August 1 6, 1877] 



NA TURE 



335 



a sail of some craft, and to have been picked up by a bargeman, 

 who gave it to a gentleman who took it for identification to Mr. 

 Moore of the Free Library and Museum. But as far as can be 

 learned it appears to have been taken, if not in the same dock at 

 least in the same region of docks as the other one, so may 

 have possibly also come from the same source. Credit is due to 

 Mr. Moore for the promptitude with which he at once telegraphed 

 to the Privy Council the occurrence of both of these specimens. 

 It is only by such prompt co-operation that the Privy Council 

 can expect success in their eflbrts to e.tclude this dreaded pest. 



Details are to hand of the volcanic eruption in Ecuador, on 

 June 26, referred to in last week's Nature. The eruption is sup- 

 posed to have originated in Cotopaxi, and the enormous quantity 

 of ashes ejected has spread desolation over a wide area. A 

 calculation has been made of the quantity of ashes which had 

 fallen in thirty hours, and it was estimated that on each square 

 kilometer of space 313 kilogrammes of ashes had fallen. A 

 mineralogical analysis of the ashes was made with the following 

 result : — Volcanic ashes composed of exceedingly fine particles 

 of lodestone, vitreous feldspar, hornblende, and an amorphous 

 substance. The eruption was accompanied by an enormous and 

 destructive flood of mud and water which swept down the rivers 

 Cutuchi, San Felipe, and Yanayaco. 



We have received the^Tenth Report of the Peabody Museum 

 of American Archaeology and Ethnology, at Harvard University 

 From this we notice that the scope of the Annual Reports of the 

 Museum has been enlarged, and that it is proposed to print 

 special papers on American archaeological and ethnological 

 matters, so far as the funds will permit. The Museum authorities 

 are anxious to receive exchanges for its reports, over 200 copies 

 of which are now sent to foreign societies, journals, &c , of 

 kindred character, but thus far very few returns have been 

 received. We regret to see that of these few only two or three 

 come from England. As the formation of a working library is 

 one of the objects of the Museum, we would earnestly urge upon 

 all workers in this department to lend their aid by sending copies 

 of any papers they may publish, and upon all who receive copies 

 of the valuable Museum Reports to make what return they can. 

 Under the conjoint auspices of the Smithsonian Institution and 

 the Peabody Museum of Cambridge (U.S.) Mr. Clark Mills was 

 recently sent to Florida for the purpose of securing casts of a 

 number of Indians held as prisoners of war in the old Spanish 

 fort at St. Augustine. We learn that Mr. Mills has been com- 

 pletely successful in this object, having secured excellent like- 

 nesses in plaster of si.\ty-two Indians, representing some ten or 

 twelve different tribes. These, it is understood, will be used in 

 the preparation of a series of dressed lay figures of Indians in 

 the National Museum. 



The Nez Perces Indians, who are now giving a good deal of 

 trouble to the United States Government, belong to the family of 

 the Sahaptins, whose habitat is on both sides of the middle and 

 lower Columbia River and its tributaries. Their reservation in 

 North-western Idaho has given for several years past a census of 

 1,400, but a large number have refused to live on the reservation 

 or conform to treaties made. Their name, it appears, is a 

 misnomer, the habit of piercing the nose to receive a white 

 shell, having existed only among two other and less important 

 branches of the same family. According to the Malioii, the Nez 

 Perces, while fierce and haughty, are honest, just, and often 

 charitable. Though their manner is often cold and reserved, 

 they are eminently civil, and on occasion become .social and even 

 gay. Quick of temper and prone to resent any apparent (raud 

 or injustice even more than a wanton injury, they are easily 

 appeased, and in general more nearly approach the "noble 

 savage " of romance than any of the aborigines known to the 

 present generation of Americans. Theyjare well and strongly 



built, of a dark copper colour. The compression of the forehead 

 produced in infancy, almost entirely disappears in adults. The 

 portion of the tribe settled along the Clearwater and Lapwai 

 rivers and their tributaries, and the Kamia, has of late been 

 fairly successful in self-maintenance by farming and stock raising, 

 The "non-treaties" roam on the Clearwater and its branches, 

 and on the Snake about its forks, the Wallowa valley, however, 

 being their favourite pasture ground. They organize great 

 hunting expeditions once or twice every year, and as the buffalo 

 is not now found west of the Rocky Mountains, are forced to 

 cross the Bitter Root range to the plains between the Yellow- 

 stone and Missouri rivers, and so come in collision with several 

 tribes of their hereditary foes. Regular fishing encampments 

 are also formed between June and September on their home 

 rivers; and the salmon, with the jerked buffalo meat, and a 

 number of esculent roots, are laid up for their long winters. 

 Stock is their [main pride and wealth, however, and the herds 

 of the independent bands are of a highly patriarchal character. 

 Individuals not unfrequently own from one to three thousand 

 horses. The labour connected with these partly devolves on a 

 class of slaves, who are prisoners of war, and their descendants. 

 The Nez Perces have not only been passively peaceable and 

 friendly ever since the Louisiana purchase of 1S03, but they have 

 been steadfast allies of the U. S. Government in troublous times ; 

 and the conduct of the General Government towards thein 

 appears to betray a want of common sense and honesty, to say 

 nothing of gratitude for tried and valuable fidelity. 



The scientific press of Paris lost last week one of its most 

 useful and respected members, M. Montucci, the scientific critic 

 of Galigiiatn s Artsseiv^cr, who died after a short illness, at the age 

 of seventy. Dr. Henry Montucci, a German by birth, had become 

 a Frenchman by naturalisation. lie wrote a number of books 

 in the French language on scientific subjects, his last work being 

 a "Theory of Progress." He has written a number of papers 

 on mathematics, which have been printed in the Comptes Rcndus 

 of the French Academy of Sciences. He was sent iu 1S68 by 

 the French Government to England and Scotland, to report on 

 the public instruction in these two countries. 



The next eclipse of the moon is attracting the notice of 

 physicists and aeronauts' in France. It is proposed to make a 

 balloon ascent during the night of August 23-24, in order to 

 ascertain whether, independently of clouds, the eclipsed moon 

 has a bloody tinge. 



The new Hotel Dieu, Paris, is now in working order, and 

 on Saturday, August 11, it was inaugurated by the President 

 of the French Republic. It covers a space of 20,000 square 

 yards, including gardens. Everything has been organised in 

 splendid style, and the most improved methods have been 

 adopted by, the architect. The chemical laboratories, on 

 an extended scale, have been organised by the exertions of 

 Dr. Liouville, as we reported eighteen months ago in our 

 " Notes," and they are now fitted up. Probably the principal 

 feature of the new building is the ventilation. This is accom- 

 plished by means of two steam engines of 40 horse-power each, 

 which pump the air to an altitude of 130 [feet from the 

 ground. The air is circulated through the rooms of patients after 

 having been filtered, and warmed or cooled, as is deemed 

 advisable, before being admitted. The circulation is to be kept 

 up at a rate of 100 cubic metres per hour per head. The air is 

 filtered again and burned after being used, to destroy infectious 

 germs, when it is sent out. 



The Mayor and Corporation of Leamington ^have invited the 

 Sanitary Institute to hold its Congress in their town, and the 

 invitation has been accepted. The^Congreps will meet early in 

 October. 



