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ditions of men each a specialist in his own particular department of science; and if it is found that doctors disagree on points of detail, it is claimed that an examination of their views will have the beneficial effect of making the student think for himself instead of merely taking what is written for granted. The mere learning machine, who is frequently devoid of powers of clear exposition, probably exists in every country, but he is not the kind of man to be encouraged. This volume consists of articles on science, by Emile Picard; pure mathematics, by Jules Tannéry; mechanics, by P. Painlevé; general physics, by H. Bouasse; chemistry, by A. Job; morphology, by A. Giard; physiology, by F. Le Dantec; medical sciences, by Pierre Delbet; psychology, by Th. Ribot; sociology and social science, by E. Durkheim; morale, by L. Lévy Bruhl; and history, by G. Monod, all under the editorship of Dr. P. F. Thomas.

(4) Prof. Volkmann's pamphlet is an address delivered at the graduation ceremony of the Albertus University on January 18. It deals with the materialistic philosophy of the nineteenth century, with phenomenology and monism, and with the idealism of Kant, whose connection with the university in question is too well known to require mention.

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(5) Dr. Naber deals in a pleasant and chatty way with many points in the history of Greek and Egyptian geometry. The discussion is in no way confined to the proposition now more generally known as "One Forty-Seven," which forms the title of the book, but we have sections dealing with "Pi" and its supposed value 10, with spirals and limaçons and their applications to angle-trisection and cube-duplication, with the history of the "Golden " or median section, and finally with the "pentalpha," or pentagonal star, and the dodecahedron. "Spirals in nature and in art' receive considerable attention, and are illustrated by numerous figures. It would be impossible to dwell at length on the historic side of the book. If it has one fault, that fault is a certain diffuseness and lack of definiteness. By this we mean that in some places it is not very certain what conclusions the author is seeking to prove. But possibly that is because the author is endeavouring to give a general idea of what mathematical thought was like in the Pythagorean times, and to do this he reasons largely from conjecture where historic evidence is wanting. He cannot certainly be accused of being long-winded, his sections being very short and concise, and his language terse. (6) "To save appearances " (σωζειν τα φαινόμενα or to account for observed facts was the object of Greek philosophy, which forms the motto of Prof. Duhem's book. Not less is it the object of the modern physicist. In tracing the development of physics from the time of Plato to that of Galileo a good many points may be observed which have left their traces on modern physical theory. We notice, in Prof. Duhem's words, that where we now speak of physics, the Greek and Mussulman philosophers and the men of science of the Middle Age spoke of astronomy; that the laws of motion of celestial bodies were studied ages before anyone thought of applying similar methods to terrestrial (or "sublunary ") bodies; that

the first discussions of the phenomena of the material world were metaphysical, and that optics and statics were the earliest subjects to form the basis of mathe. matical theories. We observe with interest the division of physics into two branches, one dealing with celestial and the other with sublunary bodies, of which the first was regarded as infinitely more perfect than the second, and was for this reason wrongly supposed to be only accessible to divine intelligence, while the latter or terrestrial physics was supposed to be summed up in the work of Aristotle. And we reflect that even nowadays the once supposed easier task of "saving the phenomena " of sublunary matter is the one which physicists as a rule shirk. It is true that electricity and not astronomy is the subject now usually under investigation, but in either case the philosopher turns his thoughts to the ether as the seat of the phenomena under investigation, and finds that the hypotheses necessary to "save" these phenomena are greatly simplified owing to the omission of irreversible effects. It is not claimed by Prof. Duhem that his is the first attempt at a history of physics as distinct from mathematics, but as a general account of the subject in a moderate compass it would be difficult to write a better book.

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(7) Prof. Gino Loria's book needs little comment. Its merits can be summed up in a few words. It is a book with which no geometer can afford to dispense. It is a bibliography of geometry classified under such headings as Geometry up to 1850," Algebraic Curves," "Differential Geometry," "Non-Euclidian Geometry, Geometry of Multi-dimensional Space." Every page is filled with references, and the number of papers and memoirs which have been consulted in the preparation of the book must be counted by thousands; indeed, if we mistake not, the mere names

99 66

of authors contained in the index number well into

the four figures. The second edition appeared in 1896, and in this third edition the author has added an appendix of about 120 pages dealing with the the epilogue, the author compares geometry to a progress of geometry during the last ten years. In fertile region the vegetation of which still offers numerous prizes in the form of flowers and fruits to the explorer and cultivator. If this analogy be pursued a little further, the need had arisen for a flora of the new territory, and no better botanist could be found for the purpose than Prof. Gino Loria.

