Notices of Boohs, 
268 
[April, 
hundred and twenty woodcuts are inserted in a book of two hun- 
dred and seventy-four pages. 
The examination of diseased tissues is fully demonstrated. 
This portion of the work will be useful not only to the student, 
but may be consulted with advantage by the medical practitioner, 
who will find, in a compaCt form, information which would 
otherwise require a search in many and not easily procured 
publications. 
Animal and vegetable parasites have also a fair space devoted 
to them. 
The woodcuts are well executed ; the only defeCt of the work 
is the absence of references to authorities where further informa- 
tion is to be obtained. 
A Letter addressed without permission to the Astronomer Royal, 
explaining a New Theory of the Solar System, and placing 
Newton's Theories upon a Physical Basis. By G. T. Car- 
ruthers, M.A. London : Longmans and Co. 
We cannot give the reader a better idea of the views advanced 
in this little work than by quoting from an abstract which the 
author has appended : — 
“ The earth and planets are supported by the atmosphere or 
its watery vapour, in the same way as the weight on a safety- 
valve is supported by the steam in a boiler. The rotation of the 
earth is caused by the impaCts of the atmosphere upon the 
earth, i.e., by a constant series of blows from the sun of 
2116 lbs. upon every square foot ; the number of feet passing in 
a second being, as we know, enormous. 
“ The orbital motion of the earth is caused by the rush of 
cold air at night towards the sun, as the air in a room rushes 
towards the fireplace. Magnus has shown, by experiment, that 
such a rush of air upon a revolving cylinder causes it to move 
in a lateral direction, similar to that in which the earth moves. 
“ The issue of watery vapour of very rare density takes place 
from the North Pole, where there is little rotation. The atoms 
of vapour gradually accumulate and form condensations of 
vapour at great distances from the North Pole, when the force 
with which they were expelled is expended. Thus the earth has 
formed the moon, and the sun the planets. 
“ The atoms when condensed are urged downwards to the 
Equator, and receive there the rotary impaCts of the sun’s 
vapour, which compel them to rotate in the same direction as 
the sun. The planets may thus be supposed to be at the centre 
of gravity of great cones extending northward, which rest upon 
the great cone of the sun’s vapour. Hence the motion of the 
