He views — Boverton Redwood — On Petroleum. 177 



proportions of admixed pentane and air; fifteen large plates illustrate 

 the distribution in various oil-fields, sections of typical wells, and 

 apparatus used in the industry. Eeference to the detailed work is 

 greatly facilitated by a table of contents extending over eleven pages, 

 and by a copious index of twenty-six. 



No one could be better qualified than Mr. Redwood for the 

 preparation of such a treatise : for a quarter of a century he has 

 had a consulting practice in connection with the petroleum industry; 

 he is consulting adviser to the Corporation of London under the 

 Petroleum Acts, and chemical adviser to the Oil Trade Section of 

 the London Chamber of Commerce ; he has visited the principal 

 oil-fields and refineries of the world ; and has made a special study 

 of the numerous methods which have been devised for testing the 

 various commercial products. But, as Mr. Redwood points out, the 

 task of preparing a work satisfactory to himself would have been 

 insuperable but for the practical help given to him by many friends, 

 more especially by Mr. George T. Holloway, to whom he expresses 

 his great indebtedness for assistance in the preparation of the matter 

 for the Press, and in the toilsome revision of the proofs. 



In the short space to which this notice is necessarily limited, it 

 is impossible to do sufficient justice to the labour devoted to the 

 preparation of the treatise, or to the skill with which the vast 

 amount of information has been classified and made readily accessible. 

 A brief statement of the contents, however, will give a good idea 

 of the scope of the book. The first section (31 pages) deals with 

 the history of the petroleum industry, beginning with accounts of 

 occurrence and modes of collection placed on record by Herodotus, 

 the Father of History, 2300 years ago ; the history of the develop- 

 ment of the industry in each of the countries of the world is then 

 briefly sketched. Here are mentioned facts, the records of which 

 are as impressive as fairy tales — fountains which have yielded 

 £11,000 worth of oil daily, or which have shot up hundreds of feet 

 high, carrying away the machinery used in the drilling of the well. 

 The second section is the most extensive in the book (144 pages), 

 and treats of the geological distribution of petroleum : the three 

 theories of the cause of the pressure — overlying strata, water, 

 accumulated gas — are first discussed ; then follow descriptions of the 

 geological peculiarities of the various oil-fields of the world. The 

 manuscript of this section was revised by the late Mr. William 

 Topley, F.R S., who had given much attention to the subject, and 

 whose early death all geologists deplore. The third section (53 

 pages) gives an account of the chemical and physical characters of 

 petroleum, and contains many valuable tables. The fourth section 

 is verj' brief (13 pages), and deals with the origin of this natural 

 product : the author points out that the theories which regard 

 petroleum as resulting from the decomposition or distillation of 

 animal remains are now largely accepted by chemists. The fifth 

 section (70 pages) relates to the winning of petroleum, and gives 

 a detailed description of the apparatus used for the purpose in 

 different countries. Section VI is a very important one, extending 



DECADE IV. VOL. III. NO. IV. 12 



