November 25, 1898.] 



iSCIENCE. 



747 



vessel is called, will be the investigation of the 

 Agulhas Bank from Mossel Bay and Port Eliza- 

 beth, Kuysna, Port Alfred and East London. 

 The scientific aspect of the work will be kept 

 in sight, but for the present more attention 

 must be given to the industry. Considerable 

 opposition has been made to the operations of 

 the steam trawler, but it has been pointed out 

 that Parliament was only experimenting at 

 present, that proper investigation would be 

 made into the alleged disturbance of spawn 

 and the fishing limits for ordinary fishermen, 

 but that the store of food available round the 

 coast would certainly be exploited in a country 

 clamoring for cheap food, and that the interests 

 of a large country would outweigh the inter- 

 ests of a few individual fishermen. The report 

 contains some valuable charts, descriptions of a 

 new Arnoglossus by Mr. Boulenger, and a new 

 genus of gasteropoda Neptuneopsis gilchristi by 

 Mr. G. B. Sowerby, besides much other statis- 

 tical information. 



A LARGE number of visitors, as we learn from 

 the London Times, assembled at the shipyard 

 of Messrs. W. G. Armstrong, Whitvvorth & Co., 

 Walker-on-Tyne, on October 29th, to witness 

 the novel launch of an icebreaking steamer, 

 said to be the largest in the world, which the 

 firm has built for the Russian government. 

 The vessel is the pioneer ship of what may be 

 termed pelagic icebreakers. The dimensions 

 and appearance of the vessel would suggest a 

 battleship were it not that the bow is cut away 

 and forms an exceedingly long overhang, which 

 serves the double purpose of breaking the ice 

 with which it comes in contact and of protect- 

 ing the forward propeller. The principle upon 

 which the new vessel attacks the ice is by force, 

 augmented by science. The forward propeller, 

 by disturbing the water under the ice, deprives 

 it of its support, and then renders it a compara- 

 tively easy task for the heavy vessel to break 

 through it. The principal dimensions are : 

 Length 305 feet, breadth 71 feet, and deplh 42 

 feet 6 inches. When fully loaded the draught 

 will be 25 feet, and the corresponding displace- 

 ment about 8,000 tons. The propelling ma- 

 chinery has been divided into four sets, of 

 which three sets are aft, each driving its own 

 propeller, and one set forward. The combined 



power of these four sets of machinery will be 

 10,000 horse-power. There is accommodation 

 for 30 first-class passengers, 10 second-class 

 and 50 third-class passengers, besides that for 

 the captain, officers, engineers and crew of the 

 vessel. There is ample capacity for cargo, so 

 that the vessel, in addition to conveying mer- 

 chant vessels through the ice, is herself capable 

 of carrying a heavy cargo. The stern of the 

 icebreaker is cut to form a recess, into which 

 the stem of another vessel can be securely 

 lashed, and thus obtain the utmost protection 

 from her povv'erful consort. Admiral MakarofF 

 has also in view the possibility of augmenting 

 the icebreaking capabilities of this vessel by 

 having the assistance of a second vessel pushing 

 her, as to which he has already made experi- 

 ments. 



The British Select Committee on the Mu- 

 seums of the Science and Art Department 

 recommended that the collection of preserved 

 fish bequeathed to the nation by the late Pro- 

 fessor Buckland should be abolished. In view 

 of this action the Piscatorial Society has 

 adopted a request that reads as follows : The 

 committee inspected the collection, which 

 they found in a deplorable condition and 

 quite inadequate to carry out the testator's 

 intentions, evidently owing to absolute neglect 

 since it was taken over. There being no cata- 

 logue, it is impossible to determine how much of 

 the original collection still exists. The pur- 

 chased additions apparently consist of some- 

 thing less than two dozen specimens, the major- 

 ity of which have no direct bearing upon British 

 fish industries. A large amount of the space 

 allotted to the exhibit is taken up by objects 

 which, however interesting in themselves, have 

 no connection with either fish or fisheries. Your 

 committee fully endorse the opinion of the Select 

 Committee of the House of Commons as to the 

 danger arising from the specimens preserved in 

 spirits, as the building is certainly unsuited for 

 the storage of such exhibits, but fail to see the 

 point of the objection as regards the Buckland 

 bequest, inasmuch as the majority of the fish in 

 alcohol belong to the Day collection, which is 

 not in any way an industrial exhibit and 

 should be placed in the Natural History Mu- 

 seum. As regards the testator's intention to 



