MrscaLeerexous.—The Story of Ice. By William A. Brand. (George Newnes.
is.)—Mr. Brend treats of ice both as it is and as it has been. He explains, that is, the properties of the substance, and describes the forms in which it is commonly seen,—as snow, hail, " ice-sheets " (the huge expanses which cover great parts of Greenland and the like), glaciers, and icebergs. In the story of the past, the Ice Age is the principal subject. In chap. 8 we have a lucid explanation of the prob- able succession of various periods of temperature in geological times. This is followed by descriptions of the Glacial Epoch, as it may be traced in the Old World and in the New, and by a dis- cussion of the causes which brought it about. Here Mr. Brand is constrained to leave us in doubt. The most commonly accepted theory, that of the eccentricity of the earth's orbit, fails to satisfy all the conditions required.—Three brochures on chess may be mentioned together as "British Chess Handbooks" (George Routledge and Sons).—Half Hours with Morphy (Is.), edited by the Rev. E. E. Cunnington, consisting of selections from Dr. Max Lange's Life of the great New Orleans chess-player ; The British Chess Company's Chess Notebook (Is.); and The British Chess Code (1s.), both being new editions.—Master and Servant. By A. H. Graham. (Ward, Lock, and Co. le.)—An exposition of a difficult subject, not a little complicated by recent legislation.—Cities and Sights of Spain, by E. Main (G. Bell and Sons, 5s. net), is a volume which may be called seasonable. Those who are fortunate enough to be able to follow departing summer southwards will find a most serviceable guide in this book. "The Spain of brigand- infested roads, of impossible hotels is the Spain of the past."—Early Christianity Outside the Roman Empire. By F. Crawford Burkitt, M.A. (Cambridge University Press. 2s. 6d.) — This book, containing two lectures delivered at Trinity College. Dublin, is one of no common interest. It is an account of a subject very little known, the Syrian Church which had its headquarters at Edessa, and the chief exponent of its doctrine in Afrahat or Aphraates. Mr. Burkitt sees a strong resemblance between the theology of Aphraates and the " Didaclei." Not the least notable thing is the "Persian Sage's" view of baptism. He would have reserved it for those who followed the ascetic life. Will the next generation see a similar development from the growing severity of the view of post-baptismal sin ? Another most interesting discussion is on the "Acts Thomse."—The Arabic Press of Egypt. By Martin Hartmann. (Luzac and Co. 3s. 6d.) —In Egypt "literary work," says Mr. Hartmann, "is daily on the increase." In this little volume he gives an account of Egyptian journalism, describing it generally, and giving a catalogue raisonne of the newspapers published. Of the Egyptians themselves he has but a poor opinion. "Indolent, frivolous, aimless, changeable, servile" are the epithets which he applies to them. The literary talent in the profession comes from the Syrian element in the country.—A Visit to Witney and Witney Mills. (Hudson and Kearns.)— We unwittingly wronged Witney by speaking of its blanket industry as a thing of the past. We are glad to make the amends by noticing an interesting and handsomely illustrated volume (sent us by Messrs. C. Early and Co.) which describes the town and its staple manufacture. The Early family have been engaged, we are told, in making blankets in Witney for two centuries, an antiquity which gives them precedence not in this manufacture only, but in all carried on in England. It is an interesting fact that the nap of some of the blankets is still raised by the teazle, which so far holds its own against mechanical substitutes.
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