Notices respecting New Books. 213 



Carbatinea ; Genus 1. Graphites, metaphylloid (O. mollis, gra- 

 phite) ; 2. Adamas, adamantoid (A. octahedricus, diamond). 

 Subclass B. Hydrocarbata. Order II. Hydrocarbatinea (mellite, 

 &c). Order III. Elainea (petroleums). Order IV. Ceratinea 

 (mineral waxes). Order V. Eetininea (fossil resins). Order VI. 

 Asphaltinea (solid bitumens). Order VII. (coals, lignite, &c). 



The range of hardness (on Mobs' scale) is indicated as one of 

 the natural characters for each genus, and a detailed description 

 of the genera and species, except of tbe Hydrocarbata, are fully 

 given (pages 204-325) ; and the last mentioned (Subclass B), 

 under the headings Elainea and Anthracinea, has careful con- 

 sideration at pages 331-345. The descriptive terras adamantoid, 

 spathoid, phylloid, colloid, and salinoid are denned at page 161. 

 The remaining 30 pages of the book are occupied by a chapter 

 on the mineral history of waters, comprising surface-waters, 

 sea-water, saline springs, salt-bearing rocks, alkaline springs, 

 natron-lakes, potassium salts, magnesian silicates, dolomite, and 

 sulphuretted waters, with remarks on Neptunism and Plutonism. 



Whether or no Mineralogists will take into use the author's 

 classification and his carefully latinized nomenclature, the ortho- 

 graphical uniformity of the latter is advantageous, though perhaps 

 not more easily remembered than the odds and ends of names in 

 general use for minerals, which have no uniformity except par- 

 tially in the terminal syllable, but have various associations with 

 person, place, or property, more easily remembered than the 

 classical names, especially by those (numerous now-a-days) who 

 have forgotten or have not learnt Latin. 



This book is a valuable repertory of chemical and mineralogical 

 information and discussion, resulting from the author's life-long 

 study of these sciences, especially in their relation to Geology. 

 The careful consideration of facts and opinions discovered and 

 collected by both previous and contemporary workers, and his own 

 original research in field and cabinet, have combined to make the 

 results he arrived at not only worthy of systematization, as shown 

 in his several well-known memoirs and treatises, but have been 

 useful to his fellow- workers, and will have done much to advance 

 the progress of science. 



A Treatise on Physical Optics. By A. B. Basset, M.A., F.R.S., 

 Trinity College, Cambridge. Deighton Bell & Co. 8vo ; pp. 411. 



This is an excellently printed and handsome volume on a sub- 

 ject possessing the utmost fascination for Physicists, and a glance 

 through the Table of Contents or the headings of the pages must 

 awaken keen interest and hope. The appearance of the text, again, 

 suggests that possibly here is a treatment of the subject on some- 

 thing of the same high level as the great treatise on Sound by 

 Lord Rayleigh. All these hopes are doomed to disappointment. 

 It turns out to be merely a mathematical skeleton devoid of phy- 

 sical clothing, which had better have been issued in the regular green 



