426 Familiar Letters on Chemistry and its Relation 



the outskirts of the interior, who have no knowledge of any large 

 body of water inland, either fresh or salt ; thirdly, the coincidence 

 observable in the physical appearance, customs, character and pur- 

 suits of the aborigines at opposite points of the continent, while no 

 such coincidence exists along the intervening line of coast, connect- 

 ing these points. The development of all the facts contained under 

 three heads, and the mention of others, such as the arrival of parrots 

 from the interior, &c, constituted the mass of Mr. Eyre's paper ; but 

 as mere abstracts would break the chain of reasoning adopted by 

 the author, we must content ourselves with saying that, however 

 plausible that reasoning may be, and it cetainly has great weight, 

 nothing short of an actual examination of the interior can satisfy 

 us as to the nature of that peculiar country. — It was stated at the 

 meeting that Lieut. Ruxton had arrived safely and in good health 

 at Walwich Bay ; that he had hired hottentots and cattle, and was 

 about to proceed on his exploration to the interior, intending to 

 return by the Cape. — Athenaeum, July 5, 1845. 



Familiar Letters on Chemistry and its Relation to Commerce, Physio- 

 logy, and Agriculture. By Justus Liebig. Taylor and Walton. 



Whatever may be the dispute between chemists and the public 

 as to the position Liebig o f ught to occupy as a man of science, there 

 can be no doubt of his relative superiority in the practical tendency 

 of his mind. He has successfully pursued the most abstract prin- 

 ciples of chemistry in their practical application to the daily occu- 

 pations of man, in almost every branch of human exertion. We 

 need but quote his larger works on agriculture and organic chemistry 

 as proof of the truth of this statement, and in the little volume 

 before us we have an additional illustration. A series of letters on 

 the application of the principles of chemistry to the improving the 

 mode of manufacturing many of the articles of daily use, such as 

 glass, soap, sulphuric acid, sugar, &c, and suggestions for improving 

 the treatment of disease, the feeding of cattle, and the manuring of 

 land on chemical principles. Even those who do not understand 

 chemistry will read this volume with interest, and we recommend it to 



