SKETCH OF ELI AS LOOMIS. 405 



Herr Trognitz assigns an area of 3,540,740 square miles. Of this, 

 951,000 square miles are assigned to British South Africa, includ- 

 ing Nyassaland and the whole British region from the Zambesi 

 to the Cape. The total population of this area is estimated at 

 only 3,800,000. Neither to the Niger Protectorate nor to the Brit- 

 ish East Africa Company's sphere do Drs. Wagner and Supan 

 venture to assign either an area or a population. The area, they 

 tell us, is "off en" and for population they simply put a (?). To 

 Portuguese East Africa (Mozambique) an area of 310,000 square 

 miles is given, and Portuguese West Africa, including Portugal's 

 share of Loanda, 517,000 square miles. The Congo Free State is 

 credited with an area of 865,380 square miles, and a population of 

 14,000,000. Of the total area, 309,000 square miles are under forest. 



Turning to America, we find that the Bevolkerung has not 

 been able to secure the figures for Canada for 1891 ; though as a 

 second part, containing the population of towns, will be issued, 

 no doubt an opportunity will be taken to supplement the infor- 

 mation given in this part. Pretty full details are given of the 

 results of the United States census of last year. 



About the rest of this invaluable collection of statistics there 

 is nothing further to remark at present. There is a new estimate 

 of the areas of the South American states ; indeed, one of the 

 prominent features of the new issue is the care which has been 

 taken in estimating the area of the various states of the world 

 and their administrative divisions. Now that Africa is divided 

 up among European powers, whose officials are spreading all over 

 the continent, it is to be hoped that some means will be taken to 

 form more precise estimates of the population of the various re • 

 gions. Until that is done we can not know to within millions 

 how many people live upon the face of the earth. — London Times, 



SKETCH OF ELIAS LOOMIS. 



"pvURING fifty-six years of active life Prof. Loomis made origi- 

 ■J-^ nal investigations and contributed valuable additions to 

 our knowledge of terrestrial magnetism, the aurora borealis, me- 

 teoric showers, astronomy, and meteorology, and gave to students 

 an excellent series of mathematical text-books. He was con- 

 nected with four important institutions of learning, of one of 

 which— Yale— Prof. H. A. Newton says his life and work form no 

 mean portion of its wealth. 



Elias Loomis was born August 7, 1811, at Willington, Conn., 

 where his father — " a man possessed of considerable scholarship, of 

 positive convictions, and of a willingness to follow at all hazards 



