The Romance of Modern Engin-eel ing. By Archibald Williams. (C.
Arthur Pearson. 5s.)—The engineer certainly seems to be a greater benefactor than the artist, or the poet, or the novelist, and most young people will perhaps agree to this, besides waxing enthusiastic over the solutions of gigantic problems which the courage and determination of a single man have accomplished. Thanks to Mr. Williams, a boy can accompany the engineer in the vicissitudes that befel the Severn Tunnel or the Manchester Ship Canal, or feel the sudden delight at the bold ingenuity of & master mind who cuts the Gordian knot by some simple expedient. A remarkable instance of this was the making of a small part of the Bridgwater Canal movable, so that where the Ship Canal crossed it it could be swung round to allow of vessels passing on the bigger canal. There are other engineering problems which, if not romantic, carry engineering into realms unknown a genera- tion ago. "The Harnessing of Niagara," could it be literally done, would equal the latent power of the entire daily production of coal. Already entire towns are thus lit. Should the Victoria Falls be put in harness, the whole of "darkest Africa" could be lit with electricity. As showing how even great feats, which receive a separate chapter, are only comparatively great, one may observe that the Nile Dam is equalled by the projected Bohio Dam on the Panama Canal. Men of any age will be interested in this volume, which renders easily assimilable and clear the schemes which knit the world closer. Boys, we know, will be fascinated by it. We are ashamed to confess that a "live ring" puzzles us, though had we a certain well-known work of reference at hand, it probably would not.
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