June 7, 1907] 



SCIENCE 



895 



pants. By this method of research, much 

 time and labor would be saved, and more 

 positive and enduring results would be 

 secured. 



In concluding, let me call your attention 

 also to the fact that we do not yet possess 

 a history of anthropology, and that broad- 

 minded contributions to the history of our 

 science are an urgent necessity. Goethe 

 has said somewhere that the history of sci- 

 ence is the science itself; and I believe, 

 further, that only by a correct apprecia- 

 tion of the development of our science are 

 we able to be just towards our fellow- 

 workers and ourselves. Now that so many 

 of our prominent leaders, like Brinton, 

 Powell, Cushtag, Virchow, Bastian and 

 Eatzel, have passed away, whatever we may 

 personally think of the value of their work 

 and its iafluence upon future generations, 

 it is our duty to come to an objective under- 

 standing of their activity and aspirations, 

 and to write the pragmatic history of an- 

 thropology in the life and labors of its most 

 conspicuous representatives. 



Bebthold Laufer 



SCIENTIFIC BOOKS 



THE MISSION FOUREAU 



Documents Scientifiques de la. Mission Saha- 

 rienne, d' Alger au Congo par le Tchad. 

 Par F. FouREAU, chef de la mission. lime 

 fasc, Orographie, Hydrographie, Topo- 

 graphie, Botanique; Illme fasc, Geologie, 

 Petrographie, Paleontologie, Esquisse Eth- 

 nographique, notes sur la faune, Prehis- 

 torique, Apergu Commercial, Conclusions 

 eeonomiques, Glossaire. Index. Atlas. 

 Paris, Masson et Cie. 1905. 4to, 1210 pp., 

 maps and ills. 



While the Mediterranean and mid-African 

 colonies of France have been for some time 

 fairly well known, the efforts to connect them 

 by a line of geographical exploration had been 

 rendered ineffectual by the difficulties and 

 dangers of the route through the desert, and 

 the hostility of the natives. Several expedi- 



tions met with disaster and were exterminated 

 by the fanatical population. 



Finally the expedition organized and carried 

 out by Foureau in 1898 to 1900 met with suc- 

 cess. This happy result had been well earned, 

 because Foureau had already given twenty- 

 three years to Saharan exploration under the 

 auspices of the Ministry of Public Instruc- 

 tion. In 1898 his itineraries already amounted 

 to 21,000 kilometers, of which more than 9,000 

 km. were in previously unexplored country. 



In 1894, M. Renoust des Orgeries left to the 

 Societe de Geographic a considerable sum of 

 money, to be devoted to the geographical de- 

 velopment of the French colonies. Out of this 

 legacy the society devoted 250,000 francs to 

 the purpose of the Sahara Mission, a sum to 

 which the government added not only funds 

 but an escort of 250 picked soldiers under the 

 command of a most competent African officer. 

 Com. Lamy, who fell during an attack by an 

 African chief, in the very moment when the 

 success of the expedition was assured. 



With the concurrence of men of science, the 

 commander of the expedition has prepared this 

 report, which by the assistance of government 

 and various scientific societies, is now pub- 

 lished in magnificent style by the Societe de 

 Geographie, with a preface by Alfred Gran- 

 didier. 



Together with the reports indicated by our 

 synopsis of the title, the work is replete with 

 well-executed maps, sketches, plans of towns, 

 views and everything which could be of use to 

 future explorers, including minute notes as to 

 the presence, amount and quality of water, 

 pasturage, cultivated land, wild animals, etc. 

 If one is startled by the frequent notation, 

 along the river, of the presence of ' oyster 

 banks,' hundreds of miles from the sea, re- 

 flection recalls the colonies of the fresh-water 

 ZStheria to which these notes undoubtedly 

 refer. 



The mass of information in this encyclo- 

 pedic work, it is, of course, impossible to sum- 

 marize. A few notes may, however, have in- 

 terest for the reader. While a large portion 

 of the herbarium suffered from termites and 

 the wreck of a canoe, nevertheless a good 

 number of plants are recorded; and numerous 



