May 20, 1887.] 



SCIENCE, 



501 



to admit that we expect very little new light. 

 Hitherto our efforts have been devoted to bringing 

 together the facts, and to arranging and compar- 

 ing them, and we have as jet given but little con- 

 sideration to this final question. It will, however, 

 shortly engage our attention ; and, in anticipation 

 of this, we prefer to remain silent for the present, 

 fearing that if we commit ourselves here to any 

 preference for a particular view, we may find our- 

 selves encumbered with a bias arising from the 

 intensely human propensity to defend, through 

 thick and thin, utterances which have once been 

 formally given. 



C. E. Button. 



Everett Hayden. 



WAGNER'S ANNUAL BEPORT ON THE 



PROGRESS OF GEOGRAPHY. 



It is always with some impatience that we ex- 

 pect the publication of Wagner's report on the 

 progress of geography {GeograpMsches Jahrbuch), 

 because we know that we shall find there a full 

 report of the work done in the field and in the 

 study, and that we shall have a never-failing book 

 of reference. We do not know of any similar 

 publication, — except the fragmentary notes pub- 

 lished by the Smithsonian institution and in the 

 journals of many societies, — and therefore it is 

 indispensable to the geographer. Though Peter- 

 mann's Mittheilungen, the leading German geo- 

 graphical journal, contains regular reports on re- 

 cent publications, their character is different from 

 those in the Ja7ir&ttc7i, the reports in the journal 

 giving a more detailed review of the single pub- 

 lications, and being more disconnected. The list 

 of reviewed books is consequently not so full as that 

 of the annual report. The latter gives a compre- 

 hensive account of the work done during the last 

 two years. The present volume is the eleventh 

 of the series. The editor. Prof. H. Wagner of 

 Gottingen, has preferred to divide the material, 

 and to publish alternating volumes, one contain- 

 ing the various branches of geography, the other 

 the progress of explorations, methods and teach- 

 ing of geography, etc. Through this division, 

 the book has increased in volume and the rejport 

 has become more exhaustive. The present vol- 

 ume contains the special part, geophysics, geog- 

 nosy, oceanography, climatology, geography of 

 plants and animals, and ethnology. The place 

 of the late Professor Zoppritz is taken by Dr. 

 Hergesell and Dr. Rudolph ; the former report on 

 deep-sea explorations has been enlarged so as to 

 cover all problems of oceanography, and is given 



Oeographisches Jahrbuch. Vol. xi. 1887. Ed. by Her- 

 mann Wagner. Gotha, Justus Perthes, 1887. 



by Professor Krlimmel ; F, Toula reports on geog- 

 nosy ; the other parts are in the hands of the 

 same specialists who gave the valuable reports of 

 former years. 



In looking at the long series of reports, we 

 find that each number served more satisfac- 

 torily the purpose of being a reliable book of 

 reference to all interested in geography. At 

 the present time there are few branches of 

 geographical study which are not embraced 

 in the book. The steady development of the 

 plan, by dropping unnecessary parts, including 

 in one part what belongs together, and adding 

 new departments which had developed into im- 

 portant branches of science, encourages us to hope 

 that within a few years the whole domain of 

 geography will be represented in it. We should 

 wish, for instance, to have an additional report on 

 the history of geography. That on terrestrial 

 magnetism is promised for next year. Among the 

 important additions in the volume of 1887 is the 

 first report of the geography of ancient Greece and 

 the neighboring countries. The ancient geography 

 of other countries, except that of the birthplace of 

 our culture, is so little studied, that the contents 

 of a biennial report would be very meagre. We 

 hope, with the development of these studies, which 

 are principally carried on by ethnographers, we 

 shall find an account of these also. In 1882 Egli's 

 reports on the study of geographical names, and 

 S. Giinther's on the theory of map-projections, 

 were added to the book. We consider it a waste 

 of time and work, that the Physical society of 

 Berlin continues its reports on physical geography 

 in the way they were given before the Jahrbuch 

 had attained its present importance. It is true 

 that they contain some material not included in 

 the Jahrbuch, for instance, measurements of 

 heights, etc. ; however, these would far better find 

 their place in the latter publication than in the 

 reports on the progress of physics. 



The rapid development of the Jahrbuch and the 

 fact that every department is intrusted to the 

 care of a specialist, make it an extremely reliable 

 and useful book, which is a valuable help to the 

 student of geography. 



THE MECHANICS OF MACHINERY. 



Professor Kennedy is well known as one of the 

 ablest among British workers in this field, and 

 this volume contains a series of lectures delivered 

 by him to his classes during the period of his con- 

 nection with the University college, on a subject 

 with which he is especially familiar. As was to 

 be expected, the work is one of exceptional value. 



The mechanics of machinery. By Alex. B. W. Kennedy. 

 Loudon, Macmillan. 16°. 



