438 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXIV. No. 875 



eral cliaracter. Additional contributions of 

 saline waters from the west, received through 

 Arkansas and Eed rivers, suffice to maintain 

 in the water of the lower Mississippi that 

 high proportion of salinity first derived mid- 

 way in its course from the Missouri River. 



West of Koyukuk and Tukon rivers in 

 Alaska a large area has long remained geolog- 

 ically unexplored. In a portion of this region 

 an exploration party from the United States 

 Geological Survey worked during the season 

 of 1909, and the results of the studies there 

 carried on and extended as far as Council, in 

 Seward Peninsula, are set forth in Bulletin 

 No. 449 just issued by the survey. The party 

 consisted of Philip S. Smith and H. M. Eakin, 

 geologists of the survey and authors of the 

 report, A. G. Winegarden, packer, and a cook. 

 Supplies for a month were shipped to Nulato, 

 the point from which the expedition set out, 

 and other supplies, sufficient to last the rest of 

 the season, were sent to Nome and then trans- 

 ported to the mouth of the Koyuk and there 

 cached to await the arrival of the party. The 

 area traversed by this party was selected for 

 survey because it was thought that the meta- 

 morphic rocks of the Seward Peninsula might 

 occur within it, which would give presump- 

 tion of the presence of gold deposits. In 

 addition to exploring the region east of Nor- 

 ton Bay the party carried the topographic and 

 geologic mapping into the southeastern part 

 of the Seward Peninsula, thus extending the 

 areas mapped by the Geological Survey in 

 earlier years. The report is a volume of 140 

 pages, describing the topography and geology 

 of the area and containing notes on its cli- 

 mate, vegetation, game and fish. Some 40 

 pages are devoted to the mineral resources — 

 placer and lode gold deposits and prospects, 

 and silver, lead, copper and coal. It is illus- 

 trated with photographs and brief sketch maps 

 and contains also a topographic reconnais- 

 sance map of southeastern Seward Peninsula, 

 on the scale of four miles to the inch, a col- 

 ored geologic map of the same area and a 

 colored geologic map of Nulato-Norton Bay 

 region, on the scale of 8 miles to the inch. 



Fluorspar, one of the lesser minerals, has 

 come to occupy a comparatively important 

 place in every-day afl^airs. It is used in the 

 manufacture of glass, of enameled and sani- 

 tary ware, in refining antimony and lead, in 

 the production of aluminum, and as a flux in 

 blast furnaces and in the manufacture of steel 

 in basic open-hearth furnaces. The produc- 

 tion of open-hearth steel alone in 1910 was 

 over 15,000,000 long tons. The production of 

 fluorspar, according to Ernest F. Burchard, of 

 the United States Geological Survey, in a re- 

 port on fluorspar and cryolite jiist issued, in- 

 creased from 18,450 short tons in 1900, valued 

 at $94,500, to 69,427 tons in 1910, valued at 

 $430,196. There was an increase in 1910 of 

 37 per cent, in quantity and 47 per cent, in 

 value over the figures for 1909. The deposits 

 which have been exploited are in Arizona, New 

 Mexico, Colorado, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennes- 

 see and New Hampshire. Illinois is much 

 the heaviest producer. There was also im- 

 ported in 1910, according to Mr. Burchard, 

 42,488 short tons, valued at $135,152. Mr. 

 Burchard's report contains, in addition to the 

 statistics of the industry, a discussion of the 

 methods of mining and milling fluorspar as 

 well as a description of recently discovered 

 high-grade deposits in New Mexico. 



A VOLUME containing the reports for the 

 year 1909-10 from those universities and uni- 

 versity colleges in Great Britain which par- 

 ticipate in the parliamentary grant has been 

 issued as a blue-book and an abstract is given 

 in the London Times. The introductory re- 

 port of the Board of Education, which is 

 signed by Mr. Eunciman, Mr. Trevelyan and 

 Sir Robert Morant, deplores the fact that, 

 apart from the recent munificent gifts to 

 Reading University College, the endowments 

 provided by private benefaction during the 

 period have not been comparable in magni- 

 tude and importance with those of the late 

 Sir Alfred Jones, Mr. Otto Beit, M. Albert 

 Kahn or Mr. W. H. Lever, to which reference 

 was made in the last report, although there 

 probably was never a time when university 

 education was in greater need of encourage- 

 ment. The apathy of the public at large is 



