Geological Society. 619 



We cannot criticise the book in detail, but, apart from minor 

 blemishes such as those we have just mentioned, it seems to us 

 that, in view of the extremely elementary nature of the work, there 

 is a quite unnecessary display of mathematics, the author using the 

 infinitesimal calculus in many cases where a much simpler mode of 

 treatment would have led to the desired result. The space at the 

 disposal of the author might, we think, have been utilised much 

 better, and many of the poorly reproduced pictures of the trade- 

 catalogue order might with advantage be omitted, and diagrams or 

 drawings of real value substituted for them. 



SchuU der Chemie. Ersfe Einfulirung in die Chemie fur 

 Jedermann, Von W. Ostwald, 0. Professor der Chemie an der 

 Universitat Leipzig. Zweiter Theil. Braunschweig: F. Vieweg 

 und Sohn. 1904. Pp. viii+292. 



Not much more than a year has elapsed since we had occasion to 

 review Part I. of. this excellent work, and now Part II., which 

 completes the book, is before us. We are glad to note that an 

 English translation is in active preparation, so that English readers 

 will soon have an opportunity of becoming acquainted with a work 

 of exceptional interest and educational value. 



Part II. deals with the chemistry of the more important elements 

 and their compounds. After an account of the mode of prepara- 

 tion and properties of chlorine, we are in Lesson 3 introduced to the 

 subject of acids and bases, and the quantitative relations involved 

 in the neutralization of an acid by a base pave the way for the 

 consideration of the chemical elements, their combining weights, 

 the law of multiple proportions, the atomic theory, and the volume 

 law of gaseous combination. The next three Lessons deal with the 

 phenomena of electrolysis, acids and salts, and then the study of 

 the various elements is resumed and continued to the end of the 

 book. 



The qupstion-and-answer form of exposition used in Part I. 

 is also retained in Part II., and adds not a little human interest to 

 the book, which is worthy of the closest study by student and 

 teacher alike, for — as the author himself candidly admits in his 

 preface — it was not written solely for the benefit of beginners. 



LVJI. Proceedings of Learned Societies. 



GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



[Continued from p. 392.] 



February 22nd, 1905.— J. E. Marr, Sc.D., F.R.S., President, 

 in the Chair. 



r piIE following communications were read: — 



1. 'On the Order of Succession of the Manx Slates in their 

 rn Half, and its Bearing on the Origin of the Schistose 

 Breed r ed therewith.' Bv the Kev. John Frederick Blake, 



M.A,. 1 -.« 



The author first describes a section where the Barrule Slate 



