in clear and graceful language, and with excellent judgment. His book is based almost entirely upon the inscriptions and papyri, and upon knowledge that has been gained at first-hand. The method of interpretation followed is evidently Maspero's, not Brugsch's. The author maintains that no organised religious system, only religious ideas and individual cults, can with justice be attributed to the ancient Egyptians. Consequently he presents his subject under the following divisions:-The worship of the sun, the legends of the sun, the journey of the sun to the Lower World, the most important gods, foreign elements of worship, worship of animals, Osiris and his cycle, the Osirisian doctrine of immortality, the secret (esoteric) sciences, and amulets. An index would have enhanced the usefulness of the book.

An Appeal to Pharaoh. The Negro Problem, and its Radical Solution.
New York: Fords, Howard and Hulbert, 1890. Pp. 205.

The United States has its political cancer which, although confined to a portion of the body politic, is of serious and growing danger. This is the so-called Negro problem. The black populations of the Southern States-the descendants of imported slaves-represent the Nemesis of American independence. To their ancestors is due a large share in the rough work of building up those States. They have inherited a grievance and nominal citizenship. They have a political power which race-prejudice does not permit them to wield. They are a constant menace to the white populations, with whom miscegenation-far less fusion-is impossible. But they are there in their millions, and the question is, what to do with them. "Oh, Pharaoh, let the people go!" says the anonymous

author of this volume; "let them go to the land whence we stole their progenitors, to Africa!" And, it must be confessed, the appeal and the argument are strong. It has, however, yet to be shown that the people, as a people, are willing to go, and that the means and the place may be found for the purpose of transportation. The author of An Appeal to Pharaoh is an advocate for the task-master, and not for the bondsman: he is disposed to bring about an exodus, with justice to the Negro if possible, but still an exodus. From what he says, and from what we know of the subject, it is clear to us that the Negroes of America would be happier in a more congenial sphere-and why not Africa?—and that the United States would do well to seriously consider ways and means: for what is possible now may not be possible in another decade, and what would cost a few millions now might cost then many millions sterling and many valuable lives to boot. By all means, then, we cordially support the appeal to Pharaoh : "Let the people go." But let justice be done to those who have already suffered an irreparable injustice !

A Historical Geography of the British Colonies. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1890. Pp. 343. 7s. 6d.

By C. P. LUCAs, B. A. Vol. ii. 12 Maps and Diagrams. Price

Mr. Lucas fills this beautifully printed and well-illustrated volume with an account of the British possessions in the West Indies and South America as scholarly and accurate as the preceding volumes would lead one to expect. The work comprises three sections, of which the first describes the Bermudas, the second discusses the British West Indies and the mainland possessions in Central and South America, whilst the third deals with the Falkland Islands. Reference to any part of the contents is facilitated by a copious index. Enough has been said in previous reviews (S. G. M., vol. v., p. 109) of Mr. Lucas's rare power of collecting, arranging, and reasoning upon the geographical facts to which his

official position in the Colonial Office gives him access. Here we find it in no degree abated; and the fact that University culture and official information are reinforced by a firm and easy grasp of geographical principles makes the book of unique value.

It is impossible to over-estimate the importance of such an impartial and exhaustive summary of the geographical history of our West Indian possessions. Most works on colonial geography are haunted with the shade of reports for the encouragement of emigration, or prospectuses of company-promoters, and show a tendency to dwell in an undue degree on future prospects. Here we are told the truth without extenuation and the only light thrown on the future is the powerful ray reflected from the faithful mirror of past changes. To geographers, historians, and, above all, to practical politicians, the pleasant task of studying this work will be its own abundant reward.

Geography of the Dominion of Canada and Newfoundland. By the Rev. WILLIAM PARR GRESWELL, M.A. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1891. Pp. xii+ 154. 10 Maps. Price 6s.

High price and small bulk are the features which first strike one in looking at this little volume sent out under the auspices of the Royal Colonial Institute. The object of the work is to supplement the author's history of Canada, and it may thus be unfair to criticise it as if it were an independent treatise. In the preface we read-" Although many remarks have been made in the text on the ocean currents, winds, rainfall, atmosphere, climate, soils, and general physical conditions of the country, there is no attempt made to arrange these conditions under any general system." This avowed neglect of the first principles of geography prepares us for a more heterogeneous and unorganised compilation than we actually find. As a rule the integral parts of the conglomerate preserve a fine unweathered appearance, and the source of each is faithfully recorded. Some quotations, in no way less intimately related to the subject-matter of the book than those inserted in the text, are placed by themselves at the end in fourteen short appendices. We have noticed several slight errors in detail, and of these the following may be cited. On page 17 the statement one mile in height means a difference of 15° in temperature" should have 19° as the temperature difference. On page 32 a lake is said to have a superficies of 360 miles," when the unit should of course be square miles. On pages 52, 53, 54, "Cape Breton" is used instead of "Cape Breton Island," and also to signify the cape itself. On page 69 "the Mennonites or German makers" are referred to in a somewhat perplexing way, and on page 76 "the Chinook wind which blows from the west" is likewise left unexplained, although some connection with cattle-ranches is hinted at. The Gulf Stream is not satisfactorily treated, and the Black Stream of the Pacific is described in the words of Maury, whose views of its origin have been greatly modified. Physical geography is certainly not a strong point with the author; many features of great importance are entirely passed over and others mis-stated. On page 95 the Labrador current is credited with singular powers: "As this icy current meets the warm waters of the Gulf Stream it meets and creates vapour which lies upon the eastern sea-board in a dense and thick fog." Fog is not vapour, and vapour is not created but destroyed and rendered visible as water by a cold current meeting a warm one. On page 96 "the mean height of the barometer about 29° 40'" should probably be "29:40 inches." Finally, on page 114, "a township of six square miles" should be of six miles square, i.e. of 36 square miles. There are many lists of capes, bays, rivers, lakes, counties, towns, and other features ranged in complete abstraction from terrestrial

