552 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. I. No. 20. 



cese and Santalacese), and (2) Sympetalse, 

 beginning with Bicornes and ending with 

 Aggi-egatse. 



An appendix, contributed by the trans- 

 lator, gives a useful tabulation of the sys- 

 tem of Ray (1703), Lianasus (1733), A. L. 

 de Jussieu (1789), A. P. DeCandolle (1819), 

 Endlicher (1836-40), Brongniart (1843), 

 Lindley (1845), A. Braun (1864), Bentham 

 and Hooker (1862-83), Sachs (1882), Eich- 

 ler (1883), Engler (1892). N. L. B. 



The Story of the Stars. G. F. Chambers. 



New York. D. Appleton & Co. 1895. 



Pp. 160. 



The Messrs. Appleton have begun with 

 this small monograph their Library of Use- 

 ful Stories, a series of paper covered booklets 

 intended to embrace the ground of science, 

 history, etc. This initial number, by Mr. 

 George Chambers, an English astronomical 

 wi'iter of long experience, proves to be 

 rather better than a first impression would 

 lead one to judge ; for the illustrations, 

 which first strike the eye, are for the most 

 part simply execrable. What excuse for 

 the absence of more and better ones, in 

 these days of inexpensive engraving? Its 

 curiously insular mannerisms might readily 

 have been corrected by a half hour's work 

 of an American editor, who should also 

 have toned down those provincial oddities 

 of style which mar this book even more, be- 

 cause of its smaller size, than the same 

 author's large Descriptive Astronomy. 



Curiously false implications are wrought 

 into the first chapter, though only a page or 

 two iu length. If the manifold uses of as- 

 tronomy are to be competently brought be- 

 fore the public mind to-day, and the rea- 

 sons for the support of that science from the 

 public exchequer suitably defended, it is 

 only by telling a few simple things exactly 

 as they are. Now, it may be true in Eng- 

 land that, if ' ' the staff belonging to either 

 establishment [the Eoyal Observatory or 



the Nautical Almanac Office] were to re- 

 sort to the fashionable expedient of a strike 

 for higher pay," then, among other dire re- 

 sults, *' Our railway system would become 

 utterly disorganized. A few trains could 

 run, but the intervals between them would 

 have to be considerable, and they could only 

 travel by daylight and at very low speeds," 

 but we do not exactly see why. Rather the 

 fact is that, if both these establishments 

 were permanently closed henceforth, the 

 present state of astronomy is such that all 

 the public business of determining time for 

 railways and of preparing data for naviga- 

 ting ships could be done for the fiftieth part 

 of the budget now devoted to the Nautical 

 Almanac and the Royal Observatory ; and 

 any government maintaining such costlj' es- 

 tablishments, with their corps of traiued ob- 

 servers and expert computers, merely for this 

 simple though important purpose, would 

 be very foolish indeed. Not only would 

 the expenditure be exti-avagant, but whoUy 

 unjustifiable. These institutions are main- 

 tained for quite other purposes ; and the 

 significant work of the great government 

 observatories (excellently done in England, 

 France and Russia, and which in this coun- 

 try we have been trying for a half century 

 to do, though not succeeding very well be- 

 cause the proper organization is lacking) 

 lies in quite other fields, the immediate ser- 

 viceableness of which is by no means univer- 

 sally conceded. Blanketing all this under 

 the antiquated plea of utility in time and 

 navigation is clearly wrong and wholly in- 

 defensible. 



Mr. Chambers's attempt to popularize 

 seems rather hard, and on the whole of 

 doubtful success. Excellent scientific ex- 

 planations go on for a while, when suddenly 

 the author, seemingly suspecting that he is 

 less interesting than he ought to be, plunges 

 patchily into something purely literary, or 

 indulges in some incongruous expression not 

 exactly ludicrous, but giving an undignified 



