20 NOTES BY THE EDITOE 



country, while the Indian traditions declare ^hat their ancestors mi- 

 grated from the north-east, by sea, through mist and snow. From 

 these philological remains and traditions, M. de Bourbourg concludes 

 that there was a migration into the country from the settlement of 

 the Northmen in Massachusetts. If true, this is a most interesting 

 contribution to the history of the American continent, and the public 

 will wait with impatience for that more complete account of it which 

 M. de Bourbourg intends to lay before the world, with the document- 

 ary evidence sustaining his conclusions. 



Professor A. Ketzius of Stockholm, Sweden, in a communication ad- 

 dressed to the Philadelphia Academy, shows most indubitably that 

 the practice of compressing the skull artificially, which was supposed 

 to be peculiar to the aboriginal inhabitants of America, was practiced 

 by the ancient Huns, and probably by some other nations of antiquity 

 occupying Eastern Europe and Central Asia. 



During the past summer a portion of the U. S. North-Pacific sur- 

 veying squadron cruised in the Arctic Seas, northwest of Behring's 

 Straits. It was the intention of Lieutenant Eodgers to visit the land 

 reported to have been discovered by Captain Kellett, of the expedition 

 sent out by the English government in 1851, in search of Sir John 

 Franklin ; and as the weather indications were favorable to this end, 

 the course of the vessel was shaped accordingly. The position of this 

 land, as reported by Captain Kellett, was about sixty miles to the 

 northward of Herald Island. The " Vincennes" reached the latitude of 

 72 05' 29", in longitude 174 37' 15" a higher point than ever be- 

 fore reached, having sailed over the assumed position of Captain Kel- 

 lett's land ; and Lieutenant Rodgers was forced to the conclusion that 

 Captain Kellett had fallen into the common error in these latitudes of 

 being deceived by low cloud-banks. At this point the progress of 

 the vessel was interrupted by a barrier of ice, and as the vessel was 

 not prepared for winter quarters in these regions, it was deemed ad- 

 visable to alter her course. Returning by the west of Herald Island, 

 the ''Vincennes" sailed over the tail of Herald reef, and worked up to 

 the position of the land reported by Captain Kellett, and named 

 " Plover Island." This land was reported by Captain Kellett as hav- 

 ing been seen in foggy weather ; and here again he must have been 

 deceived by clouds, as no land could be found by the " Vincennes," al- 

 though with every advantage of fine weather for observation. 



An expedition has recently been sent by the Dutch government to 

 the Arctic Seas, to commence an investigation into the nature of 

 oceanic currents, according to the system and plan proposed by Lieu- 

 tenant Maury. 



During the past season, the American Exploring Expedition under 

 Lieutenant Page, U. S. N. in Paraguay, have ascended the branch 



