1868.] 425 [Marsh. 



Bowling, M.D., of the University of Nashville, Tennessee ; 

 from the Editors of the American Athen?eum ; from George 

 W. Hewes, of Philadelphia ; from J. P. Lesley, and the Frank- 

 lin Institute. 



The death of W. C. Rives, of Virginia, a member of the 

 Society, was announced as having occurred at Charlottesville, 

 25th April, 1868, aged seventy-five years. 



General Kane exhibited a map of the Northern Circum- 

 polar Regions, and made some remarks upon the unexplored 

 portions of the same, and their relations to the adjacent 

 countries in a political and national point of view. In con- 

 nection with the subject, he showed the importance of Alaska 

 as a possession of the United States. He advanced the opin- 

 ion that the most successful explorations northward will 

 hereafter be made from that quarter, as offering a more 

 promising field for the acquisition of scientific and practical 

 knowledge, than the routes heretofore adopted by explorers. 



Mr. Marsh read parts of the following letter from Mr. 

 Vail, dated Rome, April 1st, 1868, received since his com- 

 munication at the last meeting, describing the progress of 

 the eruption of Vesuvius : 



" In spite of the prophecies in regard to the end of the erup- 

 tion, Vesuvius has continued more or less active up to tlie 

 present time. 



" Some da^'s it would send up all day nothing but volumes of 

 steam, and, on other days, dense clouds of smoke would now 

 and then be belched up during the day, and when night came, 

 bright flashes of light would be seen ; and with a glass you 

 could see a vast number of red-hot stones thrown up into the 

 air, 



" At my first ascent, made about two weeks since, I crossed 

 over the top of the mountain at the foot of the great crater, 

 which, though steaming like a huge boiler, was verj^ quiet. 



" My second ascent was on the 27th ultimo. I went up late 

 in the day, in order to see the lava stream at night ; reached 

 the foot of a large one about five o'clock, and therefore had 

 plenty of time to examine it before dark. 



" This stream started near the top of the mountain, and 

 VOL. X. — 3g 



