GEOGRA PIIIC SERIA LS 1 -,7 



The Foreign Commerce and Xacigoliou of the Unlliul Slules/or the year eudinij 

 June 30, 1S96. Prepared in the Bureau of Statistics, U. 8. Treasury 

 Department. Wortliington C. Ford, Chief of Bureau. Vol. i, p|.. 

 i-cxi.vii + 1-7G0; vol. 11, pp. TOl-HoL'. 



It is rarely that the bimonthly Bulletin of the l>epartiiU'tU of Lalior 

 fails to present some useful contribution to the literature of economic 

 geography. Two articles in the March numVjer are worthy of note in thin 

 connection: The Padrone System and Padrone Banks, by Jolin Koren, 

 and The Dutch Society for General Welfare, I)y Prof. J. Howard (Jore. 

 Ph. D., of the Columbian University. 



Xothing could better illustrate the e.Ktraordin»ry i»opularity of cycling 

 than the publication for the express use of wheelmen of the attractive 

 handbook and large-.<cale road maps of Westchester county, New York. 

 recently issued by Rand, McXally «S: Co. While the easy accessibility to 

 an immense population of the interesting and delightful region described 

 will no doubt fully justify the publishers in their venture, the publication 

 is none the less a notable one and worthy of high conunendation. 



Henry Gannett, whose versatility of mind as a geographer, statistician, 

 and diligent investigator in many other lines of scientific inquiry is con- 

 tinually enriching our technical literature, has compiled for tiie Annual 

 Report of the Geological Survey an elaborate series of tallies and diagrams 

 relative to the variation of the compass. While the chief aim of the 

 author has been to show the approximate declination for the year 15>00 

 at 22,000 different points in the United States, he gives us an interesting 

 historical review of the secular variation anil briefly notices the various 

 other changes to which the magnetic declination is sulyect. 



The high standard of excellence that has characterized the publica- 

 tions of the Bureau of Statistics of the Treasury Department under Mr 

 AVorthington C. Ford is fully maintained in the Report on tlie Foreign 

 Counnerce and Navigation of the United States for the ti.<cal year 18t)')-"yt) 

 and in the new number of the Statistical Abstract. The latter is more 

 comprehensive and correspondingly more valuable than ever before. In 

 a country whose official statistical publications are as voluminous as tiiose 

 of the United States, such an abstract is indispensable, and the provision 

 made by Congress for its publication should be such as to admit of a care. 

 ful analysis of such statistical data as may from time to time become 

 available and of an absolutely accurate presentation oi them in a sum- 

 marized form. 



.1. II. 



GEOGRAPHIC SERl.ALS 



The Journal of tlu- lloiinl Colonial Inxlitntc for .\pril contains a valuable 

 paper on "The Dairy Industry in the Colonies," by Mr Sanuiel Lowe. 



TheScoUixh Geoijraphiral Magazine for April contains an excellent phys- 

 ical and political description of Ceylon l)y Mr L. B. Clarence and an his- 

 torical article treating of "The British in .^outh .Vmerica" liy Colonel 

 Howard Vincent. 



