112 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. I., No. 4. 



his other continental correspondents. There 

 are none to Agassiz, with -whom he was in 

 corresiDondence. It is to be hoped that in 

 another edition some of these omissions may 

 be supplied. They afford the best keys to the 

 history of scientific opinions in the vigorous 

 years of this century' that have yet been given 

 to us. Unfortunatelj', the most instructive part 

 of his intercourse, that with his companions 

 in his own society, did not, of course, find 

 this form of expression ; but there is enough 

 in these two volumes to show the peculiar 

 charm of his character and to explain his wide 

 influence. It has been the good fortune of the 

 writer to use the Principles for nearly twenty 

 years as a ' compend ' for lectures to a class 

 of university students. The beauty of their 

 spirit has served to enchain near a thousand 

 students in the study of the science, while 

 the recollection of instructive daj"s with their 

 author has freshened the labor of teaching. 

 His was a pure, strong spirit, well pictured in 

 his own charming account of the spirit of man, 

 as free : — 



" ire per omnes 

 Terrasque tractusque maris coelumque profundum." 



ASTRONOMICAL LITERATURE. 



Bibliograplde generale de I'astronomie, ou Catalogue 

 methodique des ouvrages, des me'moires et des obser- 

 vations astronomiques, puhlies depuis I'origine de 

 Vimprimerie Jusqu'en 1880. Par J. C. Houzeau 

 et A. Lancaster. Tome Second : Memoires et 

 notices inse'res dans tes collections academiques et les 

 revues, ler fascicule, dec, 1880; Sefasc, mars, 

 1881; 3e fasc, juin, 1881; ie fasc, avril, 1882. 

 Introduction, (?), 1882 [the whole volume con- 

 sisting of 2,225 col., or about 1,100 p.]. 1. 8°. 



Before the publication of this work, there 

 were three general scientific bibliographies of 

 importance to astronomers, — Reuss' Reperto- 

 rium, the Royal societ3''s Catalogue of scien- 

 tific papers, and Poggendorff's Handworter- 

 buch. The first two related onl}' to memoirs, 

 and not to separate books : the third included 

 the most important books and memoirs of 

 each author. Reuss (vol. v.. Astronomy) was 

 very far from complete to 1800 ; the Royal 

 societ^-'s catalogue omitted whole series of 

 journals from its plan, so that the work of 

 MM. Houzeau and Lancaster has over forty 

 per cent more entries for the corresponding 

 period. Poggendorff's excellent work will al- 

 ways be useful. Of special astronomical bib- 

 liographies there are several ; the two most 

 important being Lalande's and the Catalogus 

 librorum of the Pulkova observatory. These 

 will always have a peculiar value ; but for 



practical purposes these and almost all other 

 special bibliographies will be superseded as 

 soon as M. Houzeau's work is completed. 



Vol. ii. (the onlj^ one 3'et published) con- 

 sists of references to all memoirs, etc., in the 

 transactions of learned societies and in jour- 

 nals. These are classiBed by subjects, — 

 somewhat minutel}^, as maj- be seen by the 

 following extract, which contains all the divis- 

 ions of celestial mechanics : — 



Section V. — Mecanique celeste. 

 Sect. Page. 



1. L'attraction en general, sa cause; le mouve- 



ment d'un corps sous son influence . . 527 



2. Th^orie generale des perturbations . . . 539 



3. Perturbations principales des grandes pla- 



nfetes 564 



4. Th^orie des satellites 569 



5. Variations seculaires des orbites des pla- 



nfetes 572 



0. Masses des plaiifetes 578 



7. Stability du systfeme plan6taire 579 



8. Tbeorie de la lune 582 



9. Attraction des spheroides 599 



10. Potation et figure des planfetes et de leurs 



atmospheres 608 



11. Theorie de la precession et de la nutation . 622 



12. Thfiorie de la libration de la lune •. . . . 625 



13. Theorie des marges 626 



14. La mar^e et le rotation du globe .... 634 



The authors have added to verj' many of 

 the references a brief note of the contents of 

 the paper. These notes will often appear too 

 brief and inexact to the specialist in each de- 

 partment (who will, however, be grateful for 

 them when he is looking up some unfamiliar 

 subject) , and it would not be hard to find some 

 misconceptions recorded in them ; but they 

 double the \&\ue of the book to the working 

 astronomer, and are priceless to the pupil. 



The best indication of the way in which the 

 work is done is to be had by quoting one or 

 two extracts at random : — 



"Bailt (F.): On a remarkable phenomenon that 



occurs in total and annular eclipses of the sun. 



Londres, MAS., X, 1838, 1. [etc.] Les grains 



blancs, le peigne et la goutte noire." 

 "Wubm: Merkur. Ba J, Sup, II, 1795, 4. Diam. 



apparent." 

 "Skcchi, a. Saturne, Le soleil, [etc.] p. 395, avec 



1 dessin, p. 255." 



It may be noted here, that there are only 

 some score of drawings of Saturn referred to : 

 the list might be trebled easily. The registers 

 of authors, etc., are most full and valuable; 

 and every aid is provided for a quick consulta- 

 tion of the authorities. 



It has been considered necessary to limit 

 the scope of the work to astronomy proper, 

 and sometimes this limitation is quite incon- 

 venient. For example : measures or compu- 

 tations of the compression of the earth deter- 



