We shall mention a literary curiosity of the subject, the spurious edition of Francis Baily's celebrated work'( on Life Assurance : the only instance in modern times, we believe, in which a heavy work of algebra and tables has been counterfeited. The genuine work, though never out of reputation, was soon out of print : and such copies as were sold by auction fetched enormous prices. About the year 1350, copies of the work, in appearance, were offered at the assurance offices at less than a quarter of the old auction prices : which were discovered on examination to be spurious. The type, paper, &c., of the genuine work had been imitated almost to the smallest points; but the careful supervision which Bally always gave to details, and the excellent per formance of his printer, could not be imitated. Those who do not know the original edition will immediately detect the spurious edition by an inverted 5 being always used for the letter p. Shabby as the undertaking was, it invaded no copyright : and as no one now much wants Baily's work for the tables, so that it matters less whether these be accurately reprinted or not, it must be granted that the still valuable part of Baily's work has been made more accessible, and therefore more useful. We are of opinion that an edition of the work, with no more than specimens of the tables, and notes, critical, historical, and prospective, would command circulation. 4 The railroads have created a demand for tables of the cubic yards in cuttings, embankments, &c. Of these we select three, of extreme and mean sizes. First, A general sheet-table, &c.; on one side of one sheet, by F. Bashforth, M.A., very efficient for its size. Secondly, Tables for .... earthwork of Railways,' 1847, by C. K. Sibley and W. Rutherford ; a collection of sheets, with flexible cover, small folio. Thirdly, the second edition, Tables for facilitating the calculation of earthwork,' by Sir John Macneill, Dublin, 1846, an 8vo. volume of 368 pages. We describe what we have by us, not knowing what edi tions may now be current, or what other works there may be.
The practice of stereotyping tables is one which should be strongly enforced, if it were not that publishers seem now to be aware of its importance. A second edition derives no authority from the goodness of the first, because the printer, who is; as already observed, as im portant a person as the author in the matter of tables, has again stepped between the latter and the public. In reading the proofs of important tables, it is desirable that three persons should be employed, one to read from the manuscript, the others to watch two separate proofs, without communication with each other, as done in the Nautical Almanac The strictest investigation should take place in the proof which is taken from the stereotype, ordinary pains being taken with the previous proofs. Persons who have to correct the proofs of tables alone should bring the manuscript as near as possible to the proof by folding it conveniently : even if the folds were altered after every two or three lines, so as always to have both manuscript and proof under the eye in one position, it would not give more trouble than would be well repaid. Double figures should be particularly
attended to ; no mistake is so likely to be made, either by the com positor or the reader, as 744 for 774, and the like. This, and mis placing the order of the figures, as 012 for 102, are the things which it is most difficult to avoid. Again, of the two things under examination, manuscript and proof, the more difficult one should be looked at first, for the mind is apt to allow knowledge derived from the more easy to give help in interpreting the more difficult. Thus, if the type be harder to read than the manuscript (a very common thing with thick even-sized numerals), make out the proof first, and then look at the manuscript ; and vice vend. If two readings be given, vary the mode ; the following may for instance be the plan adopted : if the manuscript column contain a, b, c, &c., and the printed column A, 11, C, &c., look at a, compare It With then at B, compare it with 1), then at c, compare it with C, and so on ; the order of inspection being aA, B6, cC, Dd, &c. Some persons examine best by the eye alone, others by the ear also, repeating aloud. Each one must ascertain for himself which practice is best for him ; but whatever it may bo, it should be varied. Alteration of position, motion of the hand or foot occasionally to mark the transitions, change of the tone of repeating, &c., are useful : it is hardly credible, to those who have net tried, how much the perceptions are dulled by the monotonous comparison of one column of figures with another, or how many and how gross errors both eye and ear, when tired, will suffer to pass. Persons who are not much used to this labour might very well proceed as follows. Let them request the printer to make, at his own discretion, a certain number, say three, of mistakes (author-traps) in every page, carefully registering them, but not on the manuscript. The author may then be certain that he ought to detect three mistakes in every page, and will know that he has been careless if he have not that number at least. But at the same time, an author who has not reason for confi dence in himself, may very safely leave good manuscript tables entirely to the printer, if he make the latter understand that he does not intend to correct till all is printed off, and will require every page containing an error to be cancelled. No good printer would now refuse to engage to furnish a facsimile of a manuscript, on the simple condition of being allowed to refer to the author for decision as to any doubtful word or figure in the writing ; and the accuracy with which the first rate London printers turn out their proofs, even where the manu script is criminally bad, is surprising. We have frequently looked at page after page of table-matter more times than wo should otherwise have thought necessary, merely because the total absence of detected error left it an unsettled point whether it was the excellence of the proof, or a temporary suspension of our own quickness of perception, which caused the absence in question.