and also records 

 some instances of telepathy. 



In discussing the relationship of hypnotism and 

 spiritism, he endeavours to prove that there is little 

 or no relationship between them, a fact which few 

 would dispute; on the other hand, we do not think 

 that the arguments which he adduces would go far 

 towards convincing the sceptic. The author admits 

 that "illusions and hallucinations explain some 

 isolated cases of spiritism"; he also allows that 

 mediums may have largely had recourse to frauds 

 in order to enhance their reputations, and he is 

 generous enough further to concede that " to the 

 spiritistic frauds done voluntarily may be added 

 others, not only involuntary but unconscious " ; but even 

 after allowing all these, he considers that there are 

 phenomena which are well authenticated, and foi 

 which neither deception, art, nor science can render 

 an account. This may be true, but because a matter 

 is too subtle to unravel does not justify us in assuming 

 that it is the result of spiritism. The author's attempt 

 to account for the valuelessness of spirit revelation is^ 

 very feeble, but it is left to the closing chapter, to: 

 reveal the worthlessness of spiritism, for here we 

 read that " spiritism is always dangerous, harmful, 

 immoral, reprehensive, to be condemned and most 

 severely prohibited without reserve, in all its grades, 

 forms, and possible manifestations," except, maybe, in 

 some rare exceptions. Surely, if there are spirits 

 with whom we can confer, some of them should be 

 able to raise us to higher planes of thought, for the 

 spirit world should belong to a hierarchy which is 

 nearer to the perfect. 



I 



LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. 

 [The Editor does not hold himself responsible for opinions 

 expressed by bis correspondents. Neither can he undertalie 

 to return, or to correspond with the writers of, rejected 

 manuscripts intended for this or any other part of Nature. 

 No notice is taken of anonymous communications.] 



Festival of St. Alban. 

 With reflnrd to what is said concerning the date of this 

 festival in the review of the " Life of St. Patrick " in 

 Nature of July 25 (p. 2qb), it is to be noted that there 

 is really only one date for the festival. In the time of 

 Bede (L(. E.', i., 7), as in the pre-Rcformation calendars 

 of the English Church, as well as in the Latin Prayer 

 Hook of Queen Elizabeth, 1560, the date is June 22. But 

 when the festival reappeared in the English Prayer Book 

 of 1662 it was placed on June 17, an obvious error which 

 is supposed to have arisen from wrongly writing xvii. 

 for x.\ii. In the Roman calendar the date is, of course, 

 June 22. C. S. Taylor. 



Banwell N'iiarage, July 2ri. 



The information supplied by the Rev. C. S. Taylor Is 

 most welcome. The evidence for regarding the 22nd as 

 an arrested solstitial day, in connection with St. Alban, 

 is now fairly conclusive. 



|i) The 22nd was one of the three solstitial days about 

 305 A.D., the supposed date of .'Mban's martyrdom. 



(2) If closely studied with that fact in view, the legend 

 of his martyrdom, like those of the death of Patrick and 

 Dewi, may reveal a clear midsummer festival setting. 

 That much may be gathered from the statement that 

 Alban was summoned to do sacrifice to the pagan gods. 

 We know from other sources that people were penalised 

 for non-attendance at the great pagan festivals. 



(3) There is evidence that St. -Alban 's festival covered 

 the three solstitial days. 



(a) One old Welsh calendar fixes the festival on the 

 23rd. 



