1878.] 
Notices of Books, 
2 73 
A List of Writings relating to the Method of Least Squares , 
with Historical and Critical Notes. By Mansfield Mer- 
riman, Ph.D. 
A bibliographical treatise of great value to mathematicians* 
physicists, and engineers. 
Sketch of the Origin and Progress of the United States Geolo- 
gical and Geographical Survey of the Territories. By F. V. 
Hayden, U.S. Geologist in Charge. Washington : Darby 
and Duvall. 1877. 
This pamphlet contains an interesting and useful sketch of the 
rise and extension of that continuous scientific exploring condi- 
tion for which the Federal Government is deservedly reaping 
golden opinions. The Survey it appears took its origin in 1867, 
when Nebraska was admitted as a State of the Union, the unex- 
pended balance of the sum appropriated for its legislative 
expenses as a territory being set apart by Congress for a Geolo- 
gical Survey of the new State. The utility of such an under- 
taking, executed in a spirit of thoroughness, having become 
evident to the Legislature (whose wisdom in this respeCt might 
be advantageously imitated in other countries), further sums of 
money were voted, and the Survey was gradually extended, not 
alone as to the country to be explored, but also as to the subjects 
included. Not alone the geology- — using the term in its widest 
sense — but the ethnology, the natural history, the meteorology, 
and the agricultural resources of the territories are carefully 
studied and reported on. Men of proved eminence are appointed 
to the various departments, and they are allowed both time and 
appliances to carry out their task in a manner creditable to 
themselves and their country, and highly useful to men of 
Science throughout the civilised world. 
Among the most valuable results of the Survey may be men- 
tioned the observations glanced at in the following passage : — 
“ Accumulated experience has shown that the various evolutional 
tides of organic life have not advanced at the same rate in all 
parts of the world. Thus while we find that a certain grade of 
vertebrates, invertebrates, and plants are associated together in 
the strata of, and collectively characterise a certain geological 
period in, Europe, in America we find that the same grade of 
plant life was evidently reached much earlier, and the same 
grade of vertebrate life was continued much later.” 
One of the features of this Survey has been the employment 
of a skilful photographer, Mr. W. H. Jackson, whose success in 
VOL. VIII. (N.S.) 
T 