associations. The following (from p. 96) is an example, fortunately the only one in the book, of slipshod grammar which has strangely escaped the author's revision :— Capes.-On the east Cape Primavista, said to have been first sighted in 1497 by Cabot; Cape Francis, once called Cape de Portogesi, showing by its name, as well as that of Portugal Cove, that the Portuguese had fisheries here. Cape Spear, in the Peninsula of Avalon at the entrance of the magnificent harbour of St. John, on the east; Cape Race, so well known as one of the first points of land sighted by. outward-bound steamers, Cape Pine on the south; Capes Ray and Anguille at the extreme south-west; Cape Norman on the north at the entrance of Belle Isle Strait, and on the eastern side of Pistolet Bay, Cape Bauld."

On the whole the book reads smoothly, and the descriptions of sites and scenery are well-chosen and graphic. The distribution of the population is treated admirably and contrasted in a singularly able manner with that prevailing in the Australian colonies. Mr. Greswell has evidently spared no pains to secure the most recent and exact statistics of the various provinces, and to put them together in a way calculated to attract and inform the intending emigrant. The maps are of mediocre quality, and there are no other illustrations. There is an excellent index.

London:

Price 2s. 6d.

School Geography. KIRCHHOFF and SONNENSCHEIN. Junior course. Swan, Sonnenschein and Co., 1891. Pp. 144. 14 Plates. This junior course of geography is intended for the use of both secondary schools and grant-aided elementary schools. It will, we think, if used by an intelligent teacher, amply fulfil its object. Six chapters are devoted to preliminary matter and definitions; and four useful appendices are added on the metric system, the thermometer, table of heights and angles. The illustrations are good. The authors are mindful of the maxim, "first oversight then insight," and say "This is what is meant by concentric teaching; each course should be a complete whole in itself; never should the pupil be dismissed with a scrap of knowledge, which he himself feels to be a mere fragment: but each succeeding course should have a wider sweep, should convey ampler and deeper knowledge, and should treat the subject from a point of view higher than that of the earlier course."

Géographie Économique de l'Afrique, l'Asie, l'Océanie et l'Amérique. PAR MARCEL DUBOIS. Paris: G. Masson, 1889. Pp. 730.

This is one of M. Dubois' series of geographical text-books, and gives a fair account of the main features of the continents treated of. The elements of economic, or commercial, geography are skilfully handled, and combined in such a manner as to convey a vivid and truthful idea of each country. The want of an index is to be regretted, and also the absence of maps or diagrams; but the latter probably appears a more serious want than it really is, on account of the many cheap and excellent atlases that have recently been published in France. Summaries of the physical, political, and commercial condition of each continent form a special and valuable feature of the book.

English Rediscovery and Colonisation of America. By JOHN B. and MARIE A. SHIPLEY. London: Elliot Stock; not dated. Pp. xvi + 151.

Enthusiasts are always interesting until they become bores. Mr. and Mrs. Shipley are fortunately still in the earlier stages, and not yet soured by want of appreciation. Their themes are the sacredness of historic truth, the folly of the people of the United States in worshipping the shadow of 1492 as the date of the discovery of their continent by Europeans, and the vast importance of holding a

Viking Exhibition instead of a World's Fair. They show how Columbus's voyage was not, as many suppose, the splendid meteoric outburst of faith in the existence of a New World, but the natural following out of the course of exploration which had before brought the Norsemen to Vinland, and later led Cabot and Cabral to the shores of the new continent. Only, when the Icelanders made their discovery, the internal affairs of Europe and the absorbing interest of the crusades diverted interest from the far North-West; while Columbus and his immediate followers succeeded the great awakening of the mind and enterprise of Europe. So far as the book is designed to affect the expressions of American sentiment by holding or refraining from Exhibitions, it is without interest to readers in this country.

Meyers Konversations-Lexikon. Siebzehnter Band. Leipzig und Wien. Verlag des Bibliographischen Instituts, 1890. Pp. 1059.

