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THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



The Motions of Fluids and Solids on the 

 Earth's Surface. By Professor Will- 

 iam Ferrel. .Reprinted, with Notes, by 

 Frank Waldo. Washington: Govern- 

 ment Printing-Office. Pp. 51. 



This essay, the first and most important 

 of the valuable mathematical essays of Pro- 

 fessor Ferrel on the motions of the atmos- 

 phere, is reprinted as the first part of a 

 paper, the object of which is to place in the 

 hands of the investigator and student the 

 important writings on the subject, elucidated 

 with notes. It is to be followed by a sec- 

 ond part, including the writings of several 

 European mathematicians, who have en- 

 gaged in the study. 



Meteorological and Physical Observa- 

 tions on the East Coast of British 

 North America. By Orray Taft Sher- 

 man. Washington: Government Print- 

 ing-Office. Pp. 202. 



This volume contains the observations 

 and deductions made by the meteorologist 

 of the scientific party of the schooner Flor- 

 ence, which spent the winter of 1877 "78 

 in Cumberland Sound, latitude from 64-50 

 to 67, and completes the scientific record 

 of the expedition. The observations relate 

 to tidal phenomena, temperature, hygrome- 

 try, the winds, atmospheric pressure, the 

 weather, and the color of the sky, cloudi- 

 ness, precipitation, and auroral phenomena. 



Annual Report of the Operations of the 

 United States Life-saving Service, for 

 the Fiscal Year ending June 30, 1882. 

 Washington: Government Printing-Of- 

 fice. Pp. 50-4. 



The report well illustrates the efficiency 

 and usefulness of the service to which it 

 relates. The department has 189 stations, 

 of which 144 are on the Atlantic, 37 on the 

 lakes, seven on the Pacific, and one at the 

 Falls of the Ohio, Louisville, Kentucky. It 

 had cognizance, during the year covered by 

 the present report, of 345 disasters to ves- 

 sels of different classes, directly involving 

 2,398 persons. Of these persons, 2,386 

 were saved, and only twelve were lost. Of 

 $4,766,227 of property involved, $3,106,- 

 457 were saved. Interesting statements 

 are made respecting the success that has 

 attended the use of the surf-boat, the self- 

 righting and self -bailing life-boat, the 

 breeches-buoy, the wreck-gun, the hcaving- 



stick, the India-rubber dress, and other life- 

 saving apparatus. Circumstantial accounts 

 are given of each of the cases of shipwreck 

 and rescue ; statistics are shown of wrecks 

 and casualties in American waters and dis- 

 asters to American vessels in other waters, 

 since 1879; and the instructions of the ser- 

 vice to mariners in case of shipwreck are 

 furnished. 



Charts and Tables showing Geographi- 

 cal Distribution of Rainfall in the 

 United States. By H. H. C. Dunw t oody. 

 Washington : Government Printing- 

 Office. Pp. 51, with 13 Charts. 



The charts exhibit the geographical dis- 

 tribution of the average monthly and aver- 

 age yearly rainfall in the United States, as 

 determined by observers of the Signal Ser. 

 vice. The tables give the actual rainfall 

 occurring during each month at the regular 

 Signal-Service stations and army posts, with 

 the average rainfall for each month, season, 

 and year, and serve to show the fluctuations 

 of rainfall in different sections of the coun- 

 try during the last ten years. 



The North Atlantic Cyclones of August, 

 1883. By Lieutenant W. H. H. South- 

 erland, U. S. Navy. Washington : Gov- 

 ernment Printing-Office. Pp. 22. 



This report includes the records of the 

 cyclones of August 19th to August 27th, 

 and of August 27th to September 1st, with 

 maps of their course, compiled from the 

 logs of vessels which came under their in- 

 fluence. Nautical directions are appended 

 for manoeuvring in, and avoiding the cen- 

 ter of, cyclones in the North Atlantic. 



Horological and Thermometry Bureau 

 of Yale College Observatory. Third 

 Annual Report. By Leonard Waldo. 

 New Haven : Tuttle, Morehouse & Tay- 

 lor. Pp. 26. 



Watches continue to be received for 

 testing from a variety of makers, and show 

 a decided improvement in quality of per- 

 formance. The establishment of a school 

 of horology is suggested, but endowments 

 are wanting. Time-signals are regularly 

 transmitted from the observatory to the 

 railroads of the State. Certificates have 

 been issued of 5,295 thermometers, against 

 4,552 in 1881-'82 and 1,957 in 1880-'81. 



