414 REVlliWS. 



and in eloquent language, replete with the courtesy and pomp of the 

 old Spaniard, expresses his sorrow : — 



" Si en las naaiones que van a la vanguardia de la civilizacion i del 

 progreso, i que cuentan con multitad de individuos versados in las 

 ciencias, es siempre mui sensible i lamentable la perdida de uno de 

 ellos, que no sera en la naciente Colombia la perdida de un sabio, i de 

 un sabio como el Seiior Pombo ! — Miitis, Caldas i Pombo ! ! . . 

 existencias preciosas ! I . . Tres veces base viso eclipsado el hori- 

 zon de Colon . . ; en la tercera, es el Sr. Pombo que nos deja 

 para volar a la mansion eterna 1 ! " 



Three articles remain to be noticed, still by the same author, two 

 of which are mathematical, dedicated to the College of Engineers of 

 the Eepublic of Venezuela. In the former of these, the subject of 

 incommensurables is attempted to be treated in an elementary man- 

 ner, reference being made to " mi aritmetica," and in the latter a 

 " rigorous demonstration " is given of the formula for compound 

 interest (which question is treated in "mi aljebra autografa") by 

 proving it in the cases when the index is fractional or incommensur- 

 able (though the case of it being negative is omitted) ; but the re- 

 maining article is remarkable enough to claim a translation. It 

 is entitled " a rigorous demonstration of the existence of the deity, 

 given by Indalecio Lievano in the year 1856," and we must crave 

 the author's indulgence for the inevitable defects which accompany 

 a transmutation of the delicate Spanish auxiliaries into our own limi- 

 ted English. He sets out with the axiom that " what is evident is true " 

 — (lo eviderde es vesdadero) — from this, he says, comes the exist- 

 ence of the ego (del yo) because even if all which is presented to my 

 thoughts were a vain play of my imagination, yet I could not doubt 

 of my own existence — it is evident to me. This being laid down, the 

 following series of propositions is thus enunciated and proved : — 



Prop. I. — Something has always existed. 



Eor, if at some time nothing existed, since from pure nothing, 

 nothing can proceed or begin to be, there never could have existed 

 anything ; but since something (namely — el yo — the ego) does now 

 exist, therefore something has always existed. 



Pkop. II. — It is necessary that at some time something has existed. 



Because the possibility of non-existence requires a beginning for 

 being able to be or not to be ; therefore, something having always ex- 