THE FLUIDS OF THE BODY IN HEALTH AND DISEASE.

(1) The Mercers' Company Lectures on the Fluids of the Body. By Prof. Ernest H. Starling, F.R.S. Pp. viii+186. (London: Archibald Constable and Co., Ltd., 1909.) Price 6s. net.

(2) Studies on Immunisation and their Application to the Diagnosis and Treatment of Bacterial Infections. By Sir A. E. Wright, F.R.S. Pp. xv+490. (London: Archibald Constable and Co., Ltd., 1909.) Price 16s. net.

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and in pathological or abnormal

processes. In fact the one is a supplement to the other, and probably neither is able to exert its full activity without the simultaneous cooperation of the other.

organism exists, it tends to be got rid of. The use of bacterial vaccines has been successful or useful in many infections; this is vaccine therapy. The presentday employment of vaccine therapy must in the main be ascribed to the work of Sir Almroth Wright, his co-workers and pupils, and to them all honour is due. At the same time we cannot help thinking that to some extent a balanced perspective is wanting in some of the statements. Thus the condemnations of the antiseptic system, and of the value of surgical extirpation of infective foci, are too wide and sweeping (pp. 280 and 318). The same criticism applies to the remarks on serum therapy (pp. 300 and 321).

Whatever be the failures of serum therapy, we cannot help thinking that neutralisation of the existing "poison" at the moment is a goal to be aimed at, however much we strive to reinforce the defensive powers of the body and render it later able to take care of itself. In very acute infections, such as some forms of septicemia, which may prove fatal in twenty

(1) The first book under review comprises courses of lectures delivered by Prof. Starling at University College under the auspices of the Mercers' Company, at the Bellevue Hospital, New York, under the foundation of Dr. Herter, and at the Royal College of Surgeons. It is written in a simple and attractive style, and gives an admirable description of such subjects as the physical properties of protoplasm, the osmotic relationships of cells, the intake, exchange, absorption, and output of fluids in the body, and the production of lymph (the fluid which bathes the tissues), and the relationship of these normal processes to disease processes, such as dropsy. Many important physical and chemical conceptions, such as osmotic pressure, adsorption, the nature of colloids, surface tension, and the like, are here brought together and explained, and their relation to vital processes is ex-four to forty-eight hours, or in cholera, in which the amined. In the discussions of the connection between normal and pathological processes many suggestions of value to the medical practitioner are made. Thus the regeneration of the constituents of the blood after bleeding is considered to be due to the stimulus of lack of oxygen, and the value of occasional bloodletting is compared to that of a sojourn at high altitudes, the beneficial and recuperative effects of which are well recognised, and it is suggested that the practice of occasional blood-letting may be restored to the position of honour it once held in medical practice.

(2) The second book includes numerous papers contributed by Sir Almroth Wright, his co-workers, and friends to various journals and societies, and deals more or less directly with the problems of immunisation against disease-producing micro-organisms. The first part of the book deals primarily with the protective elements of the blood, agglutinins, bactericidins, and opsonins; in the second part the problem of fighting bacterial infections by those defensive agencies which the organism itself employs when it contends with microbic invasions, is discussed. The formation of a book by a collection of separate papers, collated together though they be to some extent by numerous foot-notes, necessarily leads to a certain amount of repetition, and to a somewhat irritating use of crossreferences. Nevertheless, all workers in this field of

patient may be dead in a few hours after the commencement of the attack, the direct neutralisation of the "poison" would seem to be the only treatment that affords hope of success. The comparative failure of serum therapy should therefore be a stimulus to the elaboration of new methods of preparation of therapeutic serums rather than an argument for considering serum therapy futile.

TEXT-BOOKS OF PHYSICS.

(1) Heat and other Forces. By Colonel W. F.
Badgley.
Part i.: "Heat "; part ii.: “Physical
Forces." Pp. 221+ vi. (London: King, Sell and
Olding, Ltd., 1907.) Price 5s. net.

