September 6, 1901.] 



SCIENCE. 



383 



north of the junction with the Mississippi 

 River. Trustees of the sanitary district are 

 pleased with the action of the War Department 

 in issuing orders to allow a swift flow of water 

 through the canal during eight hours of the 

 day. The hours specified are between 4 p. m. 

 and midnight, and the flow allowed is 300,000 

 cubic feet a minute, instead of 200,000 cubic feet, 

 as is allowed during the remainder of the day. 



The Eeport on the Observatory Department 

 of the National Physical Laboratory for the 

 year 1900 has been published in the Proceedings 

 of the Royal Society. According to an ab- 

 stract in Nature the magnetographs have been 

 in constant operation throughout the year, but 

 the curves have been quite free from any large 

 fluctuations. The mean westerly declination 

 for the entire year was 16° 52^.7. The auto- 

 matic and tabulated records of the various 

 meteorological instruments have been trans- 

 mitted, as usual, to the Meteorological Ofiice, 

 to be dealt with in its publications, and special 

 cloud observations have been made each month 

 in connection with the international scheme of 

 balloon ascents. Seismological observations 

 have been regularly made ; two noticeable dis- 

 turbances occurred during the year, on January 

 20 and October 29. A detailed list of the 

 movements of the seismograph will be published 

 in the Report of the British Association for the 

 present year. As regards experimental work, 

 the observation of distant objects during mist 

 and fog and researches upon atmospheric elec- 

 tricity, referred to in previous reports, have 

 been regularly continued. The list of the vari- 

 ous instruments tested is a very long one. Some 

 of the cases in which a considerable increase 

 has occurred are : Aneroids and marine ba- 

 rometers (number tested in year 1900), 336 (in- 

 crease 69) ; compasses, 963 (increase 559) ; 

 rain gauges, 1,345 (increase 784) ; clinical ther- 

 mometers, 20,476 (increase 4,456) ; total num- 

 ber of instruments tested, 27,569 (increase 

 5,518). The principal addition to the staff 

 during the year has been the appointment of Dr. 

 J. A. Harker as an assistant in the labora.tory. 



In an interview with a representative of the 

 London Times, Professor Otto Nordenskjold, 

 who is at present, staying at Malmo in order to 



make arrangements for his antarctic expedition, 

 made the following statement: '"As soon as 

 the Antarctic returns from the expedition which 

 she has made to Spitzbergen for meridian 

 measurements — and it is calculated that she 

 must be on her homeward journey by Septem- 

 ber 15 — we start from Goteborg. The time of 

 our departure cannot, of course, be definitely 

 fixed, for unforeseen hindrances may arise ; but 

 we shall certainly be able to weigh anchor by 

 about October 1 . From Goteborg we shall pro- 

 ceed to England, and thence to Buenos Ayres 

 and Tierra del Fuego, whence we shall make 

 our way to the antarctic regions. "We shall 

 endeavor to push as far south as possible with 

 the Antarctic ; and, when winter comes on, we 

 shall send a party on shore to winter. That 

 party will probably consist of six persons, of 

 whom I shall be one. We shall build a small 

 hut for ourselves, and engage in meteorologi- 

 cal, magnetic, hydrographic and other scientific 

 observations. As soon as we have landed, the 

 Antarctic will return to Tierra del Fuego ; and a 

 scientist, who will sail with her, will conduct the 

 researches in that hitherto little explored coun- 

 try. In this way we shall be able to work in 

 two detachments, and make as much use of our 

 time as possible. As is well known, an English 

 and a German South Polar expedition are also 

 being sent out at the same time. In order to 

 avoid clashing with one another, these three 

 expeditions have come to an agreement whereby 

 we explore the region south of the Atlantic 

 Ocean, the Germans that south of the Indian 

 Ocean, and the British that south of the Pacific 

 Ocean. Naturally we cannot advance so far 

 towards the South as towards the North Pole, 

 but the scientific results must be great, and we 

 are well equipped for scientific research. I 

 shall have some able scientists with me. Pro- 

 fessor Ohlin, of Lund, the well-known explorer, 

 and M. K. A. Andersson will accompany me as 

 zoologists. Dr. Bodman will come as hydrog- 

 rapher and magnetician, M. Skottoberg as bot- 

 anist, and Dr. E. Ekolof as medical officer. 

 The Norwegian, Captain Larsin, who has al- 

 ready made several voyages to South Polar 

 regions, will be in charge of the Antarctic.''^ 



A CORRESPONDENT of the Londou Times reports 

 that a discovery of flint implements has lately 



