i873-l Notices of Books. 523 



be read by Mudie's subscribers, nor purchased by anybody for 

 the mere sake of perusal. It is simply a Guide-Book for travel- 

 lers in the heavens, one intended and well adapted to the wants 

 of those who have decided to devote some portion of their 

 surplus means to the noblest of human pursuits — the direct 

 study of Nature. We may therefore regard the demand for such 

 a book as a measure of independent astronomical research. We 

 use this word " research " deliberately, and apply it to the hum- 

 blest efforts of the humblest possessor of the smallest of telescopes 

 who uses such an instrument, or even the naked eye, for the 

 purpose of obtaining knowledge direct from the heavens. We 

 have no sympathy with those scientific prigs who pretend to 

 despise amateur astronomers, and would lead the docile readers 

 of Quarterly Reviews, &c, to believe that a " broad basis of 

 scientific culture " is the exclusive prerogative of University 

 professors and officials. All who have followed the recent pro- 

 gress of Astronomy in this country must be struck with the great 

 amount of scientific work of the highest order that has been 

 done by pure amateurs, by men who have begun with small 

 telescopes and unpretending efforts, and have been led on, by the 

 fascination of the subject, to purchase more and more perfect 

 instruments and aim at higher and higher work, until — in those 

 cases where wealth has accompanied scientific enthusiasm — they 

 have found themselves the proprietors of observatories in which 

 they have made some of the most important of modern astrono- 

 mical discoveries. The existence of such a body of able amateur 

 astronomers as constitute a large proportion of the Fellows of the 

 Royal Astronomical Society is alike honourable to the nation 

 and advantageous to Science, and we welcome the third edition 

 of Mr. Webb's Handbook as a valuable aid and incitement to 

 valuable and disinterested scientific enthusiasm. 



The Depths of the Sea. An Account of the General Results of 

 the Dredging Cruises of H.M.SS. Porcupine and Lightning 

 during the Summers of 1868, 1869, and 1870, under the 

 Scientific Direction of Dr. Carpenter, F.R.S., J. Gwyn 

 Jeffreys, F.R.S., and Dr. Wyville Thompson, F.R.S. By 

 C.Wyville Thompson, LL.D., F.R.SS. L. and E., F.L.S., 

 &c, Regius Professor of Natural History in the University 

 of Edinburgh, and Director of the Civilian Scientific Staff 

 of the Challenger Expedition. London : Macmillan and Co. 



Science is undoubtedly cosmopolitan ; nevertheless the business 

 of scientific research may be materially promoted by a certain 

 amount of international division of labour. If " Britannia rules 

 the waves " she ought to take the lead in studying all that lies 

 beneath and about them. There are solid as well as sentimental 

 reasons for this. We have a huge navy. Our finest ships are 



