at 3125, 3800, and 3900 feet, they are equal; and at the highest point they are 1-3 to 1. The Monocotyledons, therefore, increase in proportional numbers as we ascend." The flowering plants are arranged in 74 natural orders, according to the system of Decandolle. The English names are added, also the time of flowering, the type to which they belong, and their range in Britain, both latitudinally and altitudinally. A list of introduced species is appended. Catalogues of ferns, mosses, lichens, fungi, and algae are added, with the localities of the species. In the nomenclature of the mosses, Wilson's "Bryologia Britannica" is followed; in the case of the lichens, Scherer's "Enumeratio Lichenum." To show the interesting information conveyed in this excellent little work, let us take a single example, the common Scotch fir :"Pinus sylvestris, Linn. (Scotch Fir.) "Perennial-Flowers in May and June-Scottish type. Range in Britain, 56° to 59°; 1500 to 2200 feet. "Truly wild examples of this tree are at present only found in the interior of the district; the numerous remains found in peatbogs in many parts where it does not now grow, indicate a more general distribution of it in a former epoch. This remark applies not merely to the lower parts, but also to the higher and more inland localities. The stems of the plant are to be seen in peat-mosses at high altitudes, where such trees cannot grow at the present day. Mr Watson (Cybele Britannica, vol. ii. p. 410) alludes to a trunk with a girth of 8 feet, at 550 yards of elevation in Aberdeenshire, the upper limit of fir woods being at present about 1950 feet, where the trees attain far less size. In 1842 there existed in Mar Forest an example of this tree, measuring in girth at the base 22 feet 4 inches; the age unknown. In the same year I found that some stumps of this species in the forest of Balachbuie, having 120 annual zones, measured 8 feet in circumference at the base; taking such as a standard, the patriarch of the Mar Forest must have been more than 300 years old. The results of numerous observations lead to the conclusion that the rate of growth of this valuable tree continues steadily up to seventy years, diminishing from that period to ninety and upwards. In very aged trees, the annual zones near the outside of the trunk are very thin, and not easily counted. A remarkable distortion of the trunks of the Scotch fir occurs in some localities; the stems present the most fantastic shapes, and the letter S represents a form frequently assumed. Such effect is usually supposed to be produced by the drifting of snow upon the trees when young, and while their stems are still slender and flexible. In the upper parts of Glen Quoich, the numerous dead and bleached stems of the Scotch fir have a very remarkable spiral twist in the wood; it is probable this is owing merely to the continued action of eddy winds upon the trees during their whole life. Such spiral arrangement of the wood is not a natural structure. It has been observed also in the forests of north-eastern Europe, and I believe the same explanation given." Dr Dickie's Flora is a model of what a local list ought to be. The statements are condensed, practical, and useful. Nothing is given but what bears directly on the distribution of the species in the district; and the accurate observations as to their range add very much to the value of the work. We recommend it particularly to all those who visit the alpine districts of Scotland in search of their floral treasures. The Life of William Scoresby, M.A., D.D., F.R.SS. L. & E., London, 1861: T. Nelson and Sons. 8vo, The object of this book, as stated in the preface, is to give a concise history of a man of a singularly active and observant mind, who was ever careful to record and preserve his observations; who in early life enlarged the sphere of his researches by repeated voyages; was the first to make an accurate survey of the east coast of Greenland, and who penetrated further north than any of his contemporaries; who devoted the latter half of his life to the moral instruction and amelioration of his fellow-creatures; a philosopher, whose acute intellect embraced some of the most subtle subjects of physical science; a sincere believer and candid advocate of religious truth; and withal a zealous and indefatigable practical philanthropist. The work is replete with interest and instruction, and is compiled in part from an autobiography left by Dr Scoresby. Dr Scoresby was born on 5th October 1789, and was early initiated in the adventures of a seafaring life by his father, who commanded one of the Whitby ships engaged in the Greenland whale fishing. In his early life, as well as in later years, he prosecuted his studies at the University of Edinburgh, where he became acquainted with Professor Jameson and other scientific friends. He then embraced the calling which his father had long followed, and he made repeated voyages to the Arctic regions. These voyages, although intended for commercial purposes, were also made subservient to science, and led to the publication of a valuable work on the Arctic Regions, which established his scientific reputation, and introduced him to men of the highest eminence, and various scientific societies both at home and abroad. He was an enterprising and bold navigator, and did much to advance our knowledge of Arctic phenomena. His magnetic investigations, and his observations on the waves and currents of the Atlantic, were particularly valuable, and placed him in a high position as a man of science. His final voyage to the northern regions took place in 1823. Subsequently to this he abandoned a sea life, became a candidate for orders in the English Church, and he continued to perform the duties of a clergyman in various parts of England, until his death at Torquay on 21st March 1857. During his ministerial life he made trips to America and Australia for the sake of his health, as well as for the purposes of science. The details of his adventurous and chequered life are given in an interesting manner by his nephew, and they amply reward a diligent perusal. The zeal and earnestness of Dr Scoresby in his Arctic explorations, his scientific research, the discoveries he made and the striking incidents of his sea voyages, are well portrayed; and his Christian labours as an English clergyman are faithfully recorded. We consider the work as a valuable addition to the department of biography. Elements of Agricultural Chemistry. By THOMAS ANDERSON, M.D., Professor of Chemistry in the University of Glasgow, and Chemist to the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland. 12mo, pp. 299. Edin.: A. & C. Black, 1860. The object of the present work, as stated