ii6 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. XII. No. 292 



History, at its best, cannot help us much in the tariff controversy. 

 The crucial question as to the effect of protective duties on general 

 prosperity eludes a specific answer. The tariff is but one of a thou- 

 sand factors affecting the country's welfare, and by no means 

 among the most important. Its effects are so covered and hidden 

 by the effects of other causes, that it is practically impossible to 

 follow them out to their end. There is no subject on which so 

 much unwarranted nonsense is talked, on both sides, as on the 

 •question of protection. He who approaches it with so cock-sure 

 an air as Mr. Thompson, and tells us glibly about the beneficent 

 ■effect every high tariff has exercised, and about " the general em- 

 barrassment " which followed low duties, is, on the face of it, in- 

 competent to tell us any thing worth listening to. 



NOTES AND NEWS. 



The third number of the l7iternaiionales Archiv ftir Etluio- 

 Jogie is full of interesting material. The journal has rapidly be- 

 come the principal source of information to those whose studies 

 refer to ethnological collections. Each number contains beautifully 

 engraved color-plates showing interesting specimens. The text 

 gives elaborate descriptions of these plates, and reports of numer- 

 ous museums; descriptions of important accessions, of the organi- 

 zation of the collections, and information regarding smaller collec- 

 tions, which would otherwise be inaccessible to the student. The 

 last number contains a description of the extensive collection made 

 by Adrian Jacobsen among the Golds and Gilyaks, and a description 

 of the native tribes of Liberia. Besides this, it contains interesting 

 reports of current literature, recent explorations, and new collec- 

 tions. 



— The second annual meeting of the Iowa Association for Sci- 

 entific Research was held at Des Moines, lo., Sept. 5 and 6. Among 

 the papers presented were, ' Local Problems in Science ' (presidential 

 address), by Herbert Osborn ; 'My Experience in rearing Vanessa 

 antiopa,' by F. M. Witter ; ' On the Sedentary Habits of Plaiyceras,' 

 by Charles R. Keyes ; ' On the Folding of Carboniferous Strata in 

 South-western Iowa,' by J. E. Todd ; ' Descriptions of New Cynipi- 

 ■dm' by B. T. Gillette ; ' The Pustulate UnionidcE' by R. Ellsworth 

 Call ; • The Fauna of the Lower Coal-Measures at Des Moines, lo.,' 

 by Charles R. Keyes; ' The CicadidcEol Iowa,' by Herbert Osborn; 

 ' The Lineage of Lake Agassiz,' by J. E. Todd ; ' From the Stamen- 

 Petal,' by B. D. Halsted ; 'Some Additional Observations on the 

 Loess in and about Muscatine,' by F. M. Witter; ' The Geology of 

 Crowley's Ridge, Arkansas,' by R. Ellsworth Call ; ' On the Glacial 

 Drift and Loess of a Portion of the North-Central Basin of Iowa,' 

 by Clement L. Webster; and 'Descriptions of Two New Fossils 

 from the Devonian of Iowa,' by Charles R. Keyes. 



— An Italian engineer, M. Bocca. has just finished estimates for 

 a ship-canal to cross Italy. The canal would start from Castro on 

 the Mediterranean Sea, and end at Fano on the Adriatic. The 

 length would be 282 kilometres, the width 100 metres, and the 

 ■depth 12 metres, allowing large ironclads to pass. The canal 

 would drain Lakes Perugia and Bolsena, and would allow of a sys- 

 tematic irrigation of that whole region. The cost is estimated at 

 $100,000,000. The work would occupy 200,000 men for five 

 years. 



— Dr. M. Eschenhagen, in a recent number of Petermann's 

 Mitteilimgen, calls attention to an attempt to explain the magnetic 

 polarity of the earth and the situation of the magnetic poles. The 

 theory was first propounded by Dr. Menzzer. He assumes that 

 electrical currents flowing from east to west cause the magnetic po- 

 larity of the earth. If the surface of the earth were solid, these cur- 

 rents which depend upon the rotation of the earth would run exactly 

 east by west. This is approximately the case in the strata lying be- 

 low the average depth of the ocean. In the highest layers, however, 

 the distribution of land and water affects these currents. When 

 entering the ocean, they cause a locomotion of the water, and thus 

 the geographical features of the earth's surface affect the polarity 

 of the globe. Eschenhagen shows by a simple construction what 



this effect would be on the southern hemisphere. He assumes 

 that there are no electrical currents whatever in the ocean, and 

 computes the influence of those of the continents according to the 

 size, shape, and position of the latter. The result of this computa- 

 tion shows that the magnetic pole would be situated in latitude 76° 

 50' south, and longitude i83°4S'. According to Ross, its position 

 is latitude 75° 6' south, and longitude 171° 50'. As the influence of 

 the Antarctic continent has not been included in this computation, 

 the result must be considered very satisfactory and encouraging to 

 further work on Menzzer's hypothesis. 



