406 Chronicles of Science. [^.v, 



ment, and coming as it does from officers of snch high authority, 

 after a personal inspection of the Canal, it possesses a peculiar national 

 interest not to be found in similar works by independent individuals 

 on the same subject. 



6 Principles and Construction of Machinery ; a Practical Treatise 

 on the Laws of the Transmission of Power, and of the Strength 

 and Proportions of the various Elements of Prime Movers, Mill-work, 

 and Machinery generally; arranged for the use of Students, En- 

 gineers, and Practical Mechanics/* by Francis Campin, C.E. The 

 aim of the author is stated in the preface to have been " in the first 

 place to explain the fundamental theories of mechanism in the 

 clearest and briefest manner, so as to impress upon the mind general 

 principles, not special cases, and then to show the practical develop- 

 ments of such theories, care being taken to arrange the matter as 

 to try the faculties of the mind as little as possible." This text 

 appears to have been well adhered to, and the result has been the 

 production of a book calculated to prove of great use to the classes 

 for whom it has been written. 



7. GEOLOGY AND PALAEONTOLOGY. 



(Including the Proceedings of the Geological Society and Notices of 

 recent Geological Works.) 



In the ' Philosophical Transactions '(1869),'p. 445, will be found a 

 most valuable contribution to the Fossil Flora of North Greenland, 

 being a description of the plants (collected by Mr. Edward Whymper 

 during the summer of 1867) by Professor Oswald Heer. 



The greater part of the fossil plants which have been brought 

 from Arctic regions have come principally from one locality, 

 Atanekerdluk, in (lat. 70° X.) North Greenland. Here, however, 

 they occur in such profusion that we are able, to some extent, to 

 restore the ancient flora, and deduce most important conclusions as 

 to the former condition and climate of this high northern region. 

 The fossil plants brought home by M'Clintock, Inglefield, and 

 Colomb, and deposited in Dublin and London, were found at this 

 locality, also the very rich collection made by Mr. Olrik (formerly 

 Inspector of North Greenland), and now deposited at Copenhagen. 

 These materials were found upon examination to contain 105 spe- 

 cies of plants. Of some the leaves, fruits, and seeds were observed, 

 so that an absolute determination of their species was rendered 

 possible ; while of others merely the leaves, and of these, at times, 

 only fragments, were discoverable. Of these latter therefore the 

 identifications cannot be considered as final. 



* Loudon : Aitchlev and Co. 



