n6 
Notices of Books. 
[January, 
ation of chemical water in clear fused boric acid, by means of a 
magnesian borate ball ; separation of silica and alumina by lime 
borate balls ; separation of didymium and lanthanum borates from 
ceric oxide ; detection of fluorine, chlorine, and sulphur by means 
of oxide of copper in a phosphoric acid bead ; detection of phos- 
phoric acid in tourmaline by boric acid ; new reaction obtained 
by a solution of manganese in sulphuric acid ; mangano-cobalt 
solution with the same view ; artificial zeolite formed by heating 
a mixture of potash and pure alumina, for the purpose of detecting 
alumina or lime, or caustic alkali ; yellow and brown oxides 
of thallium obtained on aluminium plate from the metal ; detection 
of sulphuric acid by the effervescence caused by adding a drop of 
water to a natural sulphate (as gypsum) which has been fused 
with soda on aluminium plate ; decrepitation observed to be 
peculiar to crystalline forms ; solution and separation of silica by 
boiling with boric or phosphoric acid dissolved in water ; subli- 
mation of gold, silver, and other metals by fusing them in the 
oxidising flame with a minute proportion of lead or charcoal over 
aluminium ; the curious crystallisation of soda combined with a 
small proportion of lime ; the determination of the mineral con- 
stituents of animal or vegetal organisms by burning the latter 
on a bead of boric acid.” It is utterly out of our power to judge 
these novelties in the only fair manner; that is, by working 
through them one by one and deciding in how far the author’s 
observations and methods can be actually verified. But this is 
a task which ought not to be negleCted, and we are strongly of 
opinion that, whatever might be the result, such an undertaking 
would be well worth the while of any student endowed with the 
needful leisure, skill, and patience. Even if we suppose, for 
argument sake, which is extremely improbable, that the author 
should he found mistaken in every instance, the detection of his 
errors could not fail to be profoundly instructive. 
We have no great respeCt for writers who take up some sub- 
ject in an unsystematic way, and after a desultory course of 
reading think themselves entitled to lay down the law and to 
point out the supposed mistakes of received authorities. Of such 
men, and of their productions, every page of which testifies to 
the want of all fundamental intellectual discipline, every scientific 
critic is absolutely sick. They swarm upon us like a newplagueof 
flies. But Major Ross belongs to a totally different category. He is 
no “ paper-philosopher,” but an earnest, careful, persevering 
worker, possessed of a fruitful and suggestive mind ; and his 
conclusions, therefore, however unexpected, cannot be without 
value. We strongly recommend his work to the attention of 
chemists and mineralogists in the belief that they will find it both 
interesting and useful. 
