Watker’s Statistical Atlas of the United States. -83 
start for Martigny or to stay another day. At last I saw the 
sun’s disk and took up my station on the edge of the shadow 
of the ‘Azgualle de Blettiére.’ It was still cloudy, but I was satis- 
fied from the nature of the experiment :—- 
1st. That a very clear air is necessary. 
2d. Plenty of time to choose projections, affording views of 
as large a portion of the cireumference of the disk as possible 
while the rest is hidden. 
And lastly, a good achromatic telescope easily moved. 
I did not expect to find it so easy an experiment, nor to find 
a mass so well-fitted for the purpose as the ‘Azguille de Blettiére’ 
which has a smooth edge, inclined, so as to allow the sun to dis- 
appear slowly behind it. 
he naked eye easily bears a small portion of the sunlight. 
From 7 to 94 I followed the shadow over the valley. It was 
nearly clear for a few moments before it reached the woods on 
the side of the mountain, but there were still some light clouds 
over the sun and nothing could be seen certainly of the corona ; 
the clouds and mist would account for what I did see, and on 
the other band, the color of the telescope supplied too much red 
Just at the edge for one to be able to see any of the red flames, 
if they existed there. 
On the whole, I am more than ever sure that the experiment 
5 eo and I think will be by some one more fortunate 
an ” 
Art. XV.— Walker's Statistical Atlas of the United States.* 
A CENSUS report consists essentially of statistical tables. In 
these, certain results are stated numerically, and, like other 
tables of abstract numbers, the generalizations, which often con- 
stitute the most important features of their value, can be seen 
only after long study and calculation, much of which must be 
performed by each individual inquirer. Moreover, but few 
persons have the peculiar mathematical and intellectual train- 
Ing necessary to perceive other than the most obvious general- 
izations when given in that form of detail. Consequently, in 
the illustration of facts where numerical tables are involved, 
much study has been expended in devising other methods of 
* Statistical A: i results , Ninth Cen- 
sus, 1870, with contributions fom maay eminent men of cience an sever 
Francis’ A Welker ent. piled, under authority of Congress, by 
tah cer, M.A., Superintendent of the 9th Census, Professor of Polit- 
Bien, Lith asta. History, Sheffield Scientific School of Yale College. Julius 
