NOTES BY THE EDITOR, 



ON TUB 



PROGRESS OF SCIENCE FOR THE YEARS 1865 AND 1866. 



The years 1865 and 18G6 have been uncommonly prolific in sci- 

 entific discovei-y, in almost every department of knowledge. This 

 has been mainly due to the activity of Associations for promoting 

 the progress of special branches of knowledge, which not only 

 furnish important and varied contributions to science, but consti- 

 tute impartial triburtals for the determination of the value of indi- 

 vidual reseax"ches. Among these, the Royal Society and British 

 Association in England, the Academy of Sciences of France, and 

 the American Association (this year successfully revived after an 

 interval of five years) and the Natioffal Academy in this country, 

 stand prominent. 



Taking the departments of science in the order adopted in this 

 work, the mechanic and useful arts first claim attention. The 

 successful laying ,oi the new Atlantic telegraph cable, and the 

 picking up and utilizing the old cable, are the greatest engineer- 

 ing achievements of the year 1866, and continue to excite the in- 

 terest of the scientific world. The completion of the Chicago 

 tunnel under Lake Michigan will doubtless inaugurate a new era 

 in subterranean modes of communication ; and the success of the 

 third or centre-rail system over Mt. Cenis will probably ere long 

 do away with the tedious and expensive plans of boring through 

 mountain chains both in Europe and this country. 



In marine and locomotive engineering the improvements are 

 chiefly in the direction of economy of fuel by modifications of fur- 

 naces and flues, and especially by the due supply of air for com- 

 plete combustion. Surface condensation increases in the estima- 

 tion of the best engineers, greatly increasing the economy of ma- 

 rine engines. The use of superheated steam is yet in its infancy, 

 IV 



