258 
to 2°'8, and stood from 30 to too fathoms at + 02 C. 
That the icebergs in these waters must melt rapidly, particularly 
at the water-line, is clear, which was also corroborated by expe- 
rience, all being deeply furrowed and heeling over. 
The trawlings and scrapings extended to a depth of 300 
fathoms, and were effected as well in Davis Strait, Disco Bay, 
on the banks, as in the fjords. The result was consider- 
able, and several varieties of fauna previously unknown in the 
Greenland seas were caught, as well as some entirely new 
species. Among the rarest forms may be mentioned Amd yops 
abbreviata, Mysideis grandis, and Boreomysis nobilis, which are 
only known in a few species from the west coast of Norway, 
and Spzrorbis cancellatus. 
The harvest was richest on the banks, as was the case under 
previous expeditions, and poorest in Disco Bay, where several 
hauls at a depth of 2co to 250 fathoms brought up absolutely 
nothing, or only a couple of specimens of the same species. 
The trawl worked here so far down in the soft black clay, which 
everywhere covers the bottom, that the line constantly threat- 
ened to break. The expedition has brought home a total of 300 
specimens of the deep-sea fauna. 
During the stay in port the officers of the vessel were 
engaged in hydrographical labours, chiefly the measuring 
of certain harbours, and the botanists in excursions into 
the long, narrow fjords, where the vegetation is richest, but 
neither the mountains nor the islands were forgotten. The 
harvest was very rich. Of phanerogams and higher cryptogams 
alone specimens of 230 varieties were obtained, and five new 
plants were discovered, among which a new species of Carex, 
while several were found in entirely new places, whereby their 
geographical distribution has been increased with several degrees 
of latitude. Thus, Zinzca borealis, for the first time, in 1883, 
discovered in Greenland, and then in lat. 61° 10’, was this year 
found as far north as 67°. Special attention was also given to 
the collecting of materials for illustrating the development of the 
Arctic fauna, which has hitherto been neglected. Great atten- 
tion, too, was paid to the algze fauna, although it is very poor in 
the places visited by the expedition. 
The mineralogical harvest of the expedition was poor, for the 
reason that Greenland has already been thoroughly explored, 
geologically and geodetically, by such eminent scientific men as 
Sir C. L. Giesecke, Dr. Rink, Profs. Johnstrup, Steenstrup, and 
Nathorst, that little more isto be learnt. One object of interest 
was, however, brought home—viz. a block of ironstone found on 
the shore of the Disco Island at Uifak, in lat. 69° 20’ N., of the 
same kind as those discovered there by Baron Nordenskidld 
some years ago, and which were at first believed to be meteorites, 
but whose terrestrial origin must now be said to be beyond 
question, in consequence of Prof. Steenstrup having discovered 
nickel iron in lumps of all sizes, of exactly the kind as that con- 
tained in these blocks in the great basalt strata of the Disco 
Island. The block which weighs about 1800 lbs., has been 
presented to the Mineralogical Museum at Copenhagen, where 
it will be mounted, with those already brought thither from the 
same locality. 
The scientific material collected by the expedition is under 
treatment, but considerable time must elapse before the final 
result is ascertained. 
~ This spring another expedition has been despatched to Green- 
land, being the tenth since 1876. It is commanded by Lieut. 
Jensen, and has for its object, besides natural history and photo- 
graphical studies, the survey of the west coast between Sukkcr- 
toppen and Godthaab, lat 654°—64° N. This is the last stretch 
of the west coast which remains to be surveyed, and if Lieut. 
Jensen succeeds in finishing the work this year, the entire west 
coast of Greenland from lat. 594° to 724° N. will have been 
surveyed and charted. 
That the Danes are proud of the accomplishment of this great 
and difficult work is only natural. 
