August 19, 1909] 



NATURE 



219 



irather disquieting to read in a specimen sentence : — 

 " Omna entuziasmo posedas per su la tendenco, ne 

 klarigar, sad trublar I'okulo di I'intelekto." 



Eiiifiilintng in die Lehrc vom Bau tmd den ]\'rricht- 



iingen dcs Ncrvensystems. By Prof. Ludwig 



Edinger. Pp. iii+190. (Leipzig: F. C. W. N'ogel, 



1909.) Price 6 marks. 

 This is an excellent work consisting of fifteen lectures 

 .on the various parts of the central nervous system. 

 Dr. Edinger has a very pleasant way of introducing 

 information concerning the functions of the nervous 

 structures as he describes them, a feature which makes 

 his works much more readable than those which give 

 merely geographical descriptions of the parts under 

 consideration. Another feature of the present work is 

 that it keeps the reader constantly informed respecting 

 the comparative anatomy and evolutionary antiquity 

 of the particular structure he is studying. 



The book consists of 190 pages, but there are prob- 

 ably less than loo pages of letterpress owing to tlie 

 generous way in which it is illustrated. There are 

 no fewer than 161 diagrams, in addition to a plate 

 showing the development of the Neencephalon over the 

 Palaeencephalon. The diagrams are so clear and 

 helpful to the student that a mere smattering of know- 

 ledge of the German language is probably all that is 

 necessary for the book to be a useful addition to his 

 library. 



The first chapter, on methods of investigation of the 

 nervous system, is largely historical; the second is 

 ■devoted to the study of the histological elements ; while 

 the third is a charming combination and correlation 

 of the histology, physiology, embryology and com- 

 parative anatomy of the nervous system as a whole. 

 The author then presents a general survey of the brain 

 and spinal cord, and subsequently discusses the various 

 tracts of the spinal cord and traces them fiom their 

 • origin to their termination. Then follow chapters on 

 the pons, cerebellum, mesencephalon, basal ganglia 

 and connections of the optic nerve. The last four 

 chapters are devoted to the various portions of the 

 cerebrum, the corpus striatum, connections of the ol- 

 factory nerve, the internal capsule, &c. 



On p. 61 there are two diagrams of the root dis- 

 tribution of cutaneous sensation (front and back 

 views) which, so far as our memory serves us, are 

 ■not in accordance with the findings of Head, Starr 

 or Thorburn, and we are inclined to think that 

 Edinger's diagrams are incorrect. 



The addition of an index to the book would greatly 

 enhance its value. 



AiniKaire astronomiqtic do I'Ohservatoire royal de 

 Belgiquc, 1909. Published under the direction of 

 G. Lecointe. Pp. vii+347+25S. (Brussels : Hayez.) 



•Of the numerous publications of the Brussels Observa- 

 tory, none is, perhaps, more generally useful than this 

 •' Annuaire," and we know of no other annual which 

 excels it in general usefulness. All the usual tables, 

 ephemerides, &c., relating to the sun, moon, planets, 

 comets, and stars are contained in the first part, which 

 is followed by explanations as to how to use the tables, 

 and a long list of the names and positions of the prin- 

 cipal observatories of the world. A very useful and 

 explicit statement of the legal time used in various 

 countries is clearly illustrated by a folding map, parti- 

 coloured to show the countries which "have so far 

 adopted " universal " time and those which have not; 

 the date line is shown in detail too. 



Other parts of the " Annuaire " deal with surveying 

 problems — there are some useful formute and forms 

 for amateur surveyors — the form of the earth and the 

 more recent work in astronomy. W. E. R. 



NO. 2077, VOL. Si] 



LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. 



[The Editor does not hold himself responsible for opinions 

 expressed by his correspondents. Neither can he undertake 

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

 manuscripts intended for tliis or any otiier part 0/ Nature. 

 No notice is taken of anonymous communications.\ 



Mining Administration in India. 



Is view of the recent attacks made in the London 

 Mining Journal on Mining Administration in India, and 

 also, both directly and indirectly, on the director of the 

 Geological Survey, we have deemed it advisable to send 

 you the following extracts, one of which is talcen from 

 ihe I\lining Jomnal of June 26, p. Soi, and tlie otlier 

 from the published evidence given by Sir Thomas Holland 

 before the Royal Commission upon Decentralisation, and 

 published in Blue-book Cd. 4369 (vol. x. of Minutes of 

 Evidence, p. 4;) : — 



From the ilining Journal Evidence of Sir Thomas 



of June 26, p. 801, leading Holland, director, Geo- 

 article, headed " Mining logical Survey of India, 

 Administration in British published in Blue-book Cd. 

 India." 4369, being vol. x. of the 



" We cannot close our Minutes of Evidence taken 

 observations on the evi- before the Royal Com- 

 dence tendered to the Com- mission upon Decentralisa- 

 mission without noting the tion in India, p. 47 : — 

 light thrown by the report Question No. 43455 '■ 



on the sincerity of Sir " Is not an officer who has 

 Thomas Holland's attempt to deal with mining con- 

 to suggest that we had cessions in any part of the 

 imputed corruption to world subject to great 

 Government officials in temptation?" 

 India. As an argument 

 against the establishment 

 of a separate Provincial 

 Survey, the director of the 

 Geological Survey said : — 



"'If I transferred an "Yes; if I transferred 



officer, say, to Burma, or an officer, say to Burma, 

 any province beyond my or to any province beyond 

 control, and he was the my control, and he was the 

 officer who governed the officer who governed the 

 granting of mining con- granting of mining con- 

 cessions, I have not the cessions, I have not the 

 slightest doubt that within slightest doubt that within 

 a year, if he had only a j'ear, if he had ordinary 

 ordinary intelligence, he intelligence, he would dis- 

 would discover that his cover that his salary need ' 

 salary would ' be only a be only a fraction of his 

 fraction of his income.' income." 

 We do not remember even 

 to have seen the chief of 

 what is professedly a scien- 

 tific body so frankly con- 

 fess his distrust of his 

 colleagues' honesty and pro- 

 fessional pride." 



By changing one word in quoting the Blue-book, the 

 Mining Journal has altered the whole meaning of the re- 

 marks made by the director. In view of the comments 

 made, it is for the Mining Journal to prove that this 

 misquotation is accidental. Having regard to the claim 

 of the Mining Journal that it " circulates all over the 

 world," the writer of the article must know that it will 

 be read by many to whom the Blue-books are not 

 accessible, for no assistance has been given by a reference 

 to the particular volume in which the director's evidence 

 is recorded. .•\s the inaccurate quotation has already re- 

 ceived a start of some weeks before reaching us in India, 

 we shall be glad if, by publishing this letter, you will 

 assist in preventing any further dissemination of a grossly 

 unjust insinuation. 



^^"ith this sample before them, we can safely leave your 

 readers to estimate the value of the attacks on the Indian 

 administration recently made in the Mining Journal. 



Needless to add. the relation between us and Sir Thomas 

 Holland is one of perfect and mutual confidence. 



We have been unable to communicate with three of our 

 1 The italics are ours. 