By

(2) An Elementary Course in Practical Science.
C. Foxcraft and T. Samuel. Part i. Pp. 48.
Part ii. Pp. 58. (London: G. Philip and Son, Ltd.,
n.d.) Price 6d. net each.

(3) Horbare, Sichtbare, Elektrische und
Strahlen. By Dr. Friedrich Neesen.
(Leipzig: Quelle and Meyer, 1909.)
marks.

Rontgen

Pp. 132. Price 1.25

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research cannot but be grateful to Sir Almroth Wright (1) COLO

for thus bringing together and rendering accessible a number of scattered papers.

Opsonins and vaccine therapy necessarily occupy a prominent place. Opsonins are substances present in the blood which act upon invading microbes, and render these susceptible to phagocytosis, that is, to ingestion by certain amoeboid, wandering, and other cells, which brings about their destruction. By the injection of a certain quantum of a killed bacterial culture the production of opsonins specific for the particular organism injected tends to be increased; phagocytosis of the organism in question therefore is also rendered more active, and if an infection with the

COLONEL BADGLEY'S book is an extraordinary production. The contents might be guessed from the title, which implies that heat is a force. The author has evidently read a great deal of current scientific work, to which he frequently refers, but has not the exact knowledge necessary for writing on the subject. Indeed, he suggests that the differences between work, energy, power, force, and motion are only mythical, and that the terms are really interchangeable. Typical, also, is the statement that "the heat given off by the spontaneous decomposition of radium is, perhaps, about a degree and a half centigrade." The preface is very cynical. It is questioned whether men of science believe in one

another's discoveries, and hinted that few of the latter are worthy of acceptance. The main object of the book is said to be to try to prove that "heat is not a vibration of material, not even of aether," but we search in vain for a clear alternative definition. It is a difficult book to follow because of the entire lack of order. The whole is an intricate mixture of simple experimental facts, quotations from books on many subjects, some of which are very remotely connected with heat, and a large amount of astounding new theory. Most of the ordinary phenomena in heat are dealt with, and a chapter in defence of the British systems of measurement is included. We can neither recommend the book to beginners-for it would confuse them-nor to those conversant with the subjectfor it would waste their time.

(2) The two little books on practical science are for use in elementary schools, and the authors claim that the scheme has already been thoroughly tested with success. Part i. consists of a series of exercises in

nor the methods of measuring the velocity of light. These are surely not out of place even in an elementary text-book. In reading this part alone it is noticeable that the undulatory theory is not sufficiently insisted upon, but this is compensated for by the fact that the laws of refraction and reflection are proved according to this theory in the volume on sound. On the whole, however, the books are distinctly good, and the large number of experiments suggested will no doubt serve to demonstrate the principles involved.

VOLUMETRIC CHEMICAL ANALYSIS.

A Manual of Volumetric Analysis. For the Use cl
Pharmacists, Sanitary and Food Chemists, as well
as for Students in these Branches. By Dr. H. W.
Schimpf. Fifth edition, revised and enlarged. Pp.
XX+725 (New York: John Wiley and Sons;
London: Chapman and Hall, Ltd., 1909.) Price

21S. net.

measurements of length, area, volume, weight, and THE plan of this work is as follows:-First, the

density. Part ii. contains rather more advanced exercises on the same subjects, together with some on atmospheric pressure and heat, and a suggested course of woodwork. The exercises do not consist of detailed instructions of what to do and expect, but require some initiative on the part of the student. This is, indeed, the intention of the authors, who hold the view that the pupil should discover facts for himself. Thus, some of the exercises simply consist of a series of questions to be answered by making experiments. The books, although cheap, are clearly printed, and will probably be found to serve their purpose.

general principles of volumetric chemical analysis are explained and illustrated. Next, the knowledge thus gained is applied to practice-work upon the commoner inorganic elements and their chief compounds, and upon certain organic acids. Finally, two branches of specialised work are taken upnamely, the analysis of various food-stuffs and pharmaceutical products-and the book concludes with a few examples of gasometric analysis applied to articles met with in pharmacy and medicine.

