"possess these volumes will find in them more "practical knowledge than exists in any work of "a similar character. For this they are indebted "to the liberal feeling which marks the great "manufacturers of England, and distinguishes "her men of science. With these remarks my "labours are committed to the public-trusting "that their verdict will be, that I have used my "abilities and my industry so as to produce a "Dictionary of Årts, Manufactures, and Mines, "which will be found practically useful to all who are engaged in these special divisions of human industry, and prove valuable as a book of re"ference to every inquirer." 66 The Laboratory of Chemical Wonders: 66 a Scientific Mélange intended for the Instruc- THE contents of this work comprise one hun dred and thirty brief essays on elementary bodies and imponderable agents; a peep into a coal mine; a trip into a gunpowder mill; a Londoner's walk; and an allegory on contentment. The essays result from the discursive but always scientific questions that have been put to the Author in his Laboratory, a place which has become to his junior friends and their acquaintances a sort of Free Institution-a lounge where young people come, as they do to the village forge, to while away a leisure hour, to chat, and see the "sparks fly." The various subjects that have been discussed there are introduced and explained in this book in familiar and inductive language, with a view to prompt young persons to make science their study, by interesting their curiosity in some of its wonders. The Author believes that where the pursuits of youth are of such a character as to leave them little or no opportunity of acquiring scientific knowledge, young persons so situated may find in the pages of this work just as much science as is necessary to make them familiar with the materials of the globe they inhabit. An interesting feature of the book will be found in an extended SCALE of TEMPERATURES at which physical changes take place, adapted to Fahrenheit's thermometer, from "the greatest cold observed by Faraday," to the calculated heat of the undercrust of the earth, at which "all rocks and metals are fluid." The Author adopts Fahrenheit's scale, because it is the one employed in England, though individually he would rather teach by the centigrade scale of Celsius; which, however, must be regarded as inadmissible for ordinary purposes until the English government adopts the centem system generally to money, weights, and measures. The volume likewise contains a description and coloured illustration of the Author's TABLE LABORATORY, which, on account of its compactness and economy of construction, he expects will become very serviceable to youthful searchers after the philosopher's stone, and to amateur chemists having but little space for the prosecution of their studies. Second Series of Useful Information for Engineers. By WILLIAM FAIRBAIRN, LL.D. F.R.S., Corresponding Member of the National Institute of France, Chevalier of the Legion of Honour, Member of the Royal Academy of Turin, &c. Pp. 348; with 4 Plates and 72 Woodcuts. Crown 8vo. price 10s. 6d. cloth. [Nov. 3, 1860. THE great success which has attended the issue of Mr. FAIRBAIRN'S FIRST SERIES of Lectures, under the title of Useful Information for Engineers, has induced the Author to prepare for publication the present volume, in which will be found various original papers not before printed, or not easily accessible to ordinary readers. The contents are as follows: 1. Researches on the Resistance of Cylindrical Wrought Iron Vessels to Collapse. 2. Researches on the Resistance of Glass Globes and Cylinders to Collapse from External Pressure; and on the Tensile and Compressive Strength of various kinds of Glass. 3. Researches on the Tensile Strength of Wrought Iron at various Temperatures. 4. On the Comparative Value of various kinds of Stone, as exhibited by their Powers of resisting Compression. 5. On Popular Education. 6. On the Machinery employed in Agriculture. 7. On the Rise of Civil and Mechanical Engineering, and its Progress to the Present Century. 8. On the Progress of Civil and Mechanical Engineering during the Present Century. 9. On the Construction of Iron Ships. 10 On the Construction of Iron Vessels exceeding Three Hundred Feet in length. 11. On Wrought Iron Tubular Cranes. 12. On the Properties of Steam, its Management and Application. Appendices : 1. On the Resistance of Basalt to Crushing. 2. Mr. Grantham's Views on the Strength of Iron Ships. 