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POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



latitude south, 30° 28' ; longitude west, 176° 

 39', 5,155 fathoms (30,930 feet). The usual 

 abysmal red clay was brought up by the 

 sounding tube on the two latter occasions. 

 Mr. V. Thorpe, surgeon of the Penguin, re- 

 ports a microscopic examination of the speci- 

 men from 5,147 fathoms, which shows that 

 the remains of siliceous organisms are almost 

 if not entirely absent. The mineral particles 

 are in a minute state of disintegration, and 

 consist of exceedingly fine flocculent matter, 

 mixed with pumice and other glassy volcanic 

 products, green crystals of augite, and red- 

 dish crystals of pelagonite. The deepest 

 trustworthy sounding previously made was 

 4,655 fathoms, obtained by U. S. S. Tuscarora 

 near Japan in 1874. 



Scientific Acquisitions from tlie Peary 

 Expedition. — While adverse circumstances 

 made it impossible for Lieutenant Peary to 

 carry out, in full, his plans with reference 

 to the northwest coast of Greenland, he, 

 nevertheless, as Mr. Rollin D. Salisbury has 

 shown in Science, accomplished much during 

 his arctic residence. He twice crossed the 

 ice cap from Inglefield Gulf to Independence 

 Bay, and gathered information of singular 

 value concerning the inland ice and the ice- 

 free territory beyond. He mapped a consid- 

 erable stretch of the coast from Cape Alex- 

 ander to Cape York, or from latitude 78° 10' 

 to 75° 55', covering eight degrees of longi- 

 tude, and with indentations, prominences, 

 and islands one thousand miles in length. 

 This map includes so many features not 

 given in the other maps that it is hard, at 

 first sight, to recognize the identity of the 

 regions. Eleven before unknown islands 

 were accurately located, and the position, 

 shape, and size of those heretofore repre- 

 sented were corrected. Possibly a hundred 

 glaciers were located with approximate ac- 

 curacy within a region where only ten were 

 represented — not always correctly — on the 

 published chart. Astrup's map of Melville 

 Bay was prepared while its author was a 

 member of Lieutenant Peary's company. A 

 series of accurate and elaborate meteorologi- 

 cal records was kept up, in which, besides 

 the formal entries, observations were noted 

 of the behavior of the winds about the ice 

 sheet, presenting facts which may be of use 

 in the study of the problems of glacierology. 



Measurements were made of the rate of mo- 

 tion of one of the most active glaciers of the 

 region, and continued so long as to render 

 them of special value. Two large meteorites 

 were brought back for study. Lieutenant 

 Peary enjoyed rare opportunities of personal 

 contact and association, by living with them, 

 for studying the Eskimos of north Greenland, 

 and intends to publish the results of hia 

 studies. Much has been gained, further, 

 through the expeditions which Lieutenant 

 Peary caused to be sent into northern waters. 

 Prof. L. L. Dyche, who joined the party in 

 Greenland, secured valuable zoological col- 

 lections of birds, walruses, reindeer, seals, 

 and narwhals. Mr. Salisbury made observa- 

 tions and studies of the geographical and 

 geological features of the west coast of 

 Greenland, between latitudes 69° and 78° 45', 

 at close range from the vessel, and at numer- 

 ous stopping places. Many glaciers were 

 studied in detail, determinations respecting 

 glacier motion were made, evidence was 

 gathered touching the former extension of 

 the ice cap of Greenland, and determinations 

 were made concerning recent changes of 

 level in the land. 



Micronesia. — The following description is 

 taken from a paper on the Marshall Islands, 

 read before the Berlin Geographical Society 

 on June 8, 1895 : " The Marshall group con- 

 sists of two nearly parallel series of islands, 

 running from north-northwest to south-south- 

 east, which are named by the natives Ratak 

 (Islands toward the Dawn) and Relik (Islands 

 toward the Sunset). The group covers about 

 one hundred and seventy-six square miles. 

 All are coral islands and most of them atolls. 

 Of the Relik group the most important are 

 Yaluit (the seat of government). Ebon, and 

 Namvik. Of the Ratak group, Mejem has a 

 population of about twelve hundred. The 

 climate is, for a tropical region, compara- 

 tively favorable to Europeans. There are no 

 swamps, but the continued high temperature 

 and the moisture of the air render them dan- 

 gerous for Europeans with heart or lung 

 disease. Besides affections of the heart and 

 kidneys, dysentery and rheumatism (both of 

 the muscles and joints) are not uncommon. 

 Observations extending over three years gave 

 the mean temperature as 80'6° F., the ex- 

 tremes being 93° and 71°. The rainfall is 



