Critical Notices [pp. 242-280]

1852.1 Critical Notices. 275
C~arke's ~leven Weeks in Europe. (Ticknor.) A volume that
shows not only how much may be seen in eleven weeks, spent in
Europe, but at how small a cost in money. The author gave four
weeks to England, two weeks to France, three weeks to Switzerland,
one week on the Rhine, and one in Belgium; saw everything usually
looked after in those regions; and, including his outward and homeward bound voyages, in packet and steamship, spent but six hundred dollars. Let us add that lie was a strictly observant traveller,
and that these pages afford a very agreeable picture of the sights
lie enjoyed in the Old World.
~orris's Hand-Book for Locomotive Engineers and Afachinists;
comprising the proportions and calculations for constructing locomotives, manner of setting valves, tables of squares, cubes, areas,
etc. By SEPTIMUS Nonnis, Civil and Mechanical Engineer. Phila.:
lIenry Carey Baird. 1852. An original American work, by an
engineer of great reputation. A duodecimo of 300 pages, well
printed, and with numerous plans, drawings, diagrams, etc.
Building and Loam Associations. (Walker & James.) We
conf~ss that there is still some mystery to us, in the scheme of these
Building and Loan Associations, which none of the works on the
subject, so far as we liave seen them, has enabled us to fathom.
We are lialf inclined to rank them with the thousand beautiful
bubbles which have taken possession of the liuman fancy, at the
grievous charge of men's pockets, and, while pleasantly exercising
the wits of the few, have addled the wisdom of the many. We
suppose that the true solution of the problem can only be arrived
at when some one of these associations winds up its affairs, leaving
certain of the members in possession of fine Gothic cottages, and
the rest rioting in thirty per cent. profits on their shares.
Bronchitis and Kindred I)iseases. (Redfield.) By Dr. W. W.
llALL, of New-York. The volume before us is the seventh edition.
This speaks well for its popularity. It is dedicated specially to
public speakers and to clergymen, and, as these pretty nearly include the whole population of the country, the audience challenged
is sufficiently large. Th0 author states that his opinions are the
result of many years' observation and experience, in this and Euro.
pean countries, exclusively devoted to diseases of the throat. But,
as it is notorious that these diseases are confined exclusively to bad
speakers and bad preachers, it might be well to counsel them simply to avoid the practice which diseases the throat; a practice which,
at the s~me time, generally pnins the ears of their audiences.