G18 



THE AMEBIC AN MUSEUM JOURNAL 



by this, as we have always to bear in mind 

 the prospect of a uatural diiiiimition of the 

 Eussian deposits, which have been so long 

 and so extensively exploited. Should the 

 new region in the Eonda Mountains, Spain, 

 come up to the expectations when, by the 

 removal of the economic obstacles incident 

 to the war, the requisite capital and energy 

 shall have been directed thither, this field 

 also may come to be a source upon which 

 we can count for excellent results. 



Of the 5,000,000 or more ounces of plati- 

 num already in existence, it has been 

 estimated very conservatively that catalyzing 

 processes have claimed 500,000 ounces, dental 

 uses 1,000,000, chemical apparatus 1,000,000, 

 electrical devices 500,000, and jewelry 500,- 

 000. These estimates are probably set rather 

 too low in view of the fact that the total 

 production of the metal has certainly been 

 as much as 5,000,000 ounces; indeed some 

 authorities have placed the total Eussian 

 production alone as high as 7,000,000 ounces. 

 This was crude platinum, of course, and 

 would furnish only about 5,800,000 ounces 

 of the refined metal. 



In the period from 1900 to 1917 the im- 

 ports of unmanufactured platinum and of 

 bars am] ingots into the United States, have 

 had a total weight of 52,767.2 kilos, or 

 approximately 1,696,711 troy ounces, and a 

 total value of $48,981,879. To this must be 

 added imports of crucibles, retorts, and the 

 like, worth $2,302,236, giving a total value 

 of platinum in all forms of $51,284,115. 

 Of course, a good proportion of the import 

 was crude platinum. For the fiscal year 

 ended June 30, 1918, the imports of unmanu- 

 factured platinum, and of bars and ingots, 

 weighed 1613.1 kilos, or 51,862 troy ounces, 

 and were worth $4,572,614; the retorts, 

 vases, etc., were valued at but $2547, giv 

 ing a total of $4,575,161 for all platinum 

 imports to the United States. Of this Co- 

 lombia contributed $2,241,744 (27,030 troy 

 ounces), just about one half of the total 

 value and a little more than one half the 

 weight. A single special shipment of 21,000 

 ounces from Russia, acquired for $2,000,000, 

 accounted for most of the remainder. — 

 George F. Kunz. 



Notes 



Since the last issue of the Journal, the 

 following persons have been elected mem- 

 bers of the American Museum: 



Life Members, Miss Marie Louise Peck- 

 ham, Lieutenant Harry F. Guggenheim, 

 Messrs. H. Benis, Charles Watson Boise, 

 Everett Masten, and Albert Houghton 

 Pratt. 



Sustaining Member, Mr. Gardiner H. 

 Miller. 



Annual Members, Mesdames Lyndon 

 Connett, R. G. Hazard, Julie Kahle, R. 

 S. Koch, Eomaine A. Philpot, E. Llewelyn 

 Eees, Misses Mart Allen, Sarah M. Post, 

 Messrs. Eichard M. Andrews, Frank 

 Carlson, Albert J. Erdmann, Charles J. 

 Fay, John W, Frothingham, Louis B. 

 Hubbard, Robert Parker Lewis, Edwin 

 F. O'Neill, Arthur Smith, Sidney Smith, 

 and Bret H. Whitman, Jr. 



Associate Members, Messrs. G. W. Mc- 

 Farland, L. H. Somers, and Dwight Win- 

 ter. 



The Board of Trustees of the American 

 Museum, at its meeting on November 11, 

 adopted a resolution electing to life member- 

 ship Mr. Albert Houghton Pratt, in recog- 

 nition of his gift of negatives and motion 

 pictures to the educational work of the 

 Museum. Lieutenant Harry F. Guggenheim 

 was also elected a life member in recogni- 

 tion of his generous contribution to the 

 anthropological department. 



The British Educational Mission to the 

 United States, composed of distinguished 

 representatives of the universities of Eng- 

 land, Scotland, and Ireland, was enter- 

 tained at luncheon by the trustees of the 

 American Museum on October 10. The 

 Mission came to this country to develop, if 

 I^ossible, closer cooperation between British 

 and American institutions, and to strengthen 

 the bond of sympathy and understanding be- 

 tween the two nations. At the close of the 

 luncheon the party made a tour of inspec- 



