198 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences^ Arts^ and Lttters. 



Natural Sciences in Basle, upon the upper Ehine. By modifi- 

 cation of Eytelwein's formula from a few measurements of sur- 

 face velocity, he deduced by a daily gauge-record the annual 

 discharge from 1809 to 1821 at Basle. De Prony published 

 1822, his noted work on the Pontine Marshes. In this year 

 was published the result of a reconoissance of the Ohio and 

 Mississippi rivers by General Bernard and Lieut. Colouel Tot 

 ten, of the United States Engineers. This contains valuable 

 information, especially upon the Ohio river. 



In 1823 was published a valuable collection of Italian pap- 

 ers which made the collection complete from the fourteenth 

 century. In 1824-26, M. Eancourt made his well-known ex- 

 periments upon the Neva when frozen and when open. Mr. 

 Poncelet published in 1828 his theory of permanent motion, 

 that is, the permanent motion of water moving through a 

 channel of variable area and slope. In the same year M. Be- 

 langer published his noted work on the same subject contain- 

 ing an original formula which gave more accurate results than 

 any which had preceded it. In 1829, M. Genieys published a 

 practical treatise upon water-works. In 1827 experiments 

 were begun at Hetz upon a large scale to establish the princi- 

 ples of, and fix the constants in, the formula^ for water flow- 

 ing through orifices. The results were published in 1812, by 

 order of the French government and are known as the Pon- 

 celet and Lesbros experiments. In 1833 were published the 

 results of observations upon the Rhine and its tributaries. 

 This is the most important contribution to river improvement 

 of modern times. The works used were both temporary and 

 permanent. The temporary works were built for the purpose 

 of inducing deposits of sediment, etc., which being of service 

 but for a short period, were made of perishable materials. 

 The permanent works consisted of levees and either solid rev- 

 etments or breakwaters, to prevent the banks caving. These 

 improvements were under of charge Defontaine. He advocates 

 two geneial plans for improving the Khine, first by closing all 



