October 12, il 



•] 



SCIENCE 



177 



nents. In the present volume the author attempts to study the his- 

 tory of the British Isles. Although the available material is far 

 from being complete, the long-continued and thorough researches 

 in this narrow field enable the student to trace the more recent 

 history with comparative exactness, while, on account of the in- 

 completeness of the geological record and the difficulties of explain- 

 ing the observed facts, the history of the ancient periods appears 

 in many instances hypothetical. The author traces the history of 

 the British Isles through all periods successively. Each chapter is 

 illustrated by an interesting map showing the restored geography 

 of that period, thus giving a clear insight into the probable history 

 of development of this part of the globe. In each period first the 

 physical conditions are discussed under which the rocks were 

 formed, while the latter are described only so far as is necessary 

 for ascertaining whence their component materials were derived, in 

 order to form some conception of the relative positions of land and 

 water during each of the successive periods of geological time. 

 The maps of the more recent periods are based on the theory that 

 the alternate rising and sinking of the area of western Europe was 

 comparatively uniform, and therefore the present contour-lines ap- 

 pear as boundaries of ihe continent of those periods. The author's 

 representation of pliocene geography differs from previous res- 

 torations in extending the area of land in Scotland and around the 

 Faroe Islands. For the early pleistocene time the author assumes 

 the eighty-fathom line to be the coast-line, while the land from that 

 time on continues to sink. He favors throughout the theory that 

 the oceanic basins are not absolutely permanent, and his conclu- 

 sions are based on his studies of the history of the British Isles, 

 which he has so comprehensively represented in the present volume. 

 He thinks that the absence of deep oceanic deposits among the 

 paleozoic rocks may be taken as indicative of a great difference in 

 the general relations and proportional areas of land and sea, the 

 probability being that there were neither oceans nor continents 

 like those which now exist, but an irregular distribution of com- 

 paratively shallow seas among land-tracts of moderate elevation. 

 In neozoic times proof of the existence of oceans is found, though 

 these do not seem to have been so deep as those of the present day. 

 That there were also large tracts of continental land is proved by the 

 traces of large rivers and large inland lakes ; but, so far as we 

 know, these land-tracts did not form the nuclei of the modern con- 

 tinents of Europe, Asia, and Africa, or bear any definite relation to 

 these continents. From this he concludes that the deep oceanic 

 basins and lofty mountain-ranges of the modern world have been 

 formed by a long process of evolution, the tendency of all recent 

 geographical changes having been to deepen the ocean-basins, 

 and to raise the mountain-peaks to higher and higher elevations. 

 In the discussion he dwells on the theory of the formation of the 

 English chalk, and against other authorities maintains that it has 

 probably been formed in a deep sea. 



American Conmonwealths. Indiana. By J. P. Dunn, jun. New 

 York, Houghton, Mifflin, & Co. i6°. §1.25. 



The author of this work has seen fit to close it with the admis- 

 sion of Indiana into the Union as a State in t8i6, but for what rea- 

 son we are unable to see. The history of the State, and of its 

 share in national affairs, is surely as important as that of the Terri- 

 tory ; and the account that Mr. Dunn here gives us has the appear- 

 ance of a fragment. It is true that it fills a volume as large as the 

 others of the series to which it belongs ; but this is only effected by 

 diffuseness of style, and prolixity of narrative, — faults that we have 

 noticed in some other volumes of the series. Then the map at the 

 beginning of the book is singularly inappropriate to this work ; since 

 it shows Indiana as it is now, while the narrative relates entirely to 

 the territorial period. Notwithstanding these defects, however, the 

 work has considerable merit. The author shows familiarity with 

 his subject, carefulness in collecting facts, and an evident desire to 

 be just to all persons and parties ; and he evinces a patriotic in- 

 terest in his State Without undue partiality. 