— The Political Science Quarterly for September contains three 

 articles on constitutional questions, the most important of them be- 

 ing that by Sydney G. Fisher on the ' Suspension of Habeas Corpus 

 during the War of the RebeUion.' Mr. Fisher reviews the action 

 of President Lincoln in suspending the habeas corpus by his own 

 fiat, and, after considering the arguments on both sides, comes to 

 the conclusion that such action by the executive authority was 

 wholly unwarranted. The Constitution, in his opinion, gives the 

 power to suspend the writ to Congress, and not to the President, 

 and with this opinion we cordially agree. The subject is one of 

 great importance, and it is unfortunate that the Supreme Court has 

 never had the opportunity of passing judgment upon it, so as to 

 settle the question authoritatively. Mr. William A. Dunning has 

 a somewhat rambling article on the ' Inequality of the States,' in 

 which he expresses the opinion, that, owing to certain conditions 

 imposed by Congress at the time of reconstruction, some of the 

 Southern States are not on an equality with their sisters. Mr. 

 Dougherty's paper, on the ' Constitutions of the State of New York,' 

 is the first of a series, and will interest the people of the State, and 

 students of institutions elsewhere. Prof. R. M. Smith concludes 

 his discussion of the immigration question, expressing himself 

 strongly in favor of restriction ; yet he has little to propose in the 

 way of restrictive measures beyond the more rigid enforcement 

 of existing laws. The article in the Quarterly that will be likely 

 to attract most attention is the opening one, by George Gunton, on 

 the ' Economic and Social Aspect of Trusts,' in which he takes the 

 ground that these colossal combinations of capital " are the natural 

 consequence of modern industrial differentiation, and in their 

 nature are economically wholesome, and politically and socially 

 harmless." He confines himself mainly to the economic aspect of 

 the subject, and overlooks some important facts connected with it; 

 but his essay will be useful as a corrective of extravagant and un- 

 intelligent views on the other side of the question. On the whole, 

 this number of the Quarterly is one of the best that has yet 

 appeared. 



— Harper & Brothers have in preparation Sir J. W. Dawson's 



'Modern Science in Bible Lands.' E. & F. N. Spon have now 



ready the third edition of ' Dynamo-Electric Machinery : a Manual 

 for Students of Electrotechnics,' by Silvanus P. Thompson. Most 

 of this treatise has been re-written for this edition, and much new 

 matter has been added. Tne same firm announces as ready Sept. 

 I, ' The Elements of Electric Lighting,' including electric genera- 

 tion, measurement, storage, and distribution, by Philip Atkinson. 

 They also publish ' Crystal Models,' by John Gorham, and the 

 second edition of ' Sh6rt Lectures to Electrical Artisans,' being a 

 course of experimental lectures delivered to a practical audience, by 

 J. A. Fleming. The September issue of the American Maga- 

 zine opens with an article on ' The American Navy of To-day,' by 

 Lieut. William F. FuUam, U.S.N. A feature of the article is a 

 description of Captain Zalinski's dynamite cruiser, the ' Vesuvius.' 



The new cruisers are fully described. With the issue of Aug. 



■y>. Light, Heat, and Power becomes a weekly journal. The 



Electric Light Convention, just closed in New York, was the most 

 largely attended meeting yet held by the association, and the 

 papers, reports, discussions, and addresses were of unusual inter- 

 est and importance. Although the business of the convention only 

 came to a close late Friday afternoon, Aug. 31, The Electrical 



World V13.S out on Saturday morning with its usual full, carefully 



prepared stenographic report of the proceedings. Dr. McCook's 



'Tenants of an Old Farm' (New York, Fords, Howard. & Hul- 

 bert), published at $2.50, will be sold this season at $1.50. 



