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SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXII. No. 821 



tional reputation for organization, and this 

 could hardly be better exempliiied than by the 

 plans and their execution for the Stockholm 

 congress, in which the general secretary, Pro- 

 fessor J. G. Anderssen, has necessarily played 

 the major role. The excursions before, during 

 and after the congress were on a large scale, 

 were participated in by an exceptionally large 

 number of persons, and had an interest quite 

 extraordinary. As many of them carried the 

 visiting geologists well within the arctic circle, 

 there was offered the opportunity of studying 

 geological processes peculiar in some sense to 

 sub-polar regions and hence largely new. Of 

 especial importance and interest was the proc- 

 ess of salifluction, apparently as characteristic 

 of sub-polar latitudes as stream erosion of 

 more temperate climes. The many quite re- 

 markable manifestations of this process were 

 to be seen by the members taking part in at 

 least two of the excursions. The longest of 

 the excursions, that to Spitzbergen, required 

 over three weeks' time and was participated ■ 

 in by between sixty-five and seventy members 

 of the congress. A grounding of the steamer 

 in the Isfjord might have proved serious, but 

 after a part "of the coal had been thrown over- 

 board the ship was again floated at the next 

 high tide. About Tornetrask in northern 

 Sweden, several of the other excursion parties 

 were more or less united. Those interested 

 especially in tectonic questions studied the 

 great overthrusts of the district under the 

 leadership of Professor Holmquist. The posi- 

 tions of the unmoved pre-Cambrian and Si- 

 lurian beds and the great nappes of overriding 

 crystallines could be discerned for long dis- 

 tances and with unusual clearness from the 

 railroad, which follows the southern shore of 

 the lake. Those more interested in glacial 

 problems studied the successive ice-dam m ed 

 lakes of late Pleistocene times which were 

 formed against the ice front as it retired 

 southeastwardly through this portal of the 

 mountains. The strand-lines dating from this 

 period are preserved in greater numbers and 

 perfection than are even the famous " parallel 

 roads " of the Scottish glens. The second of 



the successive outlets toward the Atlantic is 

 the Bardo Valley, and this was seen from a 

 commanding position which had received no 

 name. This magnificent gorge, while on a 

 smaller scale than that of the Tellowstone, yet 

 is its rival in many respects. The not distant 

 railway station of Abiskojokk bids fair to be- 

 come in the future a gathering point especially 

 for European tourists, and the geologists of 

 excursion A^ unanimously voted that the beau- 

 tiful point of inspiration from which the 

 gorge was viewed be named Point Sjogren, in 

 honor of Dr. Otto Sjogren, the leader of the 

 excursion. Several of the large excursions 

 included a visit to the great iron ores of the 

 Ivirunavaare district in northern Lapland, 

 and many availed themselves of tlie oppor- 

 tunity to return to Stockholm by way of the 

 northwest coast of Norway, with its many 

 morphological and scenic attractions. In the 

 Jamtland excursion. Dr. Hogbom, the leader, 

 was so unfortunate as to suffer a fracture of 

 the arm, which compelled him to give over the 

 conduct of the party, but did not prevent his 

 attending the congress and taking charge of 

 other excursions. One other accident marred 

 the pleasure of the excursions. Professor 

 Sapper, of Strassburg, was run down by a 

 cyclist at the station of Are and his left arm 

 broken and dislocated at the shoulder. 



The complete list of the excursions is as 

 formidable as the Livret-guide to explain 

 them. This latter comprised no less than 

 forty monographs, for the most part written 

 with admirable adaptability to the end in view. 

 These concise summaries of the geology of 

 representative districts by the best authorities 

 upon them, are being more and more highly 

 appreciated by geologists, as is shown by the 

 number who subscribe to the congress without 

 attending its sessions. In addition to the 

 Livret-guide a vast amount of literature was 

 presented to members, and as most of it was 

 valuable the manner of its transportation to 

 the distant homes became sometimes an im- 

 portant problem for the visiting geologists. 



ISTot least important of the acts of the 

 Swedish committee of the congress has been 



