146 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. II., No. 26. 



doubt that an extensive traffic was carried on in tliis 

 material for a considerable length of time by the abo- 

 riginal tribes, extending from the Atlantic coast to the 

 Rocky Mountain system and from New York and Min- 

 nesota on the north to the Gulf of Mexico. The fact 

 that objects of catlinite have been taken from Indian 

 graves in the state of New York, and that others were 

 found on the ancient site of an abandoned village in 

 Georgia, at opposite points twelve hundred miles dis- 

 tant from the pipestone quarry of Minnesota, reveals 

 the great extent of intercommunication which for- 

 merly existed among the North American peoples. 

 When we consider that many pipes of catlinite laave 

 been taken from the bottom of mounds from four to 

 seven feet deep, where they were found in connection 

 with cloth-wrapped copper axes and many other ob- 

 jects of high antiquity, and that some of them are of 

 the typical form of the oldest mound-pipes, we are 

 forced to ascribe to some of them a high antiquity. — 

 (Amer. nat., JuXy.) j. w. p. [169 



The Charnay collection. — Visitors to the Na- 

 tional museum at Washington are surprised to find 

 the great hall adjoining the last doorway on the south 

 side shut off by screens. Looking behind this barri- 

 cade, the visitor may imagine himself transported to 

 Central America, and in the presence of some of her 

 grandest aboriginal remains. Here M. Barbier, from 

 the Trocadero museum at Paris, is setting up casts of 

 the most celebrated relics of Mexican and Central 

 American ruins secured by M. Charnay. The read- 

 ers of Science will recall that Mr. Pierre Lorillard 

 of New York, conjointly with the French government, 

 equipped an expedition in 1880, arid maintained it 

 for two years, for a systematic investigation of the so- 

 called ' ruined cities ' and other remains of ancient 

 civilization in Central America and Mxeico. The 

 expedition was placed imder the charge of M. D^sirfi 

 Charnay, and thoroughly furnished with the means 

 of making photographs and casts by the process of 

 M. Lotin de Laval. Copies of these casts were first 

 to be presented to the'Smithsonian institution and to 

 the French government, the latter set to be placed in 

 the Trocadero museum at Paris. The story of M. 

 Charnay's travels and successes has been told in the 

 North American review, commencing with August, 

 1880; the editor, Mr. Thorndike Rice, favoring and 

 encouraging the expedition from the first. M. Char- 

 nay's moulds having been transported to Paris, he 

 proceeded to make his reproductions. With' refer- 

 ence to the Smithsonian series, now being set up in 

 the National museum, Mr. Eice writes, " These casts 

 are duplicates of those now on permanent exhibition 

 at the Trocadero, Paris. The casts have been made 

 in order to afford to students of American antiquities 

 the fullest opportunity for studying these products 

 of indigenous art and the hitherto indecipherable in- 

 scriptions." The collection includes a bas-relief from 

 Ocosingo, the stone of Tizoc, fragment from Tezcuco, 

 thirty-eight pieces from Palenque, including the 

 most celebrated sculptures and inscriptions, and 

 thirty-four pieces from Chichen-Itza. M. Hamy will 

 shortly send a detailed account of each piece, and the 

 readers of Science will receive the benefit of his in- 



formation. Professor Baird will have the bas-reliefs of 

 the Temple of the Sun and those of the Temple of the 

 Cross mounted in wooden frames, the exact reproduc- 

 tion of the rooms which they occupied in Palenque. 

 — J. w. p. [170 



EARLY INSTITUTIONS. 

 The Nottingham records. — The records of the 

 borough of Nottingham have been published by 

 Quaritoh in London. They cover the period from 

 1155 to 1309, and contain much interesting matter 

 bearing upon the history of town customs and govern- 

 ment in England. Mr. G. L. Gomme, the author of 

 Primitive folk-moots, reviews the volume, and gives 

 us some extracts from it. Assuming that the mu- 

 nicipal corporation of the thirteenth century is the 

 primitive village community in a late stage of devel- 

 opment, he discovers various customs which he 

 describes as belonging to the primitive village. The 

 history of the primitive village is in this way extended 

 and enlarged. Some very interesting passages, illus- 

 trative of the right of pre-emption which kinsmen 

 enjoyed, are given. It appears, that, ''if a person 

 sold his land [in Nottingham], his nearest heirs might 

 lawfully enter into such lands and tenements if they 

 offered to the purchaser, in the gild hall of the town, 

 the money which he had given for the property." 

 Some passages bearing upon the history of the open- 

 field system are also cited. Mr. Gomme regards the 

 open-field system as ' the best evidence of the old 

 primitive tenure of land.' The custom of borough 

 English — or 'junior-right,' as Mr. Elton calls it — 

 obtained at Nottingham. — (The antiquary, April, 

 1883.) D. W. B. [171 



NOTES AND NEWS. 



It is hoped that the new section for mechanics 

 of the American association for the advancement of 

 science will receive the earnest co-operation of all 

 interested, who may find it convenient to attend. 

 The approaching meeting at Minneapolis will be the 

 second held by the section. Those having matters of 

 interest to present are requested to notify the secre- 

 tary of section D (A. A. A. S.) at Minneapolis as 

 early as possible. Circulars relating to the meeting 

 may be obtained of the permanent secretary of the 

 association, F. W. Putnam, at Minneapolis. 



— During the coming year, experiments will he 

 made at the physical laboratory of Jolms Hopkins 

 university with a view to aid in establishing an inter- 

 national unit of electrical resistance. The experi- 

 ments will be carried on, under the direction of 

 Professor Rowland, with an appropriation from the 

 government of the United States. The results will be 

 communicated to the International commission of 

 electricians, meeting in Paris. 



— We alluded a few weeks ago to the award of the 

 first Walker prize of the Boston society of natural 

 history to Mr. Howard Ayres of Fort Smith, Ark., 

 for his memoir on the development of Oecanthus. 



'This memoir is now printing by the society. The 

 award of the second prize has now been made. Sev- 

 eral papers of unquestionable merit were before the 



