514 Notices respecting New Books. 



In molecular physics his papers on ionic theory and the nature of 

 ions, and more especially a very original note communicated to 

 * Nature' "On the size at which Heat Movements are Manifested 

 in Matter,'"' are specially characteristic of the suggest iveness 

 of the writer and of his brevity of expression ; although in these, 

 as in some others of his more speculative papers, suggestions 

 appear to be made often more with a view to provoke inquiry 

 than as intended to be in themselves any advance into Mr. 

 Heaviside's " bottomless pit " of: truth. This last paper may be 

 cited as exemplifying a remark already made. It was in discussing 

 with the present writer the difficulties of the problem of the 

 Browninn movement or Pedesis and endeavouring to assist him in 

 his work that the idea of this source of possible energy occurred 

 to FitzGerald, although the applicability of the idea to pedetic 

 phenomena is not strongly pressed by its originator. 



Even to enumerate the various subjects dealt with in the 

 collected papers would be impossible within the bounds of a short 

 notice. Cathode Bays ; the Kinetic Theory of Gases ; Surface- 

 tension Phenomena ; The Zeeman Effect ; Crookes's Eorce ; Fluor- 

 escence ; A Theory of Aurorae (an interesting paper not hitherto 

 published) ; and various subjects in Thermodynamics, have evoked 

 new and striking ideas from FitzGerald. But in no part of 

 FitzGerald's writings is his universality so impressed upon the 

 reader as in his reviews and memoirs. Of these many came from 

 his pen ; the best known being the Uelmholtz Memorial Lecture ; 

 the summary of Lord Kelvin's researches ; the Obituary Notice 

 of Clausius ; the review of Boltzmann's account of Maxwell's elect ro- 

 magnetic theory ; of Hertz's Principles of Dynamics and of his Mis- 

 cellaneous Papers ; of Mr. Heaviside's papers ; and of Professor 

 Larmor's '^Ether and Matter.' "What could be more admirable? 

 It has been said that in proportion to the great intellectual grasp 

 of FitzGerald his papers are few. Doubtless this is true, and yet 

 he who knows w4iat is in this volume will feel that to have written 

 even but a couple of the best of the writings therein were a suffi- 

 cient apology for a longer life-time than was allotted to George 

 Francis FitzGerald. 



FitzGerald lived too completely in touch with the best thinkers of 

 his time not to realise the vital importance of educational questions. 

 No one was better acquainted with the necessities and difficulties 

 of the new education than the author of the many educational 

 papers included in Professor Larmor's volume. Although himself 

 a splendid proof that a really powertul mind can survive the 

 examination mill and come out of it with unimpaired originality, he 

 well knew the numbing effects of " that horrible teaching for ex- 

 aminations." The short paper on " Universities and Research " 

 should be read and known by all in the high places of education. 

 FitzGerald's expressed intention of devoting himself even more 

 entirely to educational questions cannot but be applauded, although 

 certainly it had been deplored by less far-seeing men. The return 

 on educational work is important and immediate. A very few years 



