OcioBEE 25, 1895.] 



SCIENCE. 



559 



count of the superstitious dread of the Russian 

 sailors, which was produced by tlie iinowledge 

 that he had at least one of these ' rag dolls ' on 

 board of their vessel. 



He cites the Eskimo as observers of this form 

 of worship, but as far as they are concerned it 

 is hardly possible that such is the case. They 

 believe in spirits, but have not personified or in- 

 dividualized them in the shape of idols. The 

 opportunities to investigate such characteristics 

 are getting more and more rare each year, and 

 it is a pity that any are missed. 



The author has evidently, not learned one of 

 the essentials of a good explorer, and that is 

 the ability to take things as they come. There 

 is a sort of spirit of sad reluctancy in the state- 

 ment, ' ' For breakfast we warmed our last 

 night's lamp, pulled the wick out, and then ate 

 the grease with black bread. It was not a re- 

 cherche meal, but it was economical." There 

 are instances all through the book of an evident 

 feeling of dislike, or perhaps unrest, under the 

 circumstances, which is hardly consonant with 

 the best work. One is almost constrained to 

 say that no one should venture into the field as 

 a naturalist who is not willing to deny himself, 

 in all matters of private convenience, for the 

 sake of the object in view. Nothing is more 

 apt to betray a man so quickly as an expression 

 of his likes and dislikes. 



It is to be regretted that their vessel, the 

 Saxon, was allowed to run away with the 

 dredges, alcohol and bottles for their work ; 

 since through this neglect they were deprived 

 of the chance of bringing back a much larger 

 amount of material. 



There is much enjoyable reading to be found 

 between the covers of this volume, more, per- 

 haps, than is usually the case in books of travel. 

 The formula for finding one's pathway after the 

 fashion of the Cree Indian, upon pages 123 and 

 124, is not to be recommended to the average 

 traveller who has strayed from his bearings. It 

 is only the keen observer of little things who can 

 ' shut his eyes, ' think over the trail of some hours 

 past, locate a given object and then proceed 

 straight to it. Ordinary mortals had much bet- 

 ter stick to their compasses, and not try to imi- 

 tate the power of a genius, or even attempt to 

 do what they have seen those who undoubtedly 



possessed a large knowledge of the country do 

 with comparative ease. The reviewer has often 

 been through such experiences, and at first they 

 seemed marvelous evidences of power, but later 

 information dispelled much of the haze of glory 

 which enveloped them. Still, we can all thank 

 the writer for a good story well told. 



A single word should be said upon the charac- 

 ter of the illustrations. They are uniformly of 

 a high character, and much taste has been 

 shown in their selection. They are an orna- 

 ment to the book as well as a help to the reader, 

 and their execution is in almost every instance 

 a credit to the designer. Of the maps, that of 

 the island, and that showing the distribution of 

 the ice fields about the island, are noteworthy. 

 They are a valuable addition to our knowledge 

 of this part of the globe, which now serves only 

 to support the few familes, who are in reality 

 the Samoyede partners of the Russian traders 

 from the district of Archangel. 



The book is most cordially recommended to 

 all lovers of books of travel. 



William Libbey, Jr. 



Major James Rennell and the Rise of Modern Eng- 

 lish Geography. By Clements R. Maekham, 

 President of the Royal Geographical and of 

 the Hakluyt Societies. New York, Macmil- 

 lan. 189.5. The Century Science Series. 

 Pp. 232. $1.2.5. 



Rennell is pronounced, on the excellent au- 

 thority of Markham, to be ' the first great Eng- 

 lish geographer.' He early gained an outdoor 

 experience in a seven-year service as a mid- 

 shipman in the navy, and then in 1764 was to 

 his surprise appointed Surveyor General of 

 Bengal at the youthful age of twenty-one. He 

 returned to England in 1777 and resided there 

 until his death in 1830. After completing his 

 Bengal Atlas he turned from field surveying 

 and became a deep student of geography, an- 

 cient and modern, of lands and of seas. It is 

 noted that he was ' depressed by the aspect of 

 public affairs and the wretched mismanagement 

 of the American Revolutionary War.' It was 

 in his later years, while a neighbor and asso- 

 ciate of Sir Joseph Banks, that the element of 

 attractive personality and invigorating com- 

 panionship appears strongly in this biography 



