1871.] Notices of Boohs. 261 



should carefully distinguish between pure and applied science. 

 Natural science began with the introduction of the experimental 

 method by Galileo (?), and this is defined as a method which 

 consists "in observing facts instead of trying to divine them; 

 in carefully examining what really happens, and not in reasoning 

 as to what ought to happen." 



In the dynamics we may specially notice the very full and 

 accurate treatment of the "laws of falling bodies," and the detail 

 descriptions of Attwood's machine, Bourbourze's modification of 

 it, and Morin's apparatus. The subject of capillarity receives an 

 unusually full treatment. The book is a valuable contribution to 

 our scientific literature ; it will form an admirable text-book for 

 special science classes in schools, and we look forward with 

 pleasure to the appearance of the remaining portions of the work. 



Lessons in Elementary Physics. By Balfour Stewart, LL.D., 

 F.R.S., Professor of Natural Philosophy, Owen's College, 

 Manchester. 372 pp. London : Macmillan and Co., 

 1870. 



This work forms the seventh of a series' of elementary class 

 books for schools, which already numbers among its authors the 

 Astronomer-Royal, and Professors Huxley, Roscoe, Lockyer, and 

 Oliver. 



For the first time, we have an elementary text-book on what we 

 may call the new physics. When Francis Bacon introduced his 

 system of philosophy in place of the many middle age systems, 

 which had all, more or less, sprung from Aristotelianism, it was 

 called "the new philosophy." We may, with almost equal 

 justice, speak of the natural philosophy of Thomson, Tait, and a 

 few others, as the new physics ; for, compared with the physics 

 of even ten years ago, it is, indeed, in many respects, a new 

 science. A science of units, potentials, energies, and vortices ; 

 infinitely more philosophical and absolute than the physics of 

 any previous age. 



The arrangement of this work is both original and philosophi- 

 cal. It is distinguished by the lucid style and strong, even grasp 

 which is associated with all Professor Stewart's work and 

 writings. In reading it we have the satisfaction of knowing that 

 it is the work of a man who is very familiar with the experimental 

 portion of the various sciences which he describes, and who is 

 well versed in the more refined methods of research, and in the 

 higher flights of pure inductive reasoning. 



We must express some regret that a series of questions is not 

 appended to the work, as it would by this means be rendered 

 more useful as a school text-book. This matter can, however, 

 be easily remedied in a second edition, the speedy appearance of 

 which we may safely predict. 



