﻿568 
  Scientific 
  Intelligence. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  classical 
  thermodynamics 
  there 
  are 
  

   some 
  apparent 
  misstatements, 
  notably 
  the 
  ascription 
  of 
  the 
  Stir- 
  

   ling 
  cycle 
  to 
  Carnot. 
  One 
  omission 
  of 
  some 
  importance 
  in 
  a 
  work 
  

   of 
  such 
  encyclopedic 
  pretensions 
  has 
  been 
  noted. 
  In 
  the 
  discus- 
  

   sion 
  of 
  the 
  difficulty 
  which 
  arises 
  in 
  the 
  electron 
  theory 
  of 
  metals 
  

   in 
  the 
  matter 
  of 
  specific 
  heat, 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  free 
  

   electrons 
  demanded 
  by 
  the 
  theory 
  is 
  vastly 
  too 
  great 
  to 
  be 
  in 
  

   accordance 
  with 
  the 
  observed 
  specific 
  heats, 
  is 
  pointed 
  out 
  ; 
  but 
  

   the 
  alternative 
  hypothesis 
  of 
  Sir 
  J. 
  J. 
  Thomson, 
  which 
  does 
  away 
  

   with 
  this 
  difficulty, 
  is 
  apparently 
  overlooked. 
  

  

  Nevertheless, 
  as 
  a 
  whole 
  (aside 
  from 
  the 
  typographical 
  errors 
  

   which 
  are 
  too 
  numerous) 
  the 
  book 
  contains 
  remarkably 
  few 
  slips, 
  

   and 
  can 
  be 
  recommended 
  as 
  a 
  reference 
  work 
  of 
  value 
  in 
  the 
  very 
  

   considerable 
  fields 
  which 
  it 
  aims 
  to 
  cover. 
  l. 
  p. 
  w. 
  

  

  II. 
  Geology. 
  

  

  1. 
  Virginia 
  Geological 
  Survey, 
  T. 
  L. 
  Watson, 
  Director. 
  

   Bulletin 
  ISIo. 
  VII, 
  Geology 
  of 
  the 
  Gold 
  Belt 
  in 
  the 
  James 
  River 
  

   Basin, 
  Virginia 
  ; 
  by 
  Stephen 
  Taber, 
  Assistant 
  Geologist. 
  Pp. 
  

   xii, 
  271, 
  10 
  pis., 
  22 
  figs., 
  map 
  in 
  pocket, 
  1913. 
  — 
  The 
  Virginia 
  Sur- 
  

   vey 
  has 
  planned 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  reports 
  covering 
  the 
  gold-bearing 
  rocks 
  

   of 
  the 
  state, 
  which 
  will 
  serve 
  as 
  detailed 
  areal 
  studies 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  

   contributions 
  to 
  economic 
  geology. 
  In 
  the 
  present 
  bulletin 
  the 
  

   general 
  geology 
  and 
  petrography 
  of 
  pre-Cambrian 
  quartzites, 
  

   schists 
  and 
  gneisses 
  ; 
  Ordovician 
  conglomerate, 
  quartzite, 
  schist 
  

   and 
  slate 
  ; 
  Triassicsandstone 
  and 
  dikes, 
  is 
  discussed. 
  The 
  igneous 
  

   rocks 
  described 
  include 
  greenstone 
  schists, 
  quartz, 
  feldspar 
  porphy- 
  

   ries, 
  rhyolites, 
  granites 
  (with 
  analysis), 
  pegmatites, 
  hornblende 
  

   schists, 
  diorite, 
  diabase. 
  The 
  several 
  periods 
  of 
  peneplanation 
  are 
  

   sketched 
  in 
  a 
  chapter 
  on 
  Physiography, 
  and 
  a 
  conclusion 
  is 
  

   reached 
  that 
  the 
  Piedmont 
  belt 
  has 
  remained 
  above 
  the 
  sea 
  since 
  

   Ordovician 
  time. 
  Following 
  a 
  discussion 
  of 
  structure 
  and 
  meta- 
  

   morphism, 
  the 
  gold 
  mines 
  of 
  the 
  area, 
  both 
  vein 
  (assigned 
  to 
  the 
  

   Cambrian) 
  and 
  placer 
  are 
  treated 
  in 
  detail. 
  Most 
  of 
  the 
  mines 
  

   have 
  been 
  abandoned. 
  Following 
  the 
  discovery 
  of 
  gold 
  in 
  the 
  

   James 
  River 
  valley 
  in 
  1829 
  and 
  the 
  maximum 
  output 
  of 
  $104,000 
  

   iu 
  1833, 
  the 
  production 
  averaged 
  $56,000 
  yearly 
  until 
  the 
  out- 
  

   break 
  of 
  the 
  Civil 
  War. 
  Since 
  that 
  date 
  the 
  production 
  in 
  Vir- 
  

   ginia 
  has 
  averaged 
  about 
  $6,000 
  yearly. 
  h. 
  e. 
  g. 
  

  

  2. 
  Sixteenth 
  Annual 
  Report 
  of 
  the 
  Geological 
  Commission, 
  

   Cape 
  of 
  Good 
  Hope, 
  Department 
  of 
  Mines, 
  1911 
  (1912). 
  Pp. 
  v, 
  

   136, 
  2 
  maps 
  and 
  text 
  figures. 
  — 
  The 
  Annual 
  Report 
  for 
  1911 
  

   includes 
  three 
  papers 
  : 
  Report 
  of 
  the 
  Geological 
  Survey 
  of 
  Parts 
  

   of 
  the 
  Divisions 
  of 
  Van 
  Rhyn's 
  Dorp 
  and 
  Namaqualand, 
  by 
  A. 
  

   W. 
  Rogers 
  ; 
  Report 
  on 
  the 
  Geological 
  Survey 
  of 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

   Transkei, 
  by 
  A. 
  L. 
  duToit 
  ; 
  Report 
  on 
  the 
  Geological 
  Survey 
  

   of 
  Part 
  of 
  the 
  Stormbergen, 
  by 
  A. 
  L. 
  duToit. 
  

  

  