86 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. II., No. 24. 



at a certain depth, are supposed to unite in one vein 

 of sulphate of copper. The iron-mines, seventeen in 

 number, are all situated in the province of Santiago 

 de Cuba. The iron consists of large superficial 

 masses of oligist and magnetic iron ore. Manganese 

 is very abundant in the province of Santiago de Cuba, 

 but only two mines have been registered on accouftt 

 of its small commercial value. There are five gold- 

 mines situated in the provinces of Santiago de Cuba 

 and Santa Clara, whose prospects are considered 

 good, but which are not worked at present. Guano 

 is worked in the islets south of Cuba, and 104 work- 

 men were employed on this work last year. — ( Breve 

 reseiia miner. Isla de Cuba. ) J. B. M. [81 



The Prescott (Arizona) mining region. — A 

 map of this region, with some account of the rooks 

 aud veins, has been published by John T. Blandy. 

 The rocks appear to be mainly granites, argillites, and 

 schists. The majority of the veins trend approxi- 

 mately north and south. In the stratified rocks 

 many Veins occur having the strike and dip of the 

 enclosing rock, but they are of limited extent. In the 

 Peck district the veins are of quartz, carrying silver 

 in the form of chlorides, sulphides, and in galena. 

 The argillite has been eroded away so that some of 

 these veins stand as much as fifty feet high, while they 

 are not more than six feet thick at the base. In the 

 granite ridge next north, the veins are quartz and 

 barite, carrying silver, while in the gneissoid rooks 

 they are part silver and part gold bearing. The veins 

 in the Mount Union granite are principally gold bear- 

 ing, the gold being free on the surface, but in pyrite in 

 depth. The chief portion of the remaining veins in 

 the region are mixed gold and silver bearing, some 

 being as much as thirty feet in thickness. Some 

 veins of copper pyrites also occur. — {Trans. Amer. 

 inst. ndn. eng., Boston meeting.) M. E. w. [82 



GEOGBAPHY. 

 Russian cartography. — M. Michel VenukofE 

 presents frequent brief reports of Russian explora- 

 tions and topographic work to the French geographi- 

 cal society, and has recently described the annual 

 exhibition of astronomical and geographical works 

 held last April in the Winter palace at St. Peters- 

 burg. The number of exhibits exceeded one hundred 

 and forty, among which the more notable were a 

 route-map of Russia in Europe (1: 1,0.50,000), in twen- 

 ty-five sheets, of which seventeen are finished; the 

 latest sheets of the special maps of the same coun- 

 try (1 : 420,000), published under the direction of Gen. 

 Strelbeitsky ; the general map of Russia in Asia 

 (1: 4,200,000), in eight sheets, extending to lat. 30° N; 

 maps of the provinces of Finland and Bessarabia; 

 of the peninsula of Kamtchatka, prepared at Irkutsk; 

 of the territory of Semipalatinsk, lithographed at 

 Omsk ; the Chinese and Persian frontiers (1 : 840,000) ; 

 and many others of regions concerning which our 

 chief knowledge comes from Russian surveys. — 

 w. M. D. [83 



(Arctic.) 



Notes. — Professor J. E. Nourse of Washington 

 announces that he has in preparation a work relat- 



ing to American polar eSpeditions. The Russian 



imperial geographical society of St. Petersburg sug- 

 gests that the observations of the international 

 polar stations be prolonged over another year, on the 

 ground that a single year's observations cover too 

 short a time to afford really satisfactory comparative 

 results; and, moreover, it will be necessary for some 

 of the more advanced parties to make an end of their 

 observations before the full year is out in order to 



be sure of returning during the present autumn. 



Reports from Bering Sea indicate that the winter 

 there has been a severe one. Early in the spring 

 there was an abundance of ice as far south as St. 

 Paul Island. Very few whales had been taken up 



to latest advices. The report of the court of 



inquiry into the circumstances of the loss of the 

 Jeannette and the death of members of the expedi- 

 tion is just printed. It does not contain the private 

 journals of De Long and Collins, nor the papers of 

 the latter which were before the court. The text of 

 the report has been mostly summarized by the daily 

 press, and contains nothing new of importance. It 

 is presumed that the log-books, aud records of obser- 

 vations, etc., are reserved for a report on the results 

 of the voyage, to be hereafter issued. The most 

 valuable thing in the whole document, which contains 

 a number of maps and diagrams, is the map of the 

 Lena delta constructed by Nindemann, which con- 

 tains additions to and corrections of the maps in 

 present use. — ^v. n. d. [84 



{Asia.) 

 Notes. — The Revue geographique presents its 

 subscribers with a new chart of Asia on a scale 

 1:34,000,000. Although containing some new 

 matter, it is not up to date, and is of very imperfect 



mechanical execution. The Russian explorer 



Konchin telegraphs from Krasnovodsk, that, in cross- 

 ing the steppe between Charzhui and Uzboi, he has 

 discovered that Kalitin was mistaken in supposing it 

 to be traversed by an ancient channel of the Oxus. 

 What the latter explorer, three years ago, took foi" 

 the dry bed of the Charzhui-Daria, is really only A, 

 plain bounded on the north by a series of elevations, 

 and appearing to have no definite limits toward the 



south. Potanin and Skassi are about to explore 



the Chinese province of Gan-su and the adjacent 

 parts of Mongolia. Sukhacheff, a young proprietor 

 of Siberian gold-mines, has contributed 20,000 rubles 



toward the expenses of the exploration. The 



topograpliic and geodesic work in northern Khorassan 

 and southern Turkestan being finished, the boundary- 

 line between Russia and Persia from the Casi^ian to 

 the Heri Rud River of Afghanistan will be established 



immediately. The definite establishment of the 



boundary between the Russian province of Semipa- 

 latinsk and the Chinese district of Tsungari will also 

 be concluded this summer. By recent conventions 

 a considerable part of the basin of the upper Irtislj 

 River is annexed to Russia. Topographers are busily 

 engaged in determining its limits, while others con- 

 tinue the work of demarcation of the districts of 

 Kuldja and Tarbagatai, which is already well ad- 

 vanced. Still others are developing the bflScial limits 



