96 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. VI. » No. 130. 



great diflBculty in securing water enough to quench 

 their thirst, or fit to drink. Fragments of the rocls 

 are reported to be frequently permeated with sulphur, 

 and to present the appearance of a calcined ratlier 

 than a lava rock. 



The hemlock of south-eastern Alaska has been 

 favorably reported on by tanners as unusually rich 

 in tannin. Important beds of white marble have 

 been reported from several points, and will eventu- 

 ally be found, probably, scattered through the coast- 

 region from Port Mulgrave to the eastern boundary. 

 That at Sitka, though never worked, has been fre- 

 quently visited. That near the surface is inferior, 

 but experts predict an improvement farther in. 



The extension of the government over tlie terri- 

 tory proceeds very slowly. Loud complaints are 

 heard from various quarters, that, as at Kadiak, no 

 official intimation of the organic act promulgated in 

 May, 1884, has yet been received. There is no doubt, 

 that, as in previous dealing with our nortliern colony, 

 an official lassitude lias prevailed, for which various 

 explanations are confidently offered. It is to be 

 hoped tliat new appointments, when made, will, as 

 in the case of the new executive, be of men qualified 

 by energy and acquirements to advance the interests 

 of the region. It certainly cannot be a benefit to 

 any territory, that oflScei-s who are drunkards, ex-con- 

 victs, or employes of a private monopoly, should rep- 

 resent the government. Meanwhile the eastern part 

 of Alaska lias become the scene of pretty active an- 

 tagonisms between miners, traders, and missionaries. 

 Theoretically, every man is in favor of missionary 

 work; but when, as in tlie present case, tliey take 

 up available land for their scliools, teach the Indian 

 to work, and to build civilized houses, to ask a good 

 price for his furs and fish, and on no account to sell 

 his young daughters to white men, as was formerly 

 tlie practice, — such innovations do not meet with 

 univeisal favor. 



The Patterson is surveying in the eastern district 

 for the coast survey. Commander Coghlan, U.S.N. , 

 has furnished a number of useful reconnoissance 

 sketches of harbors, straits, etc., which are being 

 issued by the coast survey, together with sailing- 

 directions. 



THREE PHYSICAL TEXT-BOOKS. 



Every teacher of physics is familiar with 

 the looks of the old-fashioned text-book of 

 natural philosoph}'. In the early pages come 

 a picture of a wagon on a hillside (a prett}^ 

 picture, if not for the marring parallelogram 

 hanging from the back) , and an air-pump of a 

 pattern onl}' found now as a pair of ding}^ 

 brass cylinders wabbling on what was a ' high- 

 Lessons in elementary practical physics. By Balfour 

 Stewart and W. W. Haldane Gee. Vol. i. General physical 

 processes. London, 3/acmillan , 1885. 16+271 p., illustr. 12°. 

 Properties of matter. By P. G. Tait. Edinburgh, Black, 

 1885. 8+320 p., illustr. 12°. 



Lecturen on some recent advances in physical science, with a 

 special lecture on force. By P. G. Tait. London, J/acmillan, 

 1885. 3d ed. 20+368 p., illustr. 12°. 



ly polished ' mahogany base ; and, further on, 

 an electrical machine is figured, and such an 

 electrical machine as Franklin might well 

 have called 'a vaste improvement.' The text 

 matches the cuts, — an array of facts and fig- 

 ures derived from experiments long since su- 

 perseded. 



The question has been raised whether the 

 modern knowledge can be made to take the 

 place, in the mental drill of the schools, of 

 the course so long honored. In the old ' Nat- 

 ural philosophy ' the facts were so baldly stated, 

 and were served in such a convenient shape 

 for memorizing bj^ the measureful, that it is not 

 strange that one not especially attracted to 

 the study should be able to sa}^ in his after- 

 school years, that he did not remember one 

 word of it all. 



There have cropped up, of late years, two 

 kinds of physical text-books in place of the 

 one now fortunately passing off the stage. It 

 is hard to say which is first. There is the 

 book intended as a guide in the laboratory, 

 and of this class is the ' Practical physics ' of 

 Stewart and Gee ; and there are such books as 

 ' Properties of matter,' and ' Recent advances 

 in physical science,' b}" Tait, which are meant 

 as true ' text-books ' for the capable teacher. 

 It would never do to place either of the last 

 two books in the hands of a machine teacher. 

 A fearful medley of ideas would arise if the 

 pages of ' Properties of matter ' were dealt 

 out by the measured stint to be ' learned ; ' 

 and with 'Recent advances,' it must be feared 

 that the result would be ni7, so far as the edu- 

 cation of the pupil went. 



But with a proper guide, one able to intro- 

 duce a few experiments to illustrate the points 

 in discussion, to refer occasionally to collat- 

 eral matters, and to hold up one end of a 

 discussion if such should fortunately arise, 

 either of the books by Tait will be found a 

 true natural philosophy. The ' Properties of 

 matter,' treating as it does of hypotheses as 

 to the structure of matter, time, and space, 

 gravitation, elastic! t}-, compressibility of gases, 

 liquids and solids, and of capillarity, and the 

 phenomena of diffusion, will be found fall of 

 pithj^, suggestive material, — material which 

 will give rise to discussion, and which can be 

 reasoned upon and talked about. The book 

 is one which can be readil}^ used to give 

 the subject of physics a live interest for the 

 instruction in the classroom. It is to be 

 regretted that the author has opened the book 

 with two chapters which are of ' a very miscel- 

 laneous character ; ' and it is not easy to under- 

 stand why reference to equipotential lines 



