Geographic Literature 



253 



being in French and the second in Swed- 

 ish, of a most comprehensive and valu- 

 able hand-book of Sweden, historical 

 and statistical. It comprises about one 

 hundred and fifty separate memoirs, 

 written by a hundred or more of the 

 leading Swedish scientists and officials, 

 covering almost every phase of indus- 

 trial, social, commercial, or agricultural 

 activities. The principal subdivisions 

 are physical geography, the Swedish 

 people, constitution and administration, 

 education and culture, agriculture, for- 

 estry, fishing, mining, manufactures, 

 commerce, navigation, internal commu- 

 nications, credit and insurance, indus- 

 trial and labor legislation, and social 

 statistics. 



The volume is provided with excellent 

 maps, well chosen and attractive illus- 

 trations. The translation is good, the 

 typography of a high order, and an in- 

 dex enhances the value of the volume 

 for standard reference. The publication 

 is most creditable to the Swedish gov- 

 ernment and to its editor, G. Sundbarg, 

 who has compiled valuable and compre- 

 hensive statistics, extending in some in- 

 stances to the end of 1903. A. W. G. 



The Moon* By William H. Pickering. 

 Pp. viii-f-103. 12^8x10^8 inches. 

 New York : Doubleday, Page & Co. 

 1903. $[0.00 net. 



With the aim of summarizing some 

 of the more recent lunar knowledge 

 chiefly acquired in the Harvard obser- 

 vatories located in low latitudes, Prof. 

 Pickering has given us one of the most 

 entertaining volumes in existence on 

 this subject for the general reader. It 

 has been found that the clearest atmos- 

 phere can be obtained only in the trade- 

 wind belt, which is so largely free from 

 the terrible storms raging in the tem- 

 perate zones. Hence chief progress 

 has been made in the two stations of 

 this foremost American university. 

 Prof. Pickering treats of the origin of 

 the moon, its motion, its physiography, 

 with a very readable sketch of the his- 



tory of lunar research. There are a 

 number of beautiful illustrations based 

 largely on the photographs taken by the 

 author and his assistants. The whole 

 volume is in the fine typographical dress 

 usual with this firm of publishers. 



C. M. 



Early Western Travels, \ 748-1 845. Ed- 

 ited by Reuben G. Thwaites. Vol. 

 vn, Buttrick's Voyages, 1812-1819 ; 

 Evans' Pedestrious Tours, 1818. Pp. 

 364. Vol. x, Hulme's Journal, 1818 ; 

 Flower's Letters from Lexington and 

 the Illinois, 1819 ; Flower's Letters 

 from the Illinois, 1820-1821 ; Wood's 

 Two Years' Residence, 1820, 1821. 

 Pp 357- Cleveland : Arthur H. 

 Clark Co. 1904. $4.00 net. 

 Buttrick's experiences give glimpses 

 of life in Kentucky and along the 

 Natchez trail, while Evans describes 

 conditions in Michigan and along the 

 great rivers from Pittsburg to New 

 Orleans. 



Volume x covers the English settle- 

 ment made under Morris Birkbeck and 

 George Flower in Illinois near Cairo, 

 which led to violent discussions in which 

 William Cobbet was prominent. Wood 

 presents in clear and definite form the 

 thoroughly novel conditions of agricult- 

 ure and trade of frontier life and the 

 social problems which confronted the 

 English colonists. 



Both volumes are specially interesting 

 as illustrating the conditions of life 

 west of the Alleghanies after the war 

 of 1 81 2, when tens of thousands re- 

 moved from the Atlantic states to these 

 fertile regions. In general the annota- 

 tions of the editor are pertinent and 

 judicious. A.W. G. 



The Future of Road-making in Amer- 

 ica (Historic Highways of America, 

 vol. 15). By Archer Butler Hulbert. 

 Pp. 211. 7^8 x 5 inches. Cleveland : 

 The Arthur H. Clark Co. 1905. 

 With the aid of Messrs Dodge, El- 

 ridge, Page, of the United States govern- 



