The Poetry of Astronomy. By Richard A. Proctor. (Smith, Elder,
and Co.)—The most interesting of the essays in Mr. Proctor's work are those which deal with the age of the Earth, and of other members Of the Solar System. "Man's duration in Time is as utterly minute" as is his domain in Space. This is Mr. Proctor's theme, and he en- larges upon it with abundance of knowledge, which he arrays with his usual skill. That the Moon is an exhausted world, which is no longer fit for the habitation of any creatures of which we can form a conception, is a familiar fact. That the planet Mars is on the way 1 'to the same state, that it is a world in its stage of decline, Mr. Proctor al'gues with ranch force. To dwell in detail on other essays would "quire a scientific knowledge, which the present critic does not pro- ces to have ; but it may be said without hesitation that any iutolli- gent man will find them interesting in the highest degree, and, at the emu) time, quite capable of being appreciated, without special acquaintance with the subject.—Along with this may be mentioned 4 boOk which deals with a kindred topic, though its scope is restricted to the past history of the world on which we live, The History of a Fountain, translated from the French of klie6o Reolus, by Bertha Ness and John Lillie, (Sampson Low and Co.) Among the topics treated of are "The Origin of the Mountain," "Landslips," "Clouds," "Avalanches," "Glaciers," "The Animals of the Mountain," &c., nd the whole forms an interesting and valuable spocirnon of 1 °Polarised science.
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