in the preface, is to offer to the farmer a concise outline of the general principles of agricultural chemistry. Its aim is strictly elementary, and unnecessary technicalities have been avoided, so as to bring it within the grasp of the farmer. The author, from the position which he occupies, has acquired a thorough knowledge of the wants of the farmer; and he has accordingly dwelt specially on those departments of the subject which bear more immediately on the everyday practice of agriculture—such as the composition and properties of soils, the nature of manures, and the principles by which their application ought to be governed. After giving a short review of the progress of agricultural chemistry, the author writes: "Notwithstanding all that has recently been done, it must not be forgotten that we have scarcely advanced beyond the threshold, and that it is only by numerous and frequently-repeated experiments that it is possible to arrive at satisfactory results. Agricultural inquiries are liable to peculiar fallacies due to the perturbing influence of climate, season, and many other causes, the individual effect of which can only be eliminated with difficulty; and much error has been introduced by hastily generalising from single experiments, in place of awaiting the results of repeated trials. Hence it is that the progress of scientific agriculture must necessarily be slow and gradual, and is not likely to be marked by any great or startling discoveries. Now that the relations of science to practice are better understood, the extravagant expectations at one time entertained have been abandoned, and, as a necessary consequence, the interest in agricultural chemistry has again increased; and the conviction daily gains ground, that no one who wishes to farm with success can afford to be without some knowledge of the scientific principles of his art." The subjects treated of in the volume are the organic, proximate, and inorganic constituents of plants; the food of plants; the chemical and physical character of the soil, with its improvement; the principles of manuring, and the various kinds of manures; the rotation of crops; and the feeding of farm stock. The farmers in Scotland are proverbially men of high intelligence, and of great practical acumen. They know well the advantages of scientific education, and it is hoped that they will support the efforts which are now being made by the Highland and Agricultural Society to carry out a proper curriculum of study, and an efficient examination for agricultural students. It is important to be able to place in the hands of such students a condensed treatise like the present, drawn up by an able chemist, who is eminently qualified to give correct instruction in reference alike to scientific and practical agriculture. We highly recommend the work. It ought to be in the hands of every student of agriculture, as a safe guide to him in his researches. Flora Adenensis; a Systematic Account, with Descriptions of the Flowering Plants hitherto found at Aden. By THOMAS ANDERSON, M.D., F.L.S., H.M. Bengal Medical Service. Published in the "Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society." Longman and Co. London, 1860. The author of this Flora was distinguished as a zealous student of botany at the University of Edinburgh, and he continued to prosecute the science when he entered the medical service in India. He has contributed valuable papers to the Indian journals; among the rest a Flora of Lucknow. Since his return to Britain, he has been engaged in describing the Indian Acanthacea at Kew, and in publishing the Flora of Aden. He has now returned to India to occupy the position of superintendent of the Botanic Garden at Calcutta. "Much attention has of late years been directed to the military station of Aden, owing to its rapidly increasing importance, both in a political and commercial point of view; and now that it is visited weekly by the large steamers in their course to India, China, and Australia, its name has become as familiar as that of any of our Eastern settlements. From its com manding position at the entrance of the Red Sea, and from its forming an indispensable link in the chain of communication with our Eastern Empire, the importance of the settlement will increase with the development of our Indian possessions. "Aden is a small rocky peninsula, in many features resembling our other stronghold, Gibraltar; and is situated on the southern coast of Arabia, in 12° 47′ N. Lat., and 45° 10′ E. Long. The maritime region called Tehama, of which it is a promontory, is a sandy barren tract from 20 to 100 miles in breadth, extending along the shore of the Red Sea, from a point a little east of Aden the Gulf of Akaba. A mountainous region, of 4000 to 7000 feet in elevation, rises immediately beyond; this, from its height, attracts a considerable portion of the moisture borne from the Indian Ocean by the north-west monsoon; and thus, enjoying a climate favourable to the growth of luxuriant cereals and fruits, it has for ages been called the Happy Arabia. It forms a striking contrast to the sterile Tehama, in the southern portion of which rain but rarely falls, while towards its northern extremity it is quite unknown. The few streams that enter from the mountains of Arabia Felix are speedily lost in its arid sands; cultivation is therefore confined to the vicinity of the few towns and villages, and is dependent on a precarious supply of water from wells. The area of the Aden peninsula is about fifteen miles, its greatest breadth being five miles, and its least three. It is connected with the Arabian coast by a narrow sandy isthmus, covered at high spring-tides; but formerly it was probably an island, since the whole district is of recent origin, being evidently a raised seabeach; as is shown by the remains, twenty-three miles inland, of the ancient seaport of Mooza, formerly frequented by the Phoenicians. The peninsula is entirely composed of volcanic rocks of apparently great age, forming numerous precipitous peaks and narrow ridges, which on the southern and eastern sides rise from the sea in inaccessible cliffs, attaining their greatest elevation, 1775 feet, in the peak 'Jibeel Shumshum.' On the eastern side, and towards the isthmus, is a considerable depression, the crater of the volcano, surrounded on nearly all sides by high walls of rock and cinder. From the serrated ridge Jibeel Shumshum, numerous narrow valleys, shut in by precipices, radiate on all sides towards the sea, in which some end abruptly, while on the northern side others widen out into the limited sea-beach. "The only patches of vegetation occur at the base of these NEW SERIES.-VOL. XIII. NO. II.-APRIL 1861. 2 Q |