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D. Appleton & Co. bring out this week a translation from the German Ernst Krause, of a biography of Erasmus Darwin, the grand uncle [sic] of Charles Darwin. The latter writes the preliminary notice, giving information of interest concerning his relative, who was a man of mark in his day, and whose similar bent of mind is shown in his most noted work Zoonomia. This is a poem which puts forth the theory of the development of man from the lower species, afterwards made by the present Darwin peculiarly his own, in his explanation of the method by which it may have come about, through evolution and natural selection, survival of the fittest, etc. The memoir is largely base upon family papers, letters, and upon Erasmus Darwin's own diaries and common-place books. It includes a review of his works and gives a photograph taken from a family portrait, and several woodcuts. It fills a twelvemo of over 200 pages.

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A translation has been made of the interesting essay of Ernst Krause upon "The Scientific works of Erasmus." This, Charles Darwin prefaces with a longer biographic sketch, and it is brought out by D. Appleton & Co., with the title "Life of Erasmus Darwin." Supporters of Heredity find conclusive proof of their theories in the fact that the grandfather, a man of equal note in his day, was the intellectual precursor of the present Darwin in the very field in which he has won his triumphs, nearly all the subjects upon which he has distinguished himself having been described in the works of the earlier scientist. Many of the theories of the older man have since proved mistaken; but he was far ahead of his time, and the bent of his mind was toward investigations similar to those upon which, grouped together, his grandson has built up the theory which bears his name. Erasmus Darwin, besides being an ardent naturalist, took high rank as philosopher, poet, physician, and philanthropist, and had for his friends many eminent men of his time. The biography, which takes us far back as 1731, the date of his birth, contains much that is quaint and charming in old letters, and relative to the customs of the by-gone time. Much curious information concerning his writings, together with numerous extracts, is given in the latter half of the volume, and the book has thus varied claims to consideration.