Eighteenth Annual meeting. 18 



has made cadastral or estate survey on a minute scale, with all the exactness of geod- 

 esy. If the country of the West had been triangulated, even grossly, and the land 

 survey made upon that basis, its work would have been much more reliable and per- 

 manent. The topographic and even the geodetic surveys of France and England pre- 

 ceded the cadastral, or estate, surveys of that country, so that all boundaries are exact, 

 and all features permanently located. These maps need to be changed only as the 

 cultural features change. 



There is in Europe an international geodetic system which is uniform and mutu- 

 ally dependent. In this country there should be such an interstate system, and this 

 we have in the topographic and geological survey of the General Government. Upon 

 this or an accurate scientific basis it is intended that the States shall have their sur- 

 veys, and elaborate the details as much as desired. 



In view of these imperfectly presented facts, then, the final consideration is, what 

 should the State of Kansas do to secure the best benefits from the United States sur- 

 vey within her borders? The reply is, briefly, that the Legislature should make an 

 appropriation for the enlargement of the scale of the maps, in order that more de- 

 tails may be shown and the maps be made more generally useful for all scientific 

 and economic purposes. Other States are now doing this, and having the Govern- 

 ment survey do the work for them, for the reasons — to briefly recapitulate — that 

 the survey is already organized and equipped, and has the best specialists in its 

 permanent employ, and the work can be done with infinitely greater accuracy than 

 by hastily-organized State surveys with political hindrances, and they can do the 

 work much cheaper for the States than they can do it themselves, and will conduct 

 the work with the uniform system of the whole country. The cost to the State of 

 Kansas for the enlargement of the map would be from $10 to f 15 per square mile 

 for all the survey work. Not being mountainous, the expenses would be light, and 

 the progress more rapid. Already the eastern third of the State is surveyed by the 

 topographical corps on the Government scale of four miles to the inch, and if we 

 wait until the entire State is covered the cost of resurveying for the large scale of 

 one mile to the inch will be much greater. The smaller scale is all needed to base 

 boundary surveys upon, which will in time save much trouble. 



The State work of the national survey should be managed by a commission of 

 scientific men, who would have cognizance and control of the work which the Director 

 of the United States would execute for them. Such a commission as the President 

 of the Kansas Academy of Science, the Secretary of the State Board of Agriculture^ 

 and the Superintendent of Mines, would be appropriate and capable. 



The Academy should appoint a committee to take the matter under advisement, 

 to correspond with the Directors of the United States Geological Survey as to methods 

 of procedure for cooperation, and get it into shape to present to the Legislature. 

 The Academy should further memorialize the Legislature to act promptly in the 

 matter, for the workmen are upon our ground, and the opportunity is passing. 



ON THE DESTRUCTION OF THE PASSIVITY OF IRON IN NITRIC ACID 



BY MAGNETIZATION. 



BY EDWARD L. NICHOLS AND W. S. FRANKLIN, 

 Of the University of Kansas. 



I. 

 During the winter of 1884-5, the authors of this paper were engaged in the in- 

 vestigation of chemical behavior of iron in the magnetic field. In the course of 

 their experiments they had occasion to bring into the field of a small electro-mag- 

 net, a beaker containing powdered iron submerged in cold concentrated nitric acid, 



