1884.] Recent Literature, gtr 
The catalogues are separately paged, and the system of classifi- 
cation is a natural and convenient one, beginning with the history 
of zoology, “ Miscellanea zodlogica,” zod-geography, faunz, com- 
parative anatomy, including embryology and morphology, as 
well as “ Darwinismus.” A separate catalogue is devoted to 
man, and nearly each large class of the animal kingdom has a 
separate catalogue. So with the vegetable kingdom; then follow 
the lists of works relating to paleontology, geology, mineralogy, 
etc. The catalogues are not of course designed to be complete 
bibliographies, but represent the enormous stock carried by the 
firm. At the same time not only is such a catalogue useful to 
aril and bookbuyers, but it is valuable for reference by spe- 
Cialists. 
BEssEL’s SMITH SouND AND ITs ExpLoraTion.—This is both 
a timely and authoritative essay, which the learned and experi- 
enced author has compiled from a long list of authors whose 
works are enumerated at the end of the brochure. As the com- 
piler and editor of the voyage of the Polaris had only a few 
meager journals and a log-book at his disposal, Dr. Bessel’ has 
dwelt at length on that voyage, frequently using entire passages 
from his own narrative, the map being a photo-lithographic re- 
production of that contained in his “ Amerikanisch Nordpol Ex- 
pedition.” 
_ At the close of the essay Dr. Bessels remarks that’ “the posi- 
tion of Greely and his party is not a dangerous one, although it 
is critical. He probably has provisions sufficient to last until the 
autumn of 1884, without taking the fourteen musk-oxen into con- 
sideration ; these, according to his own statement, would provide 
im and his men with meat for seven months, even though issued 
as often as three times a week. Captain John Ross, not as well 
equipped as he is, spent four consecutive years in the Arctic re- 
gions, and still made good his retreat; but at the same time we 
must not forget that he wintered in lower latitudes, where the 
ve is not so long below the horizon as in Lady Franklin 
ay.” 
: . . . ae 
Finally he claims that we should not be disheartened by 
r 
C- 
latitudes is much less than it was twenty years ago. 
adds that “our knowledge of the distribution of land and 
Water in the vicinity of the Poles is almost as imperfect as it 
was at the time when Cook made his memorable voyage towards 
the South Pole, and when Forster, his scientific companion, tried 
to convince him that the vast ice-floes obstructing their passage 
Were not of meteoric origin.” The essay is reprinted from No. 30 
of the Proceedings of the U. S. Naval Institute. 
