The New York herald., 1871-12-03
LIT E r A T q r E.
CRITICISMS OF NEW BOOKS.

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TIE AMERICAN ANNUAL CycLorRDIA AND REGIS
TER IMPORTANT EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1870.
Volume 10. New York: ID. Appleton Co vo.,
nm Nv 7sa with Illustrations and Index OF Sub
jects IRON 1861 10 1870.
This important work OF reference has been
tarded little in its the present year by the
endeavor to incorporate in IL full ana accurate
statistics Of United states Census for 1870
was practicable obtain. 1t has thus been enabled
embrace first Of all, general dictionaries Of refe-
renee the returns OF population Of each State and
Territory with slight exceptionsl by counties
full table OF the population OF los cities and large
Towns, and the figures OF agricultural products for
1869, though the latter statistics are In part
estimates approximations in round numbers,
since the returns OF crops have not yet been tuly
digested by the Census Bureau. The present vol
ume makes the tenth regular annual issue or this
nseful and. we may fairly add Indispensable, work.
IL was commenced In 1861, as supplement TO the
sixteen volumes OF the New American CYCLIC
padia," issued by the publishers. The Old
sAmerican Almanac on which we used 10 be de-
pendent for the Class OF facts and Information
as herein found, was discontinued with tne year
1861. after thirty years continuous existence. We
had no other almanac OF national Importance until
1868, when George W. Childs printed highly
useful and very comprehensive volume styled
"Ihe National Almanac" which. however.
was discontinued with the issue for the iol-
lowing year. 1864. From that time to this
there has been publication OF any compre-
hensive annual handbook OF facts in this country,
save SINGLE issue, for the year 1862 OF The Amerl-
can Year Book large and carefully edited vol
ume from Hartford press. The successive failure
discontinuance OF all these manuals OF reference
although much TO be regretted, as evinclng dis
couragng lack OF patronage for statistical works OF
high class has left the field entirely clear for the
hul cnmu
lencies Of the annual Cycopadiar are neither few
nor small Its necroogy, OF obituary notices OF
notable persons deceased within the year, are full
and accurate. It's sketches OF the progress Of science
and the arts, while not complete comprehensive
as those OF the Annual OF Scientific Discovery
embrace the more important advances in natural
science and the arts generally. It's fun notices OF
lhe literary product or each year. especially OF
American publications, discriminating and
highly useful and suggestive. lis records OF ecc!e
siastical movements are very full. There is some
deficiency In the attention given TO social ana re-
form movements, strikes, cooperative associations
kc., but this may be improved hereafter Its
chronicle or political events fuli and for the
eventfu year Of 1870, which changed the lace OF
Europe, we commend 1t as the most comprehensive
and instructive history, a moderate compass,
which has yet appeared Its articles on our ma
fionai government have always been extremely
legislation, finances, measures toward recon-
structing the Union, &C., with the great
movements OF parties aud the votes In Con.
gress and in political conventions thereupon. II
The index to the work were well done II should
be there would be very much more OF praise to be
gwen But the plan OF the present volume, Of all
that have preceded it, goes upon the mistaken prin.
ciple that all that can be expected OF an index to
reproduce the heading Of the cycopadia itself, with
or ,ha
artacle. The result is tnat have, not an Alpha
betical list but mere table OF contents. We look
IN vain IN either index Tor such heads as Alaska
'DaKOta, T" montana" and 'New Mexico;" but II
We search long enough we shall find special infor-
nation respecting each under the head Territories
OF the United Statesr The word 'Canadan is no.
where TO be found Ia the index, but instead have
the new-fanged Fictitious designation OF "Domin-
ion Of Canada which nobody viii learn to look for
Tor years, without even a cross-reerence from the
other and still universally used designation. The
Ecumenica Council, one OF the great events OF the
year 1870 is TO be found under neither OF the heads
sEcumenical," Vatican" "Rome" nor Council,
but is under the very general heading "Roman
Catholic Church, In like manner the Vatican
Councils "Dogmatlc Decree on Catholic Faith,'
fling with the translation, fourteen closely printed
columns, Is hidden away In this lndex-where does
the reader suppose s-under the extraordinary title
dents message, taught by long experience, under
that much-aDused heading; but the Council OF the
varcau-'Pub. poc.r indeed This reminds us
that we once knew gentleman OF
nigh intelligence and no mean skill iu
Index hunting who searched through the
whole OF the volumes OF this annual Cyclopadia,"
from 1854 to the last year, TO fno the famous Popes
Encyclca Of 1894 but IN vain. All usual or |
probable headings were tried-"Pius IX.," s'Ency-
.
Catholic Churchn-but In vain. 1t last found
at full length in the proper volume or 1864, but the
sole reference to 1t in the index under that
same absurd and nusory head, "Pubc Docu.
ments.u
In the present volume we md information respect
ing Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica and Gnate-
mala neither OF these republics 10 pe found I'm
the index, and the sole clue to them Is under the
head which would occur to nobody, OF "Central
America" We seek Tor knowledge concerning the
Mormon community In 1870, the population OF Utah
and the action Of the Mormons upon the unfriendly
legislation" OF Congress OF that year. We turn to
index for 'Utah,n btH 1t Is there for sMor.
monism,' but there no such word; and finally
after q baflied search OF some minutes, we find
the wishedfor facts sandwiched away In the index
under the head OF Territories In looking for the
Piegan massacre called, OF 1870, find no trace
oft in the index; but under the unexpected heading
Army OF the United States" we find It duly re.
corded.
Now an index to a work OF this magnitude, II 1t
Ia worth doing at ALL Is worth doing well. An In.
dex prepared on the synthetic conglomerate plan
~ clear only TO the OF 1t, while 1t Is sore
bother TO everybody else Reverse the method give
us an analytic index in copious alphabet In which
every topic treated in the body Of the work appears
its place IN the alphabet, win the page or
pages which the facts aoout 1t found, and we
should nave u key TO this bulky volume which would
more than double its utility. We speak feengly on
tns subject, since there is class OF readers or
writers whose need for such works more frequent
whose time is more valuable than those con.
Dected with the daily press. The work Is well
printed In clear and comfortable type, and the gen.