3. Letters to "The Times" on Iron Ship Building. In the papers on the Collapse of Tubes will be found not only the first investigation of the con These ditions of rupture in vessels exposed to uniform external pressure, but also an entirely new law of resistance, fully determined by direct experiments. The results recorded in these papers bear directly on the daily practice of the Engineer. In the paper on the Resistance of Glass Globes and Cylinders to Collapse from External Pressure, and on the Tensile and Compressive Strength of various kinds of Glass, the Author has sought to confirm his previous experiments on wrought iron tubes, by experiments on a perfectly homogeneous material. At the same time, as the mechanical properties of glass have been hitherto little known, the paper has been rendered more complete by experiments on its tensile and compressive strength, which it is hoped may prove valuable to those who are engaged in scientific investigations. On the influence of temperature on the cohesive strength of wrought iron, the Author made, some time ago, the experiments recorded in the succeeding paper. extend from below zero to a dull red heat, and will, he trusts, be found of value in showing the conditions in which the material can be trusted when exposed to increased or diminished temperatures. The paper on the Compressive Strength of Brick and Stone is intended for the guidance of the Engineer and Architect; and its data may safely be relied upon in calculating the strength of piers, walls, and other structures where these materials are employed. In the Lecture on the Machinery employed in Agriculture, the Author has endeavoured to point out the defects of our present improved and improving system, and to propose remedies for them. He has especially urged upon the farmer the value and necessity of machine culture, in order to increase the productiveness of the soil, and to secure the with greater certainty and descrops patch. He directs attention to the state of the land, and the improvements required before machine culture can be efficiently employed; and he concludes with expressing his belief that the English agriculturist might be very much benefited by availing himself of the appliances which the present advanced state of mechanical science has placed at his disposal. The Lectures on the Rise and Progress of Civil and Mechanical Engineering are historical and descriptive; and the Author having been personally concerned in the promotion of some of the works described, is perhaps the better able to supply the material and fill up the gap between the present and that period which belongs to the past history of engineering art. Impressed with the conviction that the frequent lamentable catastrophes traceable to the construction of Iron Ships on erroneous principles, may be in some cases averted, the Author was induced to venture on the inquiry, of which the results are embodied in his paper on this subject; and finding that a want of foresight in the builder, or a want of knowledge of the conditions of rupture of iron vessels on the present princi ple of construction, appeared to exist, he lost no time in applying the results of his experiments on girders to this case, and submitted his conclusions to the shipowners of Liverpool and the members of the Polytechnic Institute of that town. The same paper was subsequently read before the Institute of Naval Architects in London, and forms the fifth lecture of the present volume. In the Sixth Lecture the Author has applied the same principles to vessels of still larger size, where a modified form of construction appears necessary. It was the Author's original intention to resume in this series an inquiry into the properties of steam. This experimental investigation has occupied his attention, along with that of his friend and colleague Mr. Thomas Tate, for the last three years; but although they have arrived at important results in regard to density and expansion, up to 60 lbs. pressure per square inch, they are short of data for extending them to higher pressures and a greater degree of superheating, and the experiments, although in progress, are not yet in a condition suitable for publication. A résumé of the results already obtained will, however, be found embodied in Lecture VIII., extracted from their joint paper in course of publication by the Royal Society, Amongst other constructions of a useful and practical character, the Author has introduced a description of the tubular cranes, so admirably adapted for lifting heavy goods, and swinging them round over a circle of large radius. Supplement to the Edition of Mr. M'CULLOCH'S Commercial Dictionary published in 1859: Comprising the late Treaty of Commerce with France; the New Tariff for the United Kingdom; the New Indian Tarif]'; and a variety of Miscellaneous Information in regard to Commercial Subjects. 