This volume is the last of the fourth edition of this work. It contains supplementary articles extending over the whole alphabet, some entirely new, some bringing up to date articles that already have a place in the body of the work; a good index to subjects that have not been treated of under their own names, but are noticed in cognate articles; a complete list of the illustrations throughout the seventeen volumes; a list of the maps, and key-maps to the whole work. We congratulate the publishers on having brought to a successful termination a most valuable undertaking. An annual supplementary volume is promised.

The Trees of North-Eastern America. Illustrations from Original Sketches. By CHARLES S. NEWHALL. New York and London: G. N. Putman's Sons, 1890. This work is written in a popular form, and is intended to describe a tree by means of illustrations, showing in outline the form of the leaf and print. It includes all the native trees of Canada, the Northern United States, and the Mississippi River. Both the popular and scientific names are given, as well as the geographical distribution. The illustrations are carefully executed, and the descriptions are such that any one may understand them, although destitute of botanical knowledge.

The Antiquities of Tennessee and the Adjacent States, and the State of Aboriginal Society in the Scale of Civilisation represented by them. By GATES P. THRUSTON. Pp. xv+369. 17 Plates and 246 Cuts. Index. Price 4 dollars. Cincinnati Robert Clarke and Co., 1890.

The Antiquities of the State of Ohio. By HENRY A. SHEPHERD. Pp. vi+139. Maps, Plans, Illustrations. Price 2 dollars. Same Publishers.

Fort Ancient, Ohio. By WARREN K. MOOREHEAD. Pp. xii+129. 2 Maps, 35 Phototypes. Price 2 dollars. Same Publishers.

This somewhat lengthy list of titles has the merit of leaving the reviewer comparatively little to say. Of the three works which Messrs. Clarke and Co. have been good enough to forward to us, the first is considerably the most important. It represents the honest attempt of a scholarly archæologist, whose extensive knowledge of his subject at once inspires him with caution and his reader with confidence, to determine the condition of aboriginal society in the Mississippi Valley in the prehistoric period represented by the ancient monuments and remains discovered in Tennessee and the adjacent States. The genuineness of the new and original specimens presented--many of them from a cemetery near Nashville, discovered and explored in 1888-is guaranteed by the writer; and, as regards the

entire subject, it may be added that he appears to have no theory to advocate, but mainly to have endeavoured to state facts. The book, however the illustrations as well as the letterpress-presents unmistakable evidences of intercourse and relationship, more or less intimate, between the aborigines of the Mississippi Valley and the ancient peoples of Mexico and of the pueblo districts. If only for the sake of these illustrations, Mr. Thruston's handsome volume would be worth the attention of all students who are interested in American archæology; but, in addition to these, his well-written series of historical and ethnological sketches will be found amply to repay perusal.

Mr.

The two other works, though of some value, may be more briefly noticed. Shepherd's book is reprinted from his History of Ohio, and indeed contains, in an introductory chapter, a general description of the State, which some of our readers may find serviceable. It must be noted, however, that in the statistical portions it unfortunately is already out of date: that is the penalty of committing oneself to figures in dealing with a country so bent on growing and developing as the United States. But so far as concerns the descriptions of the works of the Mound-Builders, the book, which is written in an easy, popular style, will be found both comprehensive and careful.

Mr. Moorehead's monograph deals with one great earthwork in Warren county, Ohio, overlooking the Little Miami River. It is a structure of considerable interest; certainly a fortified place, and not built for religious purposes-though whether it represents a fortified village site or merely a fort, in which about 35,000 people could take refuge, it is impossible to ascertain. The explorer, who has done his work very carefully, was fortunate in the assistance he received, especially from the farmers on whose lands he worked, and whose corn-fields and pasture-lands he was permitted to excavate to his heart's content. Of one he writes, with justifiable gratitude :-"The stone pavement we uncovered lies under his house, and in his front-yard, yet he made no objections to our digging a large hole in the sod and flower-beds in order that we might examine it." O, si sic omnes! Would that some of the enlightened spirit of the Ohio granger could be transferred into the suspicious souls of the fellahin, for instance!

NEW MAPS.

EUROPE.

EUROPA, Jahreszeitliche Verteilung der Niederschläge in und Nord-Afrika. Von A. Supan. 4 Karten.

Petermann's Geographische Mitteilungen, Jahrgang, 1890, Tafel 21.
Gotha: Justus Perthes.

Sheet 17:

SCOTLAND, Bartholomew's Reduced Ordnance Survey of Aberdeen and Deeside. Sheet 20: Central Ross-shire. For Tourist and Cyclists. Price 1s. each. John Bartholomew & Co., The Edinburgh Geographical Institute, Park Road, Edinburgh.

LONDON, Reduced Ordnance Survey Map of the Environs of - By John Bartholomew, F.R.G.S. Scale, 1: 126,720 or 2 miles to 1 inch. Price 1s.

London: John Walker & Co., Farringdon House, Warwick Lane, E.C. BALTISCHEN SEENPLATTE, Das abflusslose Gebiet und die Wasserscheide auf der - Von Dr. K. Keilhack. Massstab, 1:850,000.

Petermann's Geographische Mitteilungen, Jahrgang 1891, Tafel 4.