950 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XVII. No 441. 



thought of using the new thermo-barometric 

 method which has been used oil the Atlantic 

 Ocean, but it has been justly stated that this 

 method would not give results sufficiently pre- 

 cise. However, the chief of the expedition 

 has not lost sight of this important question, 

 and we can he assured that it will not be 

 neglected. 



Leveling of Precision. — The completion 

 of the work on the railroad towards the plateau 

 between the Andes permits the levels between 

 Guayaquil and the base line at Riobamba to be 

 determined with much greater facility than 

 was possible when the arc measure was begun. 



Topographic Worh. — A map on a scale of 

 1/500,000 will be made of the whole inter- 

 mountain region and special maps on a larger 

 scale have been made in certain localities. 



Magnetic Observations. — Magnetic observa- 

 tions have been made at nearly all the stations. 

 They are not yet reduced. 



Studies in Natural Science. — Dr. Rivet has 

 continued his studies relating to the natural 

 sciences and has made a number of additions 

 to the museums. He has undertaken the 

 study of the anthropology of the Indian races 

 in this intermountain region. 



The following is the program of work dur- 

 ing the year 1903 : 



1. The completion of work on the northern 

 section. 



2. The geodetic observations on the south- 

 ern sections and more or less of the section 

 Riobamba-Cuenga, comprising besides azimuth 

 observations the determination of the latitude 

 'a la seconde ronde' at each station if possible. 



3. A secondary latitude at Cuenga and 

 the difference of longitude Cuenga-Riobamba 

 (or Cuenga-Quito) if telegraphic connection 

 between the former stations can not be made 

 without delay. 



4. The magnetic observations as heretofore. 



5. The beginning of the levels of precision. 

 There remains for the following years the 



geodetic work on the section Cuenga-Payta, 

 the pendulum observations, and the connec- 

 tion, if possible, by geodetic observations of 

 the island of Puna, with the meridional chain 

 of triangulation, with a complete astronomical 

 station on Puna. Isaac Winston. 



QUOTATIONS. 



THE NEW YORK STATE SCHOOL OP FORESTRY. 



When New York established a School of 

 Forestry, to make sure that it should not fall 

 into the hands of politicians and be exploited 

 for ' what there was in it,' it was lodged under 

 the shelter of Cornell University. It was 

 deemed advantageous to make this arrange- 

 ment for other reasons also, and particularly 

 in order that the teachers and students should 

 have access to the library and laboratories and 

 lecture rooms of the university proper, where 

 the cognate sciences of botany, chemistry, 

 mineralogy and various kinds of engineering 

 are taught. The university chose a professor 

 of forestry of the highest repute, Mr. E. B. 

 Fernow, and placed him in charge of the im- 

 portant work which had been assigned to it, 

 and the state set apart certain forest lands 

 which it owned, in order to impart the needed 

 instruction to students. The annual reports 

 of Professor Pernow have been published and 

 circulated at the state's expense, and have been 

 highly praised by all competent to form an 

 opinion. We have never seen an unfavorable 

 conmient upon them by any expert in forestry. 



The state also made an annual appropria- 

 tion for its School of Forestry. That of 1902 

 was for $10,000, where $30,000 had been asked 

 for. This year the appropriation was vetoed 

 by the governor, and now the attorney-general 

 has been requested by certain sununer resi- 

 dents of the Upper Saranac Lake region to 

 bring an action to annul the ' grant of forest 

 lands to Cornell University ' — so the dis- 

 patches read. Naturally, the newspapers have 

 fallen into the habit of considering the uni- 

 versity the beneficiary of both the grant and 

 the appropriation. This is not the first time 

 that the mistake has been made, although the 

 fact is that the state is indebted to the univer- 

 sity in respect of this school. The university 

 has no pecuniary interest in the School of 

 Forestry that is not common to all citizens of 

 New York. What is at the bottom of this 

 rage against the School of Forestry it is 

 difficult to see, unless it may be the mere 

 objection of campers, hunters and summer 

 residents. The objectors, whoever they may 



