April 19, 1889.] 



SCIENCE. 



299 



Abt of Luzerne, Switzerland, for his system of railways for steep 

 inclines. 



' — " According to a careful estimate," says the London Iron, 

 " the number of war-vessels launched last year by the naval pow- 

 ers of the world was 60, while more than too were building when 

 it closed. England led with 15 vessels launched, and 28 building ; 

 France launched 9, and laid down 15 ; Russia launched 2, and be- 

 gan 10 ; Germany put 6 vessels into the water, and ordered or laid 

 down 4 ; Italy launched 10, and laid down 18; Austria launched 

 no vessel, but laid down or ordered 3 ; Sweden laid down i ; Den- 

 mark launched I, and laid down another ; China added 4 vessels to 

 her navy, and ordered or laid down 4 more ; Japan ordered 3, and 

 launched 3 ; the United States launched 6, and laid down 6 ; Chili 

 ordered a new cruiser in England, and the Argentine Republic 

 contracted for a 4,300-ton ironclad ; Brazil laid down a cruiser ; 

 and even Uruguay has contributed to the navies of the world, 

 launching a small iron gunboat. The minor powers, like Greece 

 and Portugal, have either contracted for or launched small vessels. 

 Turkey has begun the work of building up her navy, laying down 

 one ironclad and several smaller vessels." 



— An article published in the Oil City Derrick recently, contains 

 some statements regarding the area and character of the illumi- 

 nating oil-bearing territory, which Bradstreet's believes should 

 be re-assuring to believers in a possible future oil-famine in this 

 country. The oil regions as now developed, the article states, 

 " extend from Wellsville, N.Y., crossing Pennsylvania at nearly a 

 45-degree line to Dunkard Creek, in West Virginia. On an air 

 line, this covers a distance of 204 miles in length ; and, so far as 

 developed, the belt is about 10 miles in width. The yield of the 

 oil-fields up to March i, 1889, was 340,133,997 barrels. About 

 1 50,000,000 barrels of this came from McKean County alone, and 

 this county is still good for 20,000 barrels a day." The total fu- 

 ture production of this belt is beyond prediction. It has been 

 noted, says the article, that oil-bearing rock, wherever found, usu- 

 ally yields about the same quantity of oil to a given acre. The 

 yield of oil per square mile of territory during the first fifteen years 

 of its existence is about 1,000,000 barrels. It is considered certain, 

 however, that each of the 204 square miles of territory will not 

 yield this quantity. If it did, the total production there outlined 

 would be aboy.t 2,040,000,000 barrels. " This belt of 204 miles is 

 a chain 6f pools, large and small ; and, until the area of each one 

 is known, the total yield would be simply conjecture." The figures 

 and estimates given relate only to the region where the illuminating- 

 oil of commerce is produced ; namely, New York, Pennsylvania, 

 and the Macksburg district in Ohio. The great Lima field is not 

 taken into account, nor Colorado, California, Kentucky, or Tennes- 

 see. " It has been stated that under the energy of the drill, the 

 Ohio field might be made to yield 100,000 barrels a day. This is 

 not improbable, since the Bradford field in July, 1882, produced 

 105,102 barrels each day of that month. The Bradford field had 

 no large wells, compared with the geysers of Ohio. Lima oil is 

 worth but about one-seventh as much as the Pennsylvania product, 

 and can never come into competition with it as an illuminant, un- 

 less some new process of manufacture is discovered beyond any 

 thing now known. Its utility in the world's economy lies in the 

 direction of fuel, and there is not much likelihood that it will ever 

 be diverted from this field. Natural gas is the only fuel that can 

 compete with it in cheapness, and that is not everywhere obtaina- 

 ble. Natural gas cannot be transported much above 100 miles, 

 and oil-fuel may be carried to the ends of the earth. As far west 

 as Omaha it is now furnishing manufacturers a cheaper fuel than 

 coal." With the above large supplies of oil, both for illuminating 

 purposes and for fuel, in sight, the writer of the article apparently 

 sees little reason to fear an oil-famine, as he states it, as among the 

 immediate probabilities. 



— John Ericsson desired that if any biography of him was un- 

 dertaken, it should be intrusted to his friend, Col. William C. 

