Reviews. 461 
that the author does not allot himself a sufficiency of praise, 
to which undoubtedly he is entitled. 
Possessors of this book will, when completed, have a 
hand-book containing all that can be considered trust- 
worthy on the subject, the name of Mr, Hazlitt being a 
sufficient criterion of the literary worth of this compendious 
Handbook. . 
The general get-up of this part reflects credit on printer 
and publisher. 
The Weather Guide for 1867... By ALFRED J. PEARCE. 
London. Simpkin Marshall and Co. 
IT has been for some time our desire to notice this 
pamphlet, but we have deferred so doing, in the hope of 
being able to say something favourable about it. For this 
reason, we have patiently waited three months, in order to 
see whether Mr. Pearce’s prognostications were worth any- 
thing at all; but we find ourselves as unable to compliment 
that gentleman now, as we were on first taking up the 
“ Weather Guide.” 
It is always a bad thing fora young man to rush into 
print, but itis a real case for pity when he attempts to 
write on subjects, and above all, on “ scientific subjects,” of 
which he has about as much knowledge as has a cow of 
conic sections. Ignorance isa bad fault for a writer, but 
coupled with assurance and conceit, it is bad indeed. In 
the Preface, Mr. Price “calls on all who are interested in 
the cause (of Meteorology), to support his endeavours to 
popularize it, by purchasing and distributing copies of his 
annual.” AQ little further on he says, “The system is not 
yet perfect, but when predictions fail of fulfilment, the 
failure is not so much due to the imperfection of the system 
as to the difficulty of fairly estimating the effect of occa- 
szonally synchronous astronomic phenomena of conflicting: 
injiuences, and also to errors of judgment on the part of 
the writer ;’ and concludes his preface with the old French 
proverb, “C’est par ses erreurs que homme sinstruit,” 
which we consider a very suitable motto for the “ Weather 
Guide.” Indeed, we hope Mr. Pearce may see the errors 
of his ways, and be so far instructed that he shall give up 
writing on subjects he does not understand. We are, 
however, much afraid that our meteorologist will not act. 
up to his text, for it seems, by his own words, that he has 
had many reproofs from the press, but instead of taking 
