E. MINERALOGY AND GEOLOGY. 115 



E. MINERALOGY AND GEOLOGY. 



RISING OF THE SURFACE OF THE EARTH NEAR THE NORTH 



POLE. 



Mr. Ho worth calls attention to certain changes in the sur- 

 face of, the globe, affecting the ancient ethnography, and en- 

 deavors to show that, at the present time, the area of upheav- 

 al in the northern hemisphere is confined to the land border- 

 ing the polar sea and to the polar sea itself; also that the 

 upheaval is perfectly continuous all round the earth, and is 

 greatest near the pole, gradually diminishing until it disap- 

 pears about the 57th parallel, and leading to the conclusion 

 that the focus of upheaval is the pole itself. This suggestion 

 is supported by citations of various authors as to the differ- 

 ence in the distribution of land and water in the northern 

 countries at an early period and at the present time, illustra- 

 tions being drawn from various parts of Scandinavia, Spitz- 

 bergen, Northern Siberia, etc. In Spitzbergen and the polar 

 sea of Siberia it is said that the water has shallowed so fast 

 as to have excluded the right whale, which formerly was 

 known to abound there; and the occurrence of skeletons of 

 whales high up on the northern shores, of species of shells on 

 considerable elevations similar to those of the adjacent wa- 

 ters, still retaining their color, and many other arguments, 

 are brought forward to prove the probability of the sugges- 

 tion. 12 A, December 28, 1871, 1G2. 



NEW METEORITES FROM GREENLAND. 



We informed our readers some months ago that amono- the 

 special objects of one of the Swedish arctic expeditions was 

 the acquisition of some immense masses of meteoric iron found 

 in the southern part of Greenland. Telegraphic advices from 

 Stockholm announced not long since the return of this expe- 

 dition and the successful accomplishment of its mission, and 

 we now learn by accounts in the foreign journals that numer- 

 ous masses were obtained, the largest weighing about 41,000 

 pounds, with a maximum sectional area of 42 square feet. 

 The second in size weighed about 20,000 pounds, and was 



