B. Carpenter on the Surveying Ship Shearwater (Proc. R. S. of 

 Lond., No. 138) : 



Deep soundings for temperature and currents were made in the Atlantic 

 Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. It was ascertained that there was a 

 deep current of cold water in the Atlantic downward from the Arctic 

 Ocean to the Equator, and a superficial current of warmer water from the 

 Equator to the Arctic Seas — a vertical circulation, which Dr. Carpenter 

 explained on the principle of gravity. There was a ridge across the straits 

 of Gibraltar, and there was as an upper current flowing inward from the 

 Atlantic and an under current flowing outward from the Mediterranean. 

 In the depths of the Mediterranean, there were but few signs of animal 

 life. This was to be attributed to the effect of the fine silt from the Nile 

 and other rivers, held in solution in the waters. The glacial cold in Britain 

 in the Quarternary period might be explained on the hypothesis of Arctic 

 land shutting oft" the circulation of currents into the Arctic Sea, whereby 

 the Gulf Stream would be stopped and the Arctic cold would reach further 

 southward. The existing deposits at the bottom of the Atlantic were iden- 

 tical with those of the Cretaceous period, containing the same Globoge- 

 ririce as the British chalk formation; and it was suggested that the Creta- 

 ceous period still continued at the bottom of the Atlantic. 



Mr. Riley presented for publication a paper entitled " Descrip- 

 tions of Two New Mites," being descriptions of Tyroglyphus phyl- 

 loxera Planchon & Riley, which he found preying on the Grape 

 Phylloxera underground, and of Hoplopluwa arclala, n. sp., which 

 is found in conjunction with it. Referred to Committee on Pub-' 

 lication. 



Mr. J. R. Gage called attention to the necessity of investigating 

 the mounds in the vicinity of St. Louis, and moved that a commit, 

 tee be appointed to undertake the investigation at their own ex- 

 pense, the Academy to pay only for the labor of opening the mounds. 



Mr. J. R. Gage was appointed on the committee, with power 

 to choose his own assistants, and, on motion of Dr. Forbes, the 

 President was authorized to draw on the Treasurer for $50 for 

 the purpose stated. 



Mr. Todd offered the following resolution, which was adopted : 



Resolved, That a Committee of three be appointed to draw up a suitable 

 memorial to be addressed to the General Assembly of the State of Missouri, 

 praying that the present laws authorizing the operations of the geological 

 survey of the State and of the State Entomologist may not be repealed, nor 

 said operations suspended, believing that the small saving of money to be 

 realized by such suspension would be no compensation for the much greater 