 Church, editor of the Army and Navy yournal, and the executors 

 of the estate accordingly have turned over to Col. Church all the 

 papers which could be useful in such a work. While it is true 

 that Capt. Ericsson destroyed his diary, all his documents since 

 l86o were preserved. In private letters and other papers has been 



found abundant material relative to his youth and the influences 

 which shaped his early career. Col. Church will contribute some 

 valuable papers embodying much of this material to the fall num- 

 bers of Scribner's Magazine, which have been prepared by the help 

 of these original documents. They will afterwards be expanded 

 into an adequate biography. 



— Another of Dr. Andrew D. White's papers on " The Warfare 

 of Science" will be among the contents of the May Popular Sci- 

 ence Monthly. This article is devoted to diabolism and hysteria, 

 and will contain accounts of the dancing and other manias of sev- 

 eral centuries ago in Europe, and the witchcraft delusion in this 

 country, for which many innocent persons met their death, show- 

 ing that these epidemics originated in nervous derangements, and 

 were magnified and distorted by false theories. An extended 

 reply to Professor Huxley's article on " Agnosticism," which was 

 published in the last number of the monthly, will appear in the 

 May issue. This view of the other side of the subject is given by 

 Rev. Dr. Henry Wace, principal of King's College, and the Bishop 

 of Peterborough, whose earlier utterances had been criticised by 

 Professor Huxley. Every one who has wondered how the marvel- 

 lous artistic effects of our best mosaic windows are produced will 

 be interested in the account of a visit to a colored- window studio, 

 which Professor C. H. Henderson will contribute. The article is 

 entitled " The History of a Picture Window," and contains illus- 

 trations of the several processes of manufacture. Finally, " The 

 Strange Markings on Mars " is the title of an illustrated article. 

 The author, Mr. Garrett P. Serviss, tells how these markings have 

 been explained, and shows the bearing of what is known about 

 this planet upon the question whether or not it is the abode of life. 



— "The Contemporary Review for April (New York, Leonard Scott 

 Publication Company, 29 Park Row) opens with two timely papers 

 on the political situation in France, by G. Monod and P. G. Ham- 

 erton ; Professor A. V. Dicey discusses the rights of public meet- 

 ings, viewing the matter from the standpoint of a lawyer, and not 

 as a politician ; the Rev. Horace Waller treats of the slave question 

 in Africa in an article entitled " The Two Ends of the Slave- 

 Stick; " Professor Edward A. Freeman contributes a lengthy paper 

 on Christianity and the " geocentric " system ; Dr. Dale continues 

 his interesting papers on AustraUa, devoting himself this month to 

 a consideration of religion and morals ; Dean Plumtre writes an 

 interesting and novel paper on Shakspeare's travels in Somerset, 

 Wales, and the Netherlands, basing his argument on extracts from 

 the plays and poems ; James Runciman writes on the ethics of the 

 turf ; and Professor Stuart treats of the Metropolitan Police. 



— The Nineteenth Century for April (New York, Leonard Scott 

 Publication Company, 29 Park Row) opens with a rejoinder on 

 agnosticism, by Professor Huxley, in which he replies to the criti- 

 cisms made by Dr. Wace in the March number. The Earl of Meath 

 discusses the work of the new London Council, the body that has 

 recently been organized for the government of London. Special 

 importance is attached to the necessity for parks and open spaces 

 for the poor. Lady Blake writes of seals and seal-fisheries. Vis- 

 count Powerscourt, a Liberal-Unionist, contributes some casual 

 notes on Ireland. Mr. Scrutton, the president of the Chamber of 

 Shipping of the United Kingdom for 1888, replies to Mr. PlimsoU's 

 paper on marine insurance in the March issue. The Rev. Henry 

 Sidebotham writes on Monte Carlo, pointing out the still numerous 

 errors of the place. W. Frewen Lord describes the British domin- 

 ion in the Ionian Islands, extending from 18 15 to 1863, when they 

 were ceded to Greece. He treats at some length of British mis- 

 rule, a phase of English history heretofore little understood. Row- 

 land E. Prothero discusses the question, " Is an Agricultural De- 

 partment Necessary ? " which is not without interest to Americans, 

 in view of the recently established department at Washington. 

 Sir William Gregory contributes an interesting series of reminis- 

 cences of Daniel O'Connell. Dr. Tuke writes of lunatics as 

 patients, not prisoners. The Marquis of Lome makes some sug- 

 gestions for emigrants, with special reference to Canada. Under 

 the head of " Noticeable Books " are brief reviews by Mr. Glad- 

 stone, Rev. Dr. Jessopp, Walter Pater, Hamilton Aide, and Fred- 

 eric Harrison. 



