calculus of operations, for the purpose of attaining a natural and philosophical presentation of the subject. Symbolic language has been largely employed; in some cases larger meanings have been given to old words, and new words and symbols have been introduced. Another edition is to contain chapters on the theory of equations, integer analysis, symbolic methods, determinants and groups, probabilities and insurance, and an index will be added.
The Scientific Writings of Joseph Henry. Washington: Published by the Smithsonian Institution. Two vols. Pp. 523, 559.
These volumes comprise the first collection that has been made of Professor Henry's scientific writings. The original papers, having been given to the world from time to time through a period of more than fifty years, and published in widely remote places, are now generally rare, and in many cases nearly inaccessible. Their value, even at this time, as we glance over them in these handsome volumes, might well strike with surprise persons who, recognizing how much advance has been made in research during the last sixty years, would naturally imagine that they were superseded by what has been discovered since they were written. But most of them were in the lead of the science of the time of their production, and some of them, even on subjects now of the most lively investigation, read as if they might have been written to-day. It was a becoming act in the Regents of the Smithsonian Institution to present these writings in the noble shape in which they appear; and we can join with them in the feeling which they express that it seemed to them "that justice to the name and memory of their distinguished Secretary who made the Institution what it is, no less than a due regard to the history of physical science in this country, and the interests of its present votaries, require that these writings should now be collected and made available." The act is all the more graceful, because, as the regents also observe, "it is noteworthy, and indeed is characteristic of their author, that he sedulously abstained from publishing any of his researches of the later period or reproducing any of the earlier ones—very important though he knew them to be—through the inviting channel of the 'Smithsonian Contributions,' or 'Miscellaneous Collections,' or in any way at the expense of the Smithsonian fund." The writings are naturally grouped under two periods: the first, comprising the record of the author's researches from 1824 to 1846, during his professorial career at Albany and Princeton; and the second that of his scientific work from 1817 to 1878, during his directorship of the Smithsonian Institution at Washington. The arrangement of the papers is chronological, except that the series recording the author's observations on the phenomena of sound are, for the sake of equalizing the size of the volumes, removed from their proper position in the second volume to the end of the first volume; and the second volume is made to begin with a continuous presentation of the series of meteorological essays. The publication is made under the direction and supervision of Dr. Asa Gray, the Hon. W. L. Wilson, and Professor S. F. Baird, committee.
Transactions of the Modern Language Association of America. 1884-'85. Vol. I. Baltimore: Published by the Association. Pp. 250: Modern Language Notes. A. Marshall Elliott, Managing Editor. Eight numbers a year. Baltimore. Pp. 48. Price, 15 cents a number.
We have already noticed the formation of the Modern Language Association, and its objects, which may be briefly expressed as to encourage and exalt the study of the modern languages, and to secure to them their equal place of consideration with the ancient languages and other branches of college study. The present volume of its "Transactions," with its eighteen papers on various aspects of the subject, shows how well it is working to its purpose. Two of the papers are mainly literary. A half-dozen of them may be grammatical. Professor Alcée Fortier gives an interesting account of "The French Language in Louisiana and the Negro-French Dialect." The other papers refer more or less directly to practical questions of instruction in modern languages and English literature. Professor W. T. Hewett considers the aims and methods of college instruction in modern
