Page:Science vol. 5.djvu/75

 January 18, 1885.]

��» univenitj, sa it ci^ntalns the onlj complete set o( the WlacoDJio rocks and foaails collected by the State geological survey. The sixth voluioe of the TransaC' tions of the acarteiny is reariy through the press, KDd wit] Btxin be distributed.

— The ' stalely procession ' of quarto volumes issu- ing from the cenaus office has recently keen iucreased by the addition of vols. Ix. aiid i. The former cou- sists of the report of Prof. C. S. Sargent upon the forests of North America (exclusive of Mexico). The six hundred and tnelve pages of the report are divided Into three parts. Fart 1., relating to forest-trees, sketches the general distribution of forests and of arborescent species and genem, while the great bulk of the chapter is devoted to an exhaustive descriptive catalogue of the forest-trees of the region. Part ii. treats of the economic qualities of the principal woods, their specific gravity, fuel value, strength, eic. Part ill. is devoted to the lumber industry, treating incidentally, also, of many minor points connected more or leas directly therewith, such as forest-Qres, the pasturage of woodlands, etc. The maps in the report, of which there are no less than thirty-nine, illuslrate the different degrees of density of the dis~ tribution of woodland, the distribution of merchant- able timber, and the areas deforested, the extent of forest-fires during the census jear, and the character of the fuel used in various parts of the country. The report is accompanied by an atlas of cumbrous sixe, containing thirteen maps uf the United States and of North America, illustrating the distribution uf forests in general, and of a number of genera of forest-irees ; showing the position of forest, prairie, and treeie&s regions, and the natural divisions of the N'ortU-American furests. Vol. x. contains three monographs bound together: 1*, ' On the production, technology, and uses of petroleum and ll^ producia,' by Prof. S. F. Feckham; 2°, 'Ttie manufacture of coke,' by J. D. Weeks; and, 3°, 'Building-stones of the United Stales, and statistics of the quarry indus- try,' by George W. Haves tt al. The report upon petroleum is exceedingly full, comprising three hun- dred and one pages, llluitraled by numerous cuts and maps. It is divided Into three parts, the lirstof which relates to the history of the subject, the geology, geography, and chemistry of petroleum, and contains the statistics of production. The second is devoted m the technology of petroleum, and the third to its product* and uses. The report upon coke (a hundred and fourteen pages) opens with thestatistics of the industry, followed by descriptive matt«r reUl- iog to its extent and imp^jrtance In the United States and In foreign countries, and closes with tlic chein- iitry and technology of the subject. The report is illustrated by numerous cuts. Tbe report upon qnarries and build In g-s tones (four hundred and ton pages) opens with a discussion of general matters pertaining to the subject, followed by chapters upon microscopic structure and chemical composition of bDlidltig-slones, and the methods used in quarrj'lng. Tbe BtatistiCB of the industry follow, accompanied by detailed doscTlpttous of quarry regions. The succeed- ing chapter Is devoted to the extent of s tone-construc-

��tion in the leading cities. In the coune of which is found an admirable article upon sione-cons traction In Sew- York City, by Prof. A. A. Julien. This well- known auiliorjty makes a further contribution to the report in the form of a chapter upon the durabliitj of buildlng-itones in New-York City. The work is Illustrated with eighteen heliotype plates from micro- scopic photographs of rock-.ilides. and thirty-two chromo- lithographs (by Bien 4 Co.) of polished rock- surfaces. These are among the finest specimens of the llthogRiphic art which have yet been produced In this country.

— The bark Helen Isabel recently arrived at St. John, N.F. While in latitude38°5l'nonh, longitude 39° 55' west, Dec. IS, a terrific earthquake was ex- perienced, lasting flfleen minutes. The submarine roaring was appalling, and the vessel was shaken in every fibre. The weather was calm and fine al the time. This is of interest in connection with the recent eartiii|uakeB In Spain.

— The commander of the British steamship Bul- garian reports that on Dec. 29, in latitude 4 north, longitude Zi° SO* west, at two r.ii., while the sea was smooth and the wind moderate from south and west, he ran through a regular bore. Tbe water l>oile(t and seethed. The surface of the bore was about two feet above the general level of the ocean, and its ex- lent about six miles long and from three to five miles wide, moving to the north-eoat. This Is a very un- usual phenomenon lor such h place.

— In a report by the committee on the lueti'lc sys- tem of weights and measures, of the Boston society uf civil engineers, attention is culled to a number of instances in which the metric system Is now used in this country. A number of makers of surveyors' tapes now graduate them on the metric system, as well as In feet and Inches. About the only case re- ported of the introduction of the system for trade purposes is that of the Minneapolis flour-mtlls, which put up flour in bogs eontwning fifty and a hundred kilos, for export to Europe.

— A Journiil of myr:ology is announced by W. .\. Eellerman of Manhattan, Kan., under the ch.iT^e of J. B. Ellis of Newfleid, N.J., and W. A. Eeller- inan, as editors. It is proposed to make the journal a monthly of from twelve to fifteen pages. It is to be hoped that the undertaking may prove successful ; but it is very doubtful whether there can be need for so special a journal, when we consider that it will be supported solely by American students.

— We have received a copy of an interesting statis- tical pamphlet, "Die stundenptiine fiir gymnasien, realgymnasien und lateinlose realschulen in den be- ds utends ten ataateu Deulachlands, lusammeugestellt vonG.Uhllg"(Heidelbetg, IKinler, 18S4). The tabu- lar views of caL-h group of schools are first separately given 1 summaries compare in tables the number of hours given to each topic in the schools of the vari- ous states of the German empire ; and seventeen closely printed pages of renuilale discuss these statis- tics with great completeness, and yet with great con- deneation. It will be seen that we have here an

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