96 
POPULAR SCIENCE REVIEW. 
ASTRONOMY FOR THE PEOPLE.* 
M UCH as is the custom adopted of crying- down the once popular hooks 
of the late Dionysius Lardner, there is no doubt that they have 
not yet been succeeded in many instances by books as well adapted to the 
mind of the people. And indeed we know of few cases in which books on 
Astronomical Science appeal so truly to the public, as in the present instance. 
Mr. Edward Dunkin, Sec. R.A.S., has been the editor selected for the 
present volume of Dr. Lardner’s series of books on Natural Philosophy, 
and we can say — as of course was to be expected — that he has done his 
work with conscientiousness and clearness. The present edition was pub- 
lished early in October last, and Mr. Dunkin has added to Chapter XV. planets 
147 and 148, the last of which — which, by the way, is not now the last — 
was discovered Aug. 7, 1875. One of the features of the present edition 
is that the elements of the orbits of all the planets are given, being arranged 
in the order of the distances of the planets from the sun. It is elaborately 
illustrated; besides more than 100 woodcuts, there are thirty-seven admir- 
ably executed plates of the different heavenly bodies, telescopes, &c. 
Besides this is a copy of Beer and Madler’s map of the moon, and, we 
are almost pleased to say, no spectroscopic plates at all. It will be found a 
book worthy of being read by the class for whom it is intended. 
SHOUT NOTICES. 
Lecture on the Geology of Croydon , in relation to the Geology of the London 
Basin and other localities. By J. Morris, F.G.S. The “ Chronicle ” Office, 
Croydon. 1875. — This is the publication of a lecture delivered by Professor 
Morris before the Croydon Microscopical Club, and though it has so humble an 
origin, it is not on that account to be classed with literature of this order. 
It is really a most valuable addition to our geological history of the London 
Basin, and we trust that the Professor had a number of copies struck off, 
for we are sure that the demand for the work will be considerable when it is 
known of. There are very few, if any, of our English geologists whose 
knowledge of the strata, both geologically and paleontologically, equals that 
of the author of this lecture ; and he has given us in a pamphlet of about 27 
pages, accompanied by an admirable coloured map and section, and several 
woodcuts of the district, a discourse in which he discusses the origin of those 
various beds and their fossils, and deals with the several elements of the Lon- 
don Basin. It would be impossible to follow the author in a sketch like this ; 
but we must mention that he traces out the whole series of deposits from the 
chalk upwards, and he adds considerably to the interest of his paper by his 
marking out the beds which occur in Paris and Belgium, and are consi- 
* u Handbook of Astronomy.” By D. Lardner, LL.D. Fourth Edition. 
By Edwin Dunkin, Secretary to the Royal Astronomical Society. London : 
Lockwood & Co., 1875. 