8vo. pp. 44, price 2s. 6d. sewed. [Sept. 5, 1860. an edition of Mr. M'CULLOCH's wellTHOUGH known Dictionary of Commerce and Commercial Navigation was published only last year, so many and such important changes have taken place in the interval in our customs duties and other collateral matters, that the publication of a Supplement became indispensable. The changes referred to were mostly occasioned by the recent Treaty of Commerce with France, and the financial measures of the late session. In a prefatory notice to this Supplement Mr. M'Culloch observes that it is at present too early to form a fair esti mate of the future practical influence of these changes. But he expresses his belief that the facilities given to trade have been purchased by a more than corresponding sacrifice of other great national interests. The text of the treaty is given entire, with a brief statement of the grounds on which the author has formed his opinion of it and other measures. Besides the changes effected by legislative measures in Great Britain and in India, others have been occasioned by the progress of events, and by the legislation of foreign countries; and of these the author notices such as he believes most likely to inform and interest his readers. The Contents of the Supplement are as follows: Amsterdam; Brandy, Geneva, &c.; Cheese; Chicory; Coal; Commercial Treaty with France; Customs Duties; Navigation of Danube; Delivery Order; Dock Warrant; Eggs; Exports from the United Kingdom in 1859; Commerce of France; Currency of India; Customs Duties in India; Revenue &c. of India; Licences; Export of Hemp from Mauilla; Shipment of Sugar from Mauritius; Oranges and Lemons; Paper Duty; Customs Duty on Paper; Trade of the principal Ports of the United Kingdom; Precious Metals; Linen and Cotton Rags; Foreign Merchants in Russia; Salmon; Trade of San Francisco; Shang-Hae; Merchant Shipping; Spirits; Stamps; Sugar; Syra; Tallow; Tariff; Tea; Timber; Foreign Commerce of the United States; Trade and Navigation, &c. of the principal Cities in the United States; Reduction of the Wine Duties. The Edition of the Dictionary published in 1859 may also be had, with the new Supplement as above included, in cloth, price 50s.; or half bound in russia, 55s. Museum of Classical Antiquities: A Series of Essays on Ancient Art, by various Writers. Edited by EDWARD FALKENER, Member of the Academy of Bologna, and of the Archæological Institutes of Rome and Berlin. Illustrated with 25 Plates and numerous Woodcuts. New Edition, Two Volumes in One. Imperial 8vo. pp. 898, price 428. cloth, gilt edges. [Oct. 26, 1860. IT is a remarkable fact, and one not speaking well for the classical taste of this country, that several attempts have been made in vain to establish a journal for the investigation of classical antiquities. While the Annali and Bulletino of Rome, Gerhard's Archäologische Zeitung of Berlin, the Rheinisches Museum für Philologie u. s. w., Schneidewin's Philologus, oder Zeitschrift für das Klassische Alterthum, and other publications on the continent, form important serials, and have been established for many years, the Museum Criticum, the Philological Museum, the Classical Journal, the Classical Museum, like the Museum of Classical Antiquities, have been commenced, one after the other, each suddenly disappearing, as if to make way for its successor. Perhaps the reason of this was, not merely that the whole onus of providing, editing, and defraying the expenditure, fell on the same individual, but, owing to the vast annual production of literary works in this country, the general reader has no time to devote to works of class character, so that works addressing themselves only to the learned, and full of abstruse or technical details, would be confined to such classes. In starting the Museum of Classical Antiquities, therefore, Mr. Falkener, in order to remedy this evil, endeavoured to select only such subjects, the examination of which, illustrated by well-executed drawings, could not, he thought, fail to create interest in the public mind. The CONTENTS are as follows: 1. On the Advantage of the Study of Antiquity, and on Excellence in Art-EDWARD FALKENER. On the Rapid Destruction of Ancient Monuments. Fra GIOVANNI GIOCONDO. 2. 14. Remarks on the Collections of Ancient Art in the Museums of Italy, the Glyptothek at Munich, and the British Museum-CHARLES NEWTON, 15. On the Study of Polychromy and its RevivalGOTTFRIED SEMPER. 16. On the Polychromy of Sculpture, with Remarks by Prof. Müller-GEORGE SCHARF. 17. On the Ionic Heroum at Xanthus now in the British Muscum-EDWARD FALKENER. 18. A General Statement of the Excavations of Ancient Monuments in the Kingdom of Naples, from 1830 to 1849. By the Director General— CARLO BONUCCI. 19. On the Building Act of the Emperor Zeno, and the other Building Laws of the Roman Empire. W. R. HAMILTON. 