The treatment is generally fairly exhaustive, and the descriptions lucid. Often, indeed, the author gives almost a superabundance of detail in explaining the principles of the methods used. For example, he supplies not only the equations involved, but frequently the arithmetic as well. In the early part of the book he appears to have in mind the very elementary student, and is at some pains to explain such matters as the law of definite proportions. This seems hardly

(3) Dr. Neesen has undertaken a difficult task in dealing with such a large subject in so small a volume. Nevertheless, most of the phenomena proper to the various subjects are referred to, although briefly. With a few exceptions, the book is non-mathematical, and deals rather with the experimental side. The reader, therefore, has no need of an advanced know-necessary in a book of this character. Knowledge of ledge of physics, and it is doubtless advantageous the elementary principles on the part of the student for such to study the different kinds of wave motion might well be taken for granted. In fact, the auther together. Besides the subjects mentioned in the title, is scarcely consistent; a page or two later on we find there are several paragraphs on radioactivity, in which ourselves talking of univalent and divalent compounds. the properties of the a, 8, and y rays are dealt with. monobasic and dibasic acids, without previous exMany of the diagrams are poorly drawn and printed.planation of the terms. A reader who knows what This is particularly unfortunate in a book dealing with they mean would not be likely to want an exposition wave motion and geometrical optics.

(4) Quite otherwise in this respect are the two textbooks of physics by Dr. Stewart. That on sound especially should supply the much-felt need of an elementary treatment of that subject. Exception may be taken to the definition of simple harmonic motion as the projection on a diameter of the uniform circular motion of a point, because it leads students to believe in the existence of such a point in all cases of simple harmonic motion. It is rather surprising, also, to find Doppler's principle and the production of beats not referred to, especially as the latter is so commonly used as a method of estimating frequencies. Omissions are the chief fault in these volumes, and they are even more frequent in the part on light. There is no treatment of microscopes and telescopes,

of the law of definite proportions.

A very useful description of the properties of indicators is contained in the fourth chapter. The reactions involved are dealt with mainly as ionisation phenomena, but a brief explanation is given of the chromophoric theory also.

The special feature of the volume, however, is the amount of attention devoted to the assaying of pharmaceutical preparations, particularly alkaloidal drugs. No fewer than a hundred and fourteen pages are taken up with these, and the sections appear to have been brought well abreast of modern practice. One division treats of the general volumetric estimation of alkaloids, explaining the principles, and describing some of the newer methods, as well as those which are older and better known. Afterwards comes a

chapter dealing with the extraction of alkaloids froni the various crude drugs-seeds, leaves, roots-in which they occur, and the determination of the proportion present. This is followed by sections which treat of the individual drugs and the galenical preparations containing them. The alkaloids of gelsemium, hyoscyamus, stramonium, coca, colchicum, conium, hydrastis, ipecacuanha, physostigma, pilocarpus, tobacco, strophanthus, and veratrum are included, as well as the commoner alkaloids, and this part of the work should be a boon to chemists or students interested in the examination of these products.

The space allotted to the analysis of water and food-stuffs does not allow of the articles being discussed at any length. Milk, butter, oils and fats, starch, and sugar are dealt with, and the outlines of principles and processes given are trustworthy as far as they go.

For the sake of the numerous references which the author supplies, one can readily forgive him his occasional lapses into slipshod English. The book contains a wealth of information, and considered as a whole is an excellent production. C. S.

OUR BOOK SHELF.

Geologischer Führer durch Dalmatien. By Dr. R. Schubert. Pp. xxiv+176. (Berlin: Borntraeger, 1909.) Price 5.60 marks. THERE are few portions of the map of Europe more attractive to the eye of the geographer and the geologist than the coast of the northern Adriatic. On the one hand we have the coast of deposition, starting from the Apennine foothills north of Pesaro, and more and more emphasised in the swampy flats of Ravenna and Venice, until we reach the jungle-like woods of

Monfalcone. Beyond this we come against steeply descending limestone hills, with a "karst" character already manifest. The blue water at Trieste speaks of the coast of subsidence that stretches to the southeast, with chains of islands parallel with the tectonic features of the land.

