be enabled to judge of the apiitude of his own case, to the principles laid down. As the whole community is, in fact, divided into two great classes, of landlords and tenants, a treatise of the character of Mr. Taylor's must prove highly useful to all classes of society, from the large landed proprietor, whose income is derived from his rent, to the humble occupant of a single apartment, who contributes to its payment; while the merchant and mechanic feel an equal interest in all those rights and remedies which relate to the protection and enjoyment of their homes and firesides. On the whole, we consider the work well adapted to popular use.

4. The Useful Arts, considered in connection with the applications of Science. With numerous engravings. By JACOB BIGELOW, M. D., Professor of Materia Medica in Harvard University; author of the Elements of Technology, &c. 2 vols. Boston: Marsh, Capen, Lyon & Webb. 1840.

It is the peculiar feature of the present age, and especially of our own country, that just in proportion as knowledge can be applied to practical purposes, do we deem it valuable. Heretofore, books have been considered the luxury only of a few, comprising that class who possess the most leisure, and without the motive to practical industry furnished by the necessity of exertion. A new era in this respect has begun to be witnessed. The number of practical works illustrating the different arts, in connection with science, has of late years greatly augmented, and we find these works widely diffused among that large class of the community who labor with their hands. Men of the most splendid talents and ripe scholarship have found time, nor have they deemed it a humiliating duty, to give their per sonal aid, by the agency of lectures and the publication of books, to the cause of popular and practical education. Among others eminent in this labor, we might designate the name of Lord Brougham in England, and those of Story, Webster, Everett, Dewey, and Channing, of our own country, who have personally delivered lectures before mercantile and me. chanics' institutions, for the benefit of the working and business classes. The present is within the scope of what may be denominated practical works. It contains an historical account of the condition of ancient art, illustrated by an engraving of a pyramid of Egypt, restored by the French antiquarian, Casas, to its supposed original state, with its porticoes and obelisks, and its avenues of sphinxes and statues. The work embraces the prominent facts connected with the most important useful arts, accompanied by suitable engravings, and we cordially recommend it to the large circle for which it is designed.

5. The Life and Travels of Mungo Park; with the account of his death, from the Journal of Isaaco; the substance of later discoveries relative to his lamented fate, and the termination of the Niger. New York: Harper and Brothers. 1840. 18mo. pp. 248.

The volume before us forms the 105th number of the Family Library. Besides a copious and comprehensive narration of the two expeditions of this celebrated traveller, the reader is furnished with a succinct and interesting account of the labors of subsequent adventurers in the same field, bringing down the subject of African discovery to the most recent period.

NAVIGATION.

THE ANTARCTIC CIRCLE.

The editors of the Journal of Commerce have brought together in the annexed schedule all the various points of east longitude where land has been seen, or appearances of land observed, near the antarctic circle, so far as they have come to their knowledge. A degree of longitude in that latitude measures about 26 miles. Consequently, the whole range from longitude 163 to 40, is over 3000 miles. It seems probable that the eastern antarctic continent extends the greater part of this distance. It is remarkable that the latitude of all these points of discovered land is nearly the same, differing only two or three degrees from 60.

A long range of land seen, called Enderby's Land, 1831 Biscoe.
Several islands seen,

1773 Cook.

THE TRIAL ROCKS IN THE INDIAN OCEAN.

The Trial Rocks were seen in 1835 from the Dutch ship Jacobus, on her way from Europe to Java. They were first seen very near in the night, when the ship was hauled off and hove to until daylight; they were then seen again and passed. The captain of that ship gives the longitude by the chronometer 107 deg. 55 min. E. of Greenwich, latitude 29 deg. 35 min. S. In a short run afterwards to Java Head, it was found that the chronometer was 18 miles too far to the eastward; allowing this error, the longi. tude would be 107 deg. 35 min. E. This is too far east to be in the way of ships which are in the proper track for Java Head, but dangerous to those which are bound through some of the passages of Java.

BRINSMADE'S ISLAND.

Captain Wood, of ship L. C. Richmond, arrived at Port Philip, New South Wales, discovered on the outward bound passage an island, situate in latitude 15 deg. 37 min. south, and longitude 175 deg. 25 min. west. It was a large island, well wooded, and apparently thickly inhabited, as he judged, by the lights seen on shore at night. Captain Wood, not finding it in any of the charts, named it Brinsmade's Island.

INVENTION TO PREVENT SHIP.ROLLING AT SEA.

The Sussex (England) Advertiser has seen a model most ingeniously constructed, which is to prevent the disagreeable effects produced by the rolling of a ship at sea. From the present construction of the "berths" on shipboard, everybody who has taken a voyage must have experienced the evils of the rolling of a vessel when repose is required; and yet, strange to say, no remedy has been thought of, before the present. It certainly appears to us that this plan will obviate the difficulties complained of, the berths being so constructed as always to keep their horizontal position, the equilibrium being the same, whichever way the vessel may be inclined to move, the motion not being perceptible in the slightest degree. The construction of it is on the most simple scale imaginable, the space required being no more than the present berths now occupy, which is a most essential point. In fact, it is the only invention (as regards ease and comfort on shipboard) that has ever been introduced. The inventor of it is Mr. Arthur Guinness, a native of Dublin, who was some few years since employed by the Prussian government as a mechanist.