20. On the Lost Group of the Eastern Pediment of the Parthenon-EDWARD FALKENER. 21. On the Progress and Decay of Art; and on the Arrangement of the National Museum FRANCIS PULSZKY. 22. On Recent Discoveries at Rome.-BENJAMIN GIBSON. 23. On Excavations by Captain Caviglia, behind and in the Neighbourhood of the Great Sphynx. SAMUEL BIRCH. 24. Report on a House at Pompeii, excavated under Personal Superintendence - EDWARD FALKENER. 25. On the Lydian Double Pipe (Tibiæ Pares) at Pompeii-JAMES A. DAVIES. 26. On the Ancient City and Port of Seleucia Pieria W. HOLT YATES, M.D. 27. On the Throne of Amyclæan Apollo-W. WATKISS LLOYD. 28. On the Cragus, Anticragus, and Massicy tus Mountains of Asia Minor-Prof. SCHÖNBORN. 29. On the Theatres of Vicenza and VeronaEDWARD FALKENER. 30. Observations on the Theatre of Verona ORTI MANARA. CONTE IN the preface to this work Mr. Falkener justi fies the title of his Essay by showing how the invention and perfection of Sculpture were attributed to Dædalus, whose name thenceforward stood for everything relating to his art. He then interprets the well-known fable of Dædalus and Icarus, by supposing that while Dædalus is the experienced practitioner, Icarus represents the student in art. In an ancient gem, selected for the first cover of the book, Dædalus is represented making wings for his son, or in other words telling him that it is impossible to succeed in art without genius. In another, forming the second cover, Dædalus is seen praying his son not to fly too high, lest the sun should melt the wax with which his wings are fastened, nor to fly too low, lest he should dip them in the briny wave; or in other words, neither to launch out into extravagances, nor to descend into a low mean style. These two maxims Mr. Falkener regards as the fundamental rules of art. In the Introduction which follows, Mr. Falkener writes an apology for the Frontispiece of his book, which represents the interior of the Parthenon, as restored by him, and which he has represented as having a curved ceiling, contrary to the established opinion of all architects and scholars. Mr. Falkener supports his theory by the impossibility of supposing a flat ceiling to a temple, which to its under side of roof was only fiftyfive feet in height, and which had to contain a statue thirty-nine feet high, standing upon a pedestal which, as it contained sculpture, could not have been less than ten feet more. He also endeavours to prove it by passages from ancient authors, and from coins. In an Appendix at the end of the work, the author follows up his argument by showing the high antiquity and constant practice of the arch in Egypt; and he brings forward correspondence on the same subject, from Mr. Layard, proving a like antiquity of the arch in Assyria, and from Professor Gerhard, M. Hittorff, Colonel Leake, Professor Cockerell, Professor Donaldson, and others. The body of the work is divided under two heads Ancient Art and Modern Art. In the former the causes and principles of its success are shown, the chapters being, 1. Use of Art; 2. Causes of Success; 3. The Beautiful; 4. The Ideal; 5. Individuality; 6. Colossal Sculpture; 7. Chryselephantine Sculpture and Iconic-Polychromy; 8. Perspective. In these chapters the author endeavours to show that art can only be brought to perfection by enthusiastic devotion, and that the essential character of Greek art was beauty, that this beauty to be perfect must be idealised, but in doing so attention must always be directed to the individual characteristics. He shows how that colossal sculpture must not only be of large dimensions, but grand in character. The chryselephantine sculpture he vindicates from the hypercriticisms of modern writers; while he establishes at considerable length the polychromy of ancient sculpture, by reference to the writings and monuments of the ancients, some of which he brings forward as illustrations. At the same time, while he asserts the constant practice of iconic-polychromy, he is entirely opposed to the theories of those who believe that statues were coloured to the life, and he contends that colour, however vivid in accessories, when applied to the flesh was so delicate, that while felt it could not be observed; that like a lady's rouge, while intended to produce an effect, it was cautiously guarded from detection. In his chapter on Perspective he en deavours to show that the ancients constantly represented objects not as they are, but as they wished them to appear. principle. The agreement of this classification with the chronological order in which the different churches stand is then shown. It is believed that a perusal of this work will enable any person who has a general knowledge of archi