Dr. Schubert sums up the geological features of Dalmatia in a work intended for the instructed traveller. Cretaceous limestones play a large part in the country, but are concealed over much of the north by fresh-water and marine Eocene strata. The marine limestones of Middle Eocene age are here overlapped

con

by the brackish-water marls and fluviatile glomerates of the Promina series, which were laid down in Upper Eocene, and possibly finally in Oligocene, times, after a general uplift of the area (p. xvii). The Eocene sea itself had represented a return to marine conditions after a terrestrial and lagoon stage which closed the local Cretaceous system. The folding from north-east to south-west, which has determined the salient features of modern Dalmatia, took place in Oligocene times (p. 173).

While the corresponding depression of the Adriatic may have begun, through the production of faults, soon after the Oligocene period, the sea did not invade the northern part of its present basin until what we may call human times. The Po and its tributaries, dependent on the growth of the Alpine chain, carried detritus across this area, and the sinking that has separated the alluvial Italian region from the rocky shore of Istria began in the Glacial and continued into the Roman epoch. The chains of islands off the Dalmatian coast have thus a very modern origin.

Dr. Schubert guides the traveller on a series of excursions, with useful notes as to the accommodation on the way. He wisely points out that a knowledge of either Italian or Croatian, preferably the latter, is essential for those who go beyond the tourist routes. The price of his compact volume, with its numerous references to other literature, will not seem high, when one considers how long it will be before any large number of visitors will venture far from the comfortable steamers on the coast. The desire for luxury during travel fortunately leaves many European districts, like Dalmatia, free for those who prefer to study and observe at their own leisure. G. A. J. C.

Entwickelung und Untergang des Kopernikanischen Weltsystems bei den Alten. By O. T. Schulz. Pp. 143. (Stuttgart, Verlag: Neue Weltanschauung, 1909.)

THIS essay is the first of a series entitled "Weltanschauungs-Fragen." It deals with the ideas of the Greeks about the construction of the world, but, notwithstanding the title, the standpoint of the author is that of an historian of geography, and not that of an historian of astronomy. He is evidently quite at home when sketching the gradual rise of geographical knowledge and illustrating it by maps. But when he comes to the astronomical part of his subject he has apparently only Zeller's Philosophie der Griechen" and Schiaparelli's memoir on the precursors of Copernicus to build on, while Schiaparelli's later paper on the very subject indicated by the title of the present essay, as well as the writings of Tannery, Hultsch, and others, are unknown to him.

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The author makes no attempt to point out how Aristarchus may have been led to the idea of the earth's motion round the sun, and tells the reader nothing about the systems of movable excentrics or epicycles. He states that Aristarchus at first believed in the motion of the sun round the earth, and that

he says so in his little book on the distances of the

sun and moon. But there is not a word in this book as to whether the sun or the earth is in motion. As regards the failure of the heliocentric idea to secure acceptance, the only reason given by the author is that Hipparchus considered it not to be based on sufficiently lengthy observations. We cannot imagine where the author got this piece of information from, as there is no allusion to the system of Aristarchus in the preserved writings of Hipparchus and Ptolemy. What Hipparchus did say was that he did not himself possess sufficient observations to work out the theory of the orbital inequalities of the five planets. But these have nothing to do with the motion of the earth. The author adds that there is nɔ original research in the Almagest!

When dealing with the views of Plato, the author repeats the statements current sixty years ago about Plato's doctrine respecting the rotation of the earth and about his change of opinion in his old age as to which body was in the centre of the world. One cannot help wondering whether it really is of any use to try to kill historical errors. They seem to be immortal. At least, popular writers on the history of science are generally not aware that they are dead and buried long ago. J. L. E. D.

Excursionsbuch zum Studium der Vögelstimmen. By Prof. Voigt. Pp. 326. (Leipzig: Quelle und Meyer, n.d.) Price 3 marks.

THIS is the fifth edition of an excellent manual of the songs and other notes of birds, suitable for carrying in the pocket during walks and excursions. As a matter of fact, it is better for the learner to find out for himself