TYBEE LIGHTS.

The Savannah Georgian says: "We learn from Capt. King, keeper of the lights on Tybee Island, that the Beacon Light, recently lighted on an improved plan by Mr. Lewis, is, in the opinion of the keeper, one and a half times more brilliant than the largest light, although the Beacon Light is composed of but eight lamps, and the larger light of fifteen lamps. We also learn that it is the general opinion among the pilots, that the larger light, unless soon fixed on the same or a similar plan, may deceive the navigators seeking the port of Savannah."

BEACON ON THE WOLF ROCK.

The construction of a beacon on that dangerous rock called the Wolf, situate about seven and a half miles west-southwest of the Land's End of Cornwall, has been completed. It consists of an artificial cone, bearing a mast, having a large ball upon its summit, at an elevation of thirty-six feet above the level of the sea at high water. Spring tides rise at this station 19 feet, and at low water of those tides the rock is uncovered to the height of 15 feet. The bearings and distances of the undermentioned objects from this beacon are as follows, viz:-Longships Lighthouse, NE. northerly 7 miles; Scilly Lighthouse, W. by N. N. 21 miles; Rundlestone Rock, which covers at half flood, E. by N. N. 7 miles; Seven Stones, centre thereof, NW. N. 13 miles; Lizard Lighthouses, SE. by E. E. 23 miles. Masters of vessels and others are hereby cautioned and enjoined not to approach this beacon on any consideration, lest their own safety, as well as the security of the structure, should be thereby unnecessarily endangered.

FLOATING DRY DOCK.

Joseph T. Martin has obtained a patent for a new floating dry dock. It is described by the New York Sun, as being so constructed that it may be sunk with ease so deep in the water as to receive upon it ships and steamboats of the largest class, and may then be raised by means of a very simple and expeditious operation, and is left floating with its burden on the surface. It is built in such a manner that its own buoyancy will bear up the heaviest ships. This buoyancy is overcome for the purpose of sinking the dock low enough to receive the vessel by means of end floats, which are filled with water. When this is accomplished, the water is easily discharged from the floats, and the dock instantly rises. The work of building a dock upon this plan has already been commenced.

STATISTICS OF THE FUR TRADE.

In illustration of the article on the "American Fur Trade" in our present number, we here subjoin the product of the fur trade of the Hudson's Bay Company for four years, commencing with Dec. 1834. For this table we are indebted to the valuable work of Hugh Murray, Esq., recently republished in this country by the Harpers, and entitled "An Historical and Descriptive Account of British America,” etc.

SKINS OF THE HUDSON'S BAY COMPANY EXPOSED FOR SALE.

York Fort,....... 30,658 21,759 8,778
Moose Fort,..... 35,734 36,710 9,659
Canada,..
6,896 1,021 366
Columbia, about 25,000 5,000 3,500
98,288 64,490 22,303 1,066

803 6,977 369,266 4846 386 261 1,594 255,369 1537 105

2

5,882 9,875 4 28
34 224
500 5,000 600 100 150

9 20

41

1

8,871 649,092 7451 491 5296 14,255 25,100 8484 1571 1069 7918

713

1835.

York Fort,......

38,786 85,658 8,744 1,746 21,790 695,624 5656 Moose Fort,..... 17,191 46,856 4,390 155

632

97,925 779

Canada,.....

6,950 14,654 1,300 36

139

27,000 328

236 82 1,423

21

102

Columbia, about 20,000 9,000 1,500

210

300

82,927 156,168 15,934 2,147 22,861 838,549 7563

6115 31,887 27,750 7031 2166| 754 6600

The company also imported beaver-coat to the amount, in the last year, of 304 lbs.; castorum, 2788 lbs.; isinglass, 2684 lbs.; seahorse teeth, 461 lbs.; bed-feathers, 16,641 lbs. ; goose and swan quills, 1,259,000; oil, 26 tuns.

*Ships not arrived this year.

UNITED STATES TARIFF.

TARIFF OF DUTIES FOR 1840.

Extract from an Act to modify the Act of July 14, 1832, relating to Duties. Be it Enacted, &c. That from and after the 31st of December, 1833, in all cases where duties are imposed on foreign imports by the act of the 14th of July, 1832, entitled, “ An Act to alter and amend the several acts imposing duties on imports," or by any other act, shall exceed 20 per ct. on the value thereof, one tenth part of such excess shall be deducted; from and after the 31st of December, 1835, another tenth part thereof shall be deducted; from and after the 31st of December, 1837, another tenth part thereof shall be deducted; from and after the 31st of December, 1839, another tenth part thereof shall be deducted; and from and after the 31st of December, 1841, one half of the residue of such excess shall be deducted; and from and after the 30th of June, 1842, the other half thereof shall be deducted.