tecture, to appreciate accurately the several varieties of ecclesiastical architecture exemplified in existing works in Italy, to estimate their positions relatively to each other in respect of age, and also their points of similarity and dissimilarity. In addition to this, the origin of the particular architectural forms displayed in these edifices is traced back to the earliest times by a process tending to show that all the local styles, in the various aspects assumed by them during different periods, are simply developments of the early Basilican architecture, which was founded on that of the classical Basilicas. With a view to assist the reader in his conception of these successive aspects, the principal of them are illustrated in a series of drawings which fill thirteen plates. A separate treatise on Vaulting is added, in which almost all the varieties of Italian vaulting are described by the aid of a system of notation to which three additional plates are devoted. Also, some of the most unique and ingenious of the methods of vaulting are separately examined as to the forms of their surfaces, and the necessary formulæ are given for their construction. The division of Modern Art is subdivided in nine chapters, as follows:-1. Decline of Art; 2. Individuality; 3. Costume; 4. Decorum; 5. Colossal Sculpture; 6. Perspective; 7. Basrelief and Pedimental Sculpture; 8. The Ideal; 9. Conclusion. In each case the author endeavours to prove that the moderns have invariably failed when they have departed from the rules and principles of ancient art. Too great importance is generally given to the individual characteristics, and not sufficient to the ideal, both as regards the individual likeness and costume. An example is then given of the bad effects consequent upon the neglect of decorum. He shows that the colossal sculpture of the moderns, where unnecessary, produces confusion, and where its principles are misunderstood, the increase of size adds nothing to real grandeur. Through inattention to the laws of perspective, he shows that many modern works, though really good, appear distorted. The ancient system of bas-relief is shown to be essentially glyptic, while modern bas-relief is merely graphic; and in pedimental sculpture he points out how in one modern instance the artist has failed in consequence of his studiously labouring to avoid what the Greeks seized as an element of beauty. In conclusion, the author endeavours to justify himself from the charge of favouritism to ancient art, or of unfairness to modern art, showing that he could scarcely prove the superiority of the one without pointing out the inferiority of the other; but in closing his essay he pays a willing tribute to the progress THE object of this work, which is strictly prac of modern art. In the Appendix an eloquent appeal in favour of ancient polychromy is produced from the pen of M. Beule, and the author in another section defends ancient art from the attacks of a celebrated modern writer. The volume concludes with a copious list of writers upon sculp ture. Development of Christian Architecture in By W. SEBASTIAN OKELY, M.A., F. Camb. Ph.S., of Trinity College, Cambridge; late Travelling Bachelor of the University. Pp. 240; with 16 Plates. Royal 8vo. price 148. cloth. [Sept. 29, 1860. THIS volume, which is intended for the informa tion of general readers, is divided into three parts, treating respectively of the Interiors, Façades, and Towers, of the Italian Churches. In each part the consecutive phases of their mechanical and decorative construction are precisely defined and classified according to a general My Life, and What shall I do with it? A tical, is to point out to young women who, having finished their education, find their time much unoccupied at home, a way to the work proposed for them by Mrs. JAMESON, in her two lectures entitled Sisters of Charity and the Communion of Labour, and to which they have been invited by the Authors of Practical Lectures to Ladies. The first division of the volume, headed "The Workers and their Work," reviews the preparation for the business of life which usually forms part of the education of English girls of the upper and middle classes, their mental capacity on attaining woman's estate, their want of real employment suitable to their education, and their qualifications for the duties and every-day work of the world. All these points are contrasted by the Writer with the training, the actual condition, and the disadvantages of the great mass of uneducated women of the lower classes who need their sex's help. The Author then proceeds to show how these two classes of young women,-the helpers and those who want their help,—may be brought together, and what the trained and edu |