The history of Indiana, as far as it is related by Mr. Dunn, natu- 

 rally divides itself into two periods : the first embracing the early 

 exploration and settlement of the country ; the second, the later 

 colonization from the Eastern States and the political contests 

 among the people. The first settlements were those of the French, 



who passed down the Wabash on their way from Canada to the 

 Mississippi and New Orleans. The most important of their posts, 

 and for a long time the capital of the whole region, was Vincennes, 

 which Mr. Dunn thinks was founded in 1727, though the date is 

 uncertain. The growth of population was for a long time so slow, 

 that in 1800 the white people of- what is now Indiana numbered 

 only about twenty-five hundred, and the extent of the immigration 

 from the East and South is shown by the fact that in 1815 the num- 

 ber was over sixly-three thousand. Mr. Dunn's account of the early 

 French inhabitants brings before us a state of society that has long 

 since passed away, and is one of the most pleasing features of the 

 book. The most important part, however, as the author clearly 

 perceives, is the struggle over the admission of slavery into the 

 Territory. The famous ordinance enacted by Congress in 1787 

 forbade slavery in all the region north and west of the Ohio ; but 

 this was construed to apply only to persons born in or immigrating 

 into the Territory after the ordinance was passed ; and those who 

 were slaves at the time of its passage remained so. The French 

 settlers, however, and some of those from the Southern States, 

 wanted to re-establish slavery, and repeatedly petitioned Congress 

 to repeal the slavery proviso, which Congress steadily refused to 

 do. But at length the anti-slaver)' men became a majority in Indi- 

 ana ; and when the State entered the Union its Constitution con- 

 tained a provision prohibiting slavery forever. Besides these lead- 

 ing themes, Mr. Dunn's pages convey a good deal of information 

 on minor matters; and particular attention is given to men like La 

 Salle, Vincennes, Governor Harrison, and others, who were prom- 

 inent in Indiana's early history. 



PUBLISHERS' FALL ANNOUNCEMENTS. 



Ginn & Co. 



' A Pamphlet of Parallel References,' prepared by John Williams 

 White of Harvard College, to adapt his ' First Lessons in Greek ' 

 to the Hadley-Allen ' Greek Grammar,' will be published the latter 

 part of October. A new edition of Allen & Greenough's ' Latin 

 Grammar' will be published in November. The book has been 

 entirely re-written ; but the sections of the new edition will corre- 

 spond with those in the old, so that the two can be used together. 

 ' The Brutus of Cicero,' edited in the College Series of Latin Au- 

 thors, by Prof. Martin Kellogg of the University of California, will 

 be published in December. A new edition of Professor Byerly's 

 ' Integral Calculus' may be expected in November. 'The History 

 of Greek Philosophy,' by B. C. Burt, formerly fellow and fellow by 

 courtesy in the Johns Hopkins University, will be published the 

 1st of November. ' A General .A.stronomy,' by Prof. C. A. Young 

 of Princeton College, will be published the latter part of December. 

 It is a college-book, and will be fully illustrated with cuts and dia- 

 grams. ' Footprints of Travel, or Journeyings in Many Lands,' by 

 M. M. Ballou, author of ' Due West,' ' Due East,' etc., will be 

 published early in November. This is a volume of geographical 

 readings, presenting vivid picturesof countries visited by the author. 

 The London Classical Review has enlisted the co-operation of lead- 

 ing American scholars, and Ginn & Co. are to be the American 

 publishers. ' Voices of Children,' by W. H. Leib of Kansas City, 

 will be published in November. ' Teacher's Handbook of Arith- 

 metic,' by G. C. Shutts of the Whitewater (Wis.) Normal School, 

 will be published early in December. A new edition of Lanman's 

 ' Sanskrit Reader ' may be expected the latter part of October. 

 This will include the long-promised notes, and the notes will also 

 be put in a separate volume. ' The Beginner's Book in German,' 

 by Miss Sophie Doriot, will be issued in December. This is to be 

 a companion volume to Miss Doriot's "Beginner's Book in French,' 

 which has been so highly commended. An edition of ' Tom 

 Brown at Rugby,' authorized by Mr. Hughes, will be published in 

 the series of Classics for Children in about two months. 



E. L. Kellogg & Co. 



The list of books for teachers now embraces fifty titles. The 

 new ones now ready are. ' Gardner's Town and Country School 

 Buildings,' containing twenty-five designs of schools of all grades, 

 but specially of country schoolhouses, with 150 illustrations; 



