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POPULAR SCIENCE REVIEW. 
science, and these more than anything display the pure-minded, simple- 
souled, wonderfully speculative man, in the truest and most natural 
colours. They are most touching, and they give to Dr. Tyndall’s portrait 
of Faraday a pre-E-aphaelitic character which is striking and impressive. 
We think this biography should be read by every student of science, no 
matter to what department he may belong j for the eloquent and pathetic 
discourse of Professor Tyndall, which, we doubt not, has moved many of his 
audience to tears, leaves no doubt upon our mind that Faraday was the 
greatest experimental philosopher the world has ever seen.” 
PEECIOUS STONES.* 
F t. KING should have given his work a different title. It is really not 
a natural history of precious stones, but is rather an account of particular 
precious stones which have become historical. The existing title is calcu- 
lated to mislead the mineralogical student, who would expect to find in its 
pages a scientific description of all species of precious minerals, but really 
meets with nothing more to his purpose than a graphic and extremely inter- 
esting history of such stones as the Sancy, Koh-i-noor, and other celebrated 
jewels. Mr. King’s treatise affords most pleasant and profitable reading, 
but it is matter rather adapted to the kidney of the antiquary than food for 
the mind of the mineralogist. Indeed, on the whole, it is a work admirably 
suited to the drawing-room table, and an occasional dip ” into its pages 
is accompanied by profitable information on most absorbing topics. The 
history of the remarkable diamonds is comprehensively stated, and the ac- 
counts of diamond-cutting, and of the various operations of the jeweller 
and lapidary, are given fully and with clearness. Mr. King corrects the toe 
popular notion that the Koh-i-noor is the largest diamond, by showing that, 
in respect of size, the Mogul carries off the palm, of which he says that it is 
incomparably the largest authentic specimen of the diamond ever yet dis- 
covered.” The illustrations are not numerous, and it must be confessed are 
rather poor. In other particulars, however, the physical characters of the 
work are luxurious, and reflect credit on the publishers. 
LOOMIS’S ASTKONOMY.t 
P RINTED in somewhat blurred type, and bound in antiquated covers, the 
first idea which Professor Loomis’s book gives us is that it is a copy of 
old “ Brinkley’s ” treatise. On turning over its pages, however, it soon 
becomes evident that the American volume is one which is clearly written. 
* The Natural History of Precious Stones and of the Precious Metals.”" 
By C. W. King, M. A. London : Bell & Daldy. 1867. 
t A Treatise on Astronomy.” By Elias Loomis, LL.D., Professor in 
Yale College. New York : Harper Brothers. 1868. 