THE ROVAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 
THE fourth annual meeting was held at Ottawa on May 26 
and following days to the 29th inclusive ; the President, 
T. Sterry Hunt, LL.D., F.R.S., in the chair. The following 
papers were read in Section III. (Mathematical, Physical, and 
Chemical) :—On the analysis of silk, by Dr. H. A. Bayne, 
Royal Military College. The author selected samples of pure 
silk and linen and cotton (their purity being carefully determined 
NATURE 
[Huey 16, 1885 
beforehand by the use of the microscope), and after removing 
dressing material, colouring matter, &c., by ether and dilute 
hydrochloric acid, submitted all four samples to the action of a 
large number of reagents in order to determine to what extent 
solvents of silks affect other fibres also. The result of a large 
number of analyses showed that, for mixtures of silk and wool, 
basic zine chloride is the most reliable reagent ; while for mix- 
tures of silk and cotton or linen, Loewe’s alkaline glycerine 
solution of oxide of copper gives the most trustworthy indica- 
tions. —Mémoire sur l’introduction et Vinterprétation rationelle 
des quantités négatives et des quantités imaginaires dans le 
caleul, by Dr. D. Duval.—Classification of natural silicates, by 
Dr. T, Sterry Hunt, F.R.S.—Blowpipe reactions on plaster 
tablets, by Prof. Haanel. This was in continuation of previous 
investigations, —Note on the quantitative blowpipe assay of 
Cimnobar, by Prof. Haanel.—On the determination in terms of 
a definite integral of the value of the expression— 
: \ (=+ yer" (e+ S - a ala Pe 
\ 2 ! 
[REE 3 62 
r n m+n 
Ceres | 4s: svetst 
nt nv\m+n 
(Cayley } 
the series to be continued only as long as the quantity raised to 
power m + is positive, 2 being a positive integer, and ma 
positive integer, zero, or a negative integer numerically less than 
m2; and on the deduction therefrom of approximate values in 
certain cases, by C. Carpmael, M.A. In this paper, after 
pointing out that the investigation of M. Cauchy fails when 7 is 
zero or an integer, although he assumed without comment that it 
would hold, the author proceeds to determine the values of a 
number of ‘extraordinary integrals” and obtains results differ- 
ent from those obtained by M. Cauchy, although his final 
approximate values agree with them if we correct certain 
numerical errors in Cauchy’s results. — The geognosy of 
crystalline rocks, by T. Sterry Hunt, F.R.S.—Concernant la 
théorie de M. Steckel sur la veine liquide contractée, by C. 
Baillargé.—On tidal observations in Canadian waters, by 
A. Johnson, L.H.D., showing the very imperfect state of our 
knowledge of the tides, and the need of systematic observations 
on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.—On iron ores from 
Central Ontario. This paper comprises a series of analyses of 
magnetic and other iron ores from the counties of Peterborough 
and Hastings in the province of Ontario, with brief references 
to the conditions of occurrence of the various deposits from which 
the ores were taken, by Prof. Chapman.—A commentary on sec- 
tion ix. of Newton’s ‘‘ Principia,” by Prof. Cherriman, M.A.— 
The density of weak aqueous solutions of certain salts, by Prof. 
MacGregor, D,Sc.—Redetermination of the difference of longi- 
tude between the observatories of McGill College, Montreal, and 
Harvard Observatory, by Prof. W. A. Rogers (Harvard) and 
Prof. McLeod (McGill College).—Redetermination of the 
differences of longitudes of Montreal, Toronto, and Coburg, by 
Messrs. Carpmael, M.A., McLeod, M.E., and Chandler, M.A. 
—Notes on (1) Clausius’s theory of the virial ; (2) the motion of a 
rigid body with one point fixed ; (3) the equation of energy in 
generalised coordinates. —Geometrical methods in opties, by Prof. 
Loudon.— Notes on the economic minerals of New Brunswick, 
with a revised list of mineral localities in the province, by Prof. 
Baily. This paper being of the nature of a catalogue of localities, 
was not read before the Section. —Geology of Cornwallis or Me- 
Nab’s Island, Halifax Harbour, by Rev. Dr. Honeyman, A study 
of the local geology in which special reference was made to the 
occurrence of amygdaloidal boulders which were considered to 
have been derived from the vicinity of Cape Blomidon,—A 
Catalogue of Canadian Butterflies, with notes on the distribution 
of the genera, by W. Saunders. Explained merely in a few 
remarks, not being suited for reading in full. 
The following papers were read in Section IV. (Geological 
and Biological) :—On the Mesozoic floras of the Rocky Moun- 
tain region of Canada, by Sir W. Dawson.—Fossil plants from 
the Trias and Permian of Prince Edward Island, by Sir W. 
Dawson.—Illustrations of the fauna of the St. John group (third 
part), by G. F. Matthew. This paper was in continuation of 
former communications. It describes a large number of 
Cambrian forms, particularly trilobites, and discusses the rela- 
tions of the subdivisions of the Cambrian of the vicinity of St. 
