O. MISCELLANEOUS. 577 



rior. Fish were very abundant, salmon being in the great- 

 est profusion, while codfish and halibut were also very 

 plenty, and were caught without boats, fishing from the 

 wharf or rocks. They corroborate very emphatically the 

 general accuracy of Mr. Dall's report of the country as con- 

 tained in " Alaska and its Resources," and consider him cor- 

 rect in all essential matters. The land in every respect has 

 advantages over Iceland, the climate being milder in winter 

 without being warmer in summer, and the summer lasting 

 longer than it does in Iceland. " They therefore do not hes- 

 itate to recommend those of their countrymen who are 

 minded to emigrate to do so, and they make this recom- 

 mendation after conscientious deliberation, and in the firm 

 belief that it would be for their advantage, the land appear- 

 ing in every respect adapted to their needs, and answering 

 completely all their expectations." 



BEQUEST TO THE CINCINNATI SOCIETY OP NATURAL HIS- 

 TORY. 



The Cincinnati Society of Natural History has lately re- 

 ceived a bequest of $50,000 from Mr. Charles Bod man, of 

 that city. The gift is absolute and without conditions. 

 Mr. Bodman was a member of that society, and has thus en- 

 deavored to place it on a permanent basis, and enable it to 

 become one of the prominent institutions of Cincinnati. 



SCIENTIFIC BALLOONISTS. 



The investigation of the atmosphere by means of observa- 

 tions in balloons has, during the past few years, been prose- 

 cuted with marked activity by the French aeronauts, who 

 have organized the French Society for Aerial Navigation. 

 This society, having clearly seen that ascensions, to be of 

 value, must either aim at attaining great heights or at re- 

 maining a long time in the atmosphere at moderate heights, 

 undertook during the present year one voyage of each de- 

 scription, the first of which was that of the 23d of March, 

 the object being to secure a long duration. The ascent was 

 made from the gas-works at Villette, near Paris, at 6.20 in 

 the evening ; the descent was made on the following day at 

 5 o'clock, the entire voyage having lasted twenty-two hours 

 and forty minutes. Among the apparatus taken with them, 



Bb 



