32 THE ATLANTIC. [cmap. 1. 
contact with the acid, as they rapidly turn black. They may 
then be mounted in glycerine jelly, or in a solution of tartrate 
of potash. 
Artificial heat is absolutely necessary for drying plants in 
quantity at sea, particularly in hot regions, where the air is 
constantly saturated with watery vapor; and an excellent dry- 
ing-room has been discovered in a space in the funnel-casings. 
The plants are placed between single sheets of botanical dry- 
ing-paper, and piled, with numerous wire ventilators inter- 
spersed among them, into bundles, which are drawn tight to- 
gether with cords, which stand the heat better than straps. 
The bundles are placed in the drying-room, care being taken 
to tighten the cords from time to time, and in two days the 
plants are quite dry, without the trouble of changing the pa- 
pers. A somewhat elaborate botanical press which occupies 
a corner of the work-room has been entirely abandoned for 
this method. 
Two shelves fitted along the fore-bulkhead of the work-room 
sustain a detachment of the very valuable little library of books 
of reference with which we are provided; the remainder of the 
books find room where they can in the fore and after cabins, 
in the ward-room, and elsewhere. 
The chemical laboratory (Fig. 2) is on the starboard side, 
nearly amidships. The following brief account of the labora- 
tory, and of some of the principal apparatus and processes bear- 
ing upon our special line of research, is abstracted from a care- 
ful description prepared by Mr. Buchanan, which will appear in 
full elsewhere: The laboratory is 10 feet 4 inches long by 5 
feet 3 inches wide, and 6 feet high. It is lighted by a large 
square port, and by glass sashes in the door and bulkhead to- 
ward the main-deck. The port is closed by a French window, 
in two sashes, opening inward. The fittings consist of a work- 
ing-bench, a locker-seat, a blow-pipe table, a writing-table, and 
drawers. The working-bench fills up the space between the 