what bird it is to the voice of which he is listening, for in the process, even if it be a long one, he will learn a good deal about the bird and its habits. But some learners are less gifted than others with a capacity for listening carefully, and have little or no musical ear, and a book like this may be of good service to these. Dr. Voigt's method is a very sensible one; he makes no great use of musical notation, but has invented a notation of his own which is likely to be much more useful to the ordinary observer. By a series of dots and dashes, inclining or curving up or down if necessary, he contrives to give a very fair idea of the character of the notes he wishes to represent, and also of their tendency to rise and fall. In some cases, e.g. in that of the swallow, he does not make use of either kind of notation, simply because neither would be any real help. His descriptions of the songs seem remarkably accurate. We have tested them in the case of many of the small warblers, which are among the most difficult to describe, and have invariably found them excellent, and the tendency of particular individuals of a species to vary the utterance is also duly noted. Thus of the marsh warbler (Acrocephalus palustris), Dr. Voigt says that it has troubled him more in the way of variation than any other species. In writing of this species he seems to have omitted the peculiar alarm-note uttered when an intruder is near the nest, but as a rule something is said of alarmand call-notes. On the whole, we consider this book the most useful practical manual we have met. W. W. F.

The Force of the Wind. By Prof. Herbert Chatley; Pp. viii+83; illustrated. (London: C. Griffin and Co., Ltd., 1909.) Price 3s. net. PROF. CHATLEY has evidently devoted himself to a study of hydrodynamics and of its literature. He has attempted to boil down into an inordinately small compass, so as to be useful to engineers, an exposition of one of the most difficult and elusive subjects with which either the engineer or the mathematician has to deal. Explanation of principles which might be useful to a novice is replaced by a multiplicity of formulæ, which are flung at the reader with but little regard to dimensions or units. Numerical examples which, even in the case of clear exposition, always assist the student who wishes to apply a formula to any case in which he is interested are entirely absent. Much information is collected, and numerous authorities are cited, but the result can hardly be considered satisfactory.

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where is the distance from the centre of pressure on a tail plane to the Cg, H, is the kinetic head of the machine corresponding to its normal velocity, is the normal gliding angle, I is the moment of inertia about a transweight verse axis through the Cg, K=; and the (normal velocity)" denominator of the second term in the expression within brackets is the lift on the tail plane (ft.-lbs. -sec.-units) divided by the square of the velocity.

Now the mass varies as the lifting force, which again varies as the square of the velocity, so that P2 H. The torque which restores the machine to equilibrium depends in the case of a machine without a tail plane on b, and with a tail plane on 1, so that if Lanchester's form is to refer to a machine without a tail plane b must be substituted for 1.

B and I are identical in kind.

K varies as the lift square of the normal velocity, and since the lift varies as the product of the area and the square of the velocity, K∞ S.

The term relating to the tail plane is peculiar to that type studied by Lanchester, so that it can be omitted from our comparison.

Tan is a constant for any one type of surface.

Hence it will be seen that the two formulæ are exactly

of the same form, and it only remains exactly to determine the appropriate constants to discover if the two expressions can be made identical.

As has been pointed out by Prof. Bryan, everything (except for a machine with a tail) depends on b, and unless db/da, where a is the angle of attack, is negative, the torque will not produce equilibrium. The Government's committee is, I believe, giving this attention.

I would further point out that the variations in velocity oscillations due to the variation of b with a, will serve to leading to Lanchester's "phugoid oscillations," and the explain the two types of oscillation, respectively of long and short periods, observed by Prof. Bryan and Mr. W. E. Williams, and shown by the former to be deducible from the equations of motion. HERBERT CHATLEY. Imperial Railways of North China, Engineering and Mining College, August 24.

IT is dangerous to draw conclusions from halffinished investigations, and anything I may now say must be subject to confirmation or modification when I have completely disposed of the mathematical theory of stability, both longitudinal and lateral, as I hope to do in a very few months unless any further pressure of professorial duties necessitates again hanging the matter up indefinitely. But results which I have recently obtained seem rather to corroborate instead of contradicting Lanchester's equation as holding good, subject to suitable assumptions and for the types of machine to which such a formula is applicable. I may state that I have already obtained expressions for the conditions that the quick or slow small motions may be subsident or oscillatory, and for their coefficients of subsidence in the first case and their periods and moduli of decay in the second. This applies to longitudinal stability, and a similar investigation is in progress regarding lateral stability.

It will, I believe, be easy to explain also why Lanchester's method, which to a mathematician certainly appears wanting in rigour, may lead to a correct result. But the matter will, I hope, be cleared up very shortly.

In the meanwhile, Prof. Chatley's comparative studies appear to indicate that we are within measurable distance of obtaining consistent results from widely differing methods.

G. II. BRYAN.

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