Notices of Books . 
[January, 
his observation agreed in one point, and in one only — they were 
all given to early rising. Hence the king inferred that early 
xising was the cause of their longevity, and that any one by per- 
sistently rising early might prolong his days ; but the faCt is 
that only men of exceptionally vigorous constitutions can regu- 
larly, and of their own free will, rise early. Such men attain a 
great age in virtue of their unusual vigour, of which the ten- 
dency to early rising is not the cause, but merely a sign. A 
feeble person, by persistently rising early, is more likely to 
shorten than to prolong his days. 
To return : it must not be thought that we are in the least 
favourable to popular ignorance ; but we cannot share all the 
dreams in which some of the more sanguine friends of education 
indulge. Universal literary culture will suppress pauperism and 
crime in the very same year when free trade effects the final 
abolition of war. Till then both “ world-betterers ” and lookers- 
on must possess their souls in patience. 
Reports on the Physical, Descriptive, and Economic Geology 
of British Guiana. By C. B. Brown, F,G.S., and ]. G. 
Sawkins, F.G.S. London : Printed for Her Majesty’s Sta- 
tionery Office, and sold by Longmans, Green, and Co., and 
E. Stanford, 
A full and accurate knowledge of the resources and capabilities 
of every part of the British Empire must be of the utmost value 
to our statesmen, our Government officials (whether military, 
naval, or civil), and not less to our merchants and manufacturers. 
We are therefore glad that such tasks as the geological survey 
of the rich and beautiful province of British Guiana have been 
undertaken. We may indeed wish that these investigations 
were pushed forward with greater zeal, and that the expeditions 
sent out had the opportunity to enter more minutely into the 
mineralogy and palaeontology of the region. Perhaps in time 
our wishes may be gratified. The mineral wealth of the country 
does not seem great. There is an inexhaustible supply of a pure 
white sand, especially in Demerara, admirably adapted for 
the glass manufacture. Clays are found of various qualities, — 
some suitable for hydraulic cements, and others for porcelain. 
Sandstones suitable for paving and building abound in the inte- 
rior of the colony, but the expense of transit to the coast is at 
present too great to admit of its being utilised. Iron and man- 
ganese are met with in various districts. Gold has been very 
extensively sought for, and actually found, though not in remu- 
nerative quantities. The workings of the British Guiana Gold 
Mining Company, up the Cuyuni River, have been abandoned. 
The greatest wealth of the colony consists in its rich agricultural 
