November i, 1889] 



SCIENCE. 



301 



great benefits have already been derived by the community at large 

 from the two services acting in unison. It is further stated in re- 

 gard to marine meteorology that the navy can now? be kept conver- 

 sant with the latest information touching upon this important sub- 

 ject, the serious study of which had been neglected by the depart- 

 ment for many years. One of the reforms of the office has been 

 the establishing on a permanent footing of this division, where the 

 collection and dissemination of data could be carried on without 

 interruption, and where instructions for the service could be pre- 

 pared and revised in accordance with the progress of the science of 

 meteorology. It is suggested that the Navy Department should 

 establish stations throughout the West Indies, and, in co-operation 

 with the Signal Service, bring the subject of West Indian hurri- 

 cane warnings to a greater degree of perfection. 



The policy of the office in encouraging its employees to improve 

 the character of their work, either by the invention of apparatus or 

 in the preparation of original matter in manuscript, has shown re- 

 markably good results, as have also the efforts made to improve 

 the chart service to ships of war. It is concisely pointed out wheie 

 improvements can be made in this latter feature, and recommenda- 

 tions are submitted that are well calculated to secure in the near 

 future a still better service. It is also hoped that with the increase 

 in the number of charts, and the augmentation of our foreign com- 

 merce, the revenue derived from the increased sale of charts will 

 finally result in making the office self-supporting. 



Considerable attention is paid to the subject of the international 

 marine conference, and to the collection by the branch offices of 

 material of value placed before the United States delegates for 

 their consideration ; and it is confidently believed that the publicity 

 given to the subject of floating wrecks, fogs, ice, safe routes, and 

 so forth, by the monthly " Pilot Charts " and by the branch offices, 

 has had an important bearing upon the bringing- together of the 

 delegates forming the conference. At the same time full credit is 

 given to Mr. Francis Houghton, superintendent- of the Maritime 

 Exchange of New York, to whose active and efficient management 

 is mainly due the passage of the act of Congress creating the con- 

 ference. 



It is suggested that all naval surveying work be under the imme- 

 diate supervision of the Hydrographic Office, as it is thought that 

 greater economy is possible by such an arrangement, and that the 

 requisite degree of efficiency can only be attained by uniting all the 

 functions of a surveying office with those that the Hydrographic 

 Office possesses at present. A surveying branch being considered 

 a necessary part of the naval establishment, it is thought that spe- 

 cial inducements must be held out to officers who are willing to 

 take up this work ; and it is hoped that the days for perfunctory 

 service in the Hydrographic Office have departed. 



The system of branch offices having proved its great value to the 

 maritime community, its extension is recommended to include 

 every shipping port of importance on our coasts. It is thought by 

 so doing that the Navy Department can maintain itself as the nat- 

 ural leader in all subjects of a hydrographic nature, to which the 

 best interest of the government and the technical education of its 

 officers clearly entitle it. 



It is recommended to erect a separate and specially constructed 

 building for the use of the office, the necessity of having commodi- 

 ous and well-lighted rooms for draughtsmen and engravers being 

 obvious. Series of charts for China and the East, a pilot chart for 

 the Pacific, and permanent parties for the determination of the 

 earth's magnetism, together with more extended surveys of those 

 portions of the world in which our trade is active and growing, are 

 all points well worthy of the enacting clause of Congress. 



BOOK-REVIEWS. 



Hygietie and Public Health. By LOUIS C. Parkes, M.D. Phila- 

 delphia, Blakiston. 12''. §2.50. 

 Dr. P..\rkes comes before us indorsed as the assistant professor 

 of hygiene and public health at University College, London ; and 

 he assures us that it is as a result of his experience as a teacher 

 at that institution that he was led to believe that a small book, 

 clearly written, on hygiene, would serve a good purpose. The 

 author has aimed to cover the whole field of sanitary science, and 



has given such elementary information on every topic as will enable 

 the reader to refer with advantage to the larger text-books. 



The necessity under which health-officers often find themselves 

 of dealing with figures and statistics has induced Dr. Parkes to 

 introduce as a closing chapter a discussion of statistics, and how 

 to handle them in so far as they are likely to be of value to those 

 whom he aims to assist. Medical men find trouble in this mathe- 

 matical part of their work, and will be interested in this novel 

 chapter. 



As good drainage is all-important for the preservation of public 

 health, we find Dr. Parkes has devoted considerable space to the 

 methods of disposal of refuse. 



The opening chapter is, however, on water. It is one of the 

 longest, and is written with the good judgment displayed through- 

 out the book. 



The other chapters are on ventilation, warming and lighting, 

 climate (in which it is possible undue attention is given occasionally 

 to matters which might be assumed as known), soils and building- 

 sites (a chapter likely to interest many), exercise, and contagion. 

 Throughout, the book is written so as to be interesting and intelli- 

 gible to laymen and doctors alike, and we take pleasure in calling 

 attention to it. 



Alternate-Current Machinery. By Gisbert Kapp. New York, 

 Van Nostrand. 24°. 50 cents. 



This timely little volume had its origin in a paper read before 

 the Institute of Civil Engineers, London, by Mr. Kapp, whose name 

 and reputation as an electrician are well known to all interested in 

 the progress of electrical science. It is reprinted, in convenient 

 pocket form, from the minutes of the proceedings of the society 

 before which it was read, and contains, besides Mr. Kapp's paper, 

 the comments and criticisms made upon it by many eminent elec- 

 tricians, members of the institute, and Mr. Kapp's replies and ex- 

 planations. The book appears at an opportune moment, as the 

 matter it contains derives additional interest from the fact that the 

 sharp competition at present existing between advocates of the 

 direct-current and those of the alternate-current systems of electric 

 lighting is compelling closer attention to all that is published con- 

 cerning both systems, or groups of systems. 



The subject comprised under the title of the work is divided by 

 the author into six sub-sections : i. Alternators; 2. Transformers; 

 3. Motors ; 4. Meters ; 5. Mains ; 6. Accessory apparatus for use 

 in central stations and on the premises of the persons supplied with 

 current from such stations. The question of lamps Mr. Kapp 

 considers as somewhat foreign to the subject under consideration, 

 as glow, or incandescent, lamps are equally suitable to be fed by 

 alternating and direct currents, and arc lamps are adapted to either 

 current by changes easily made. Alternators, transformers, and 

 motors, — the three main points, — of course receive more attention 

 from Mr. Kapp than the subsidiary ones, though no point has been 

 left far in the background. 



A Handbook of Descriptive and Practical Astronoiny. I. The 

 Sun, Planets, and Comets. Bv GEORGE F. CHAMBERS. 4th 

 ed. Oxford, Clarendon Press. 8°. $3. 



Nearly thirty years ago Mr. Chambers had ready the first edi- 

 tion of this handbook, which was designed as a handbook that 

 should be attractive to the general reader and of occasional service 

 to the professional astronomer. The author aimed to make a book 

 that should be popular without being vapid, and scientific without 

 being unduly technical. That he was reasonably successful we all 

 know. 



A second edition followed in 1861, and a third in 1876. And it 

 should be called to mind that this was the work of an English 

 barrister, who could spare for his hobby, as it were, but a part of 

 his time, mainly absorbed by his professional engagements. 



The volume we have before us is the first volume of the fourth 

 edition. The plan at first was to break the work up into two vol- 

 umes, but the material proved so large in amount that three were 

 finally decided upon ; and the author finds himself in a position 

 where he can carry out his original conception of what such a 

 treatise should be. 



In this volume we have the descriptive astronomy of the sun. 



