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[Vol. IX., No. 209- 



such as Tschany, for instance, have shrunk to half 

 their former dimensions. On personal examina- 

 tion of those lakes, he found many traces of a 

 recent decrease in their waters. Russia has so 

 many lakes, that the study of their physical geog- 

 raphy is especially important. 



The pendulum ordered last year has been 

 brought from Hamburg to St. Petersburg by Pro- 

 fessor Lenz. It has been carefully tested, and 

 Professor Bredichin, the astronomer, will make 

 determinations of gravity with it next summer in 

 the vicinity of Moscow. 



Among the recent changes in the personnel of 

 the Geographical society, the following may be 

 mentioned : General Stebnitzky has been chosen 

 president of the mathematical section, and Prof. 

 W. Lamanskyof the ethnographical section. The 

 former is known by his excellent geodetical work 

 in the Caucasus and the eastern part of Asia Mi- 

 nor, and also by his works on local attraction. 

 The latter gentleman is one of our most eminent 

 Slavists. 



The eclipse of Aug. 19 will be visible over a 

 great extent of Russian territory. The question 

 as to the best methods of its observation, which 

 was discussed last spring by the Physico-chemical 

 society, is now being considered by the Meteoro- 

 logical commission of the Geographical society, 

 which will occupy itself mainly with observations 

 on pressure and temperature during the eclipse. 

 It has not been decided what expeditions will be 

 equipped for the purpose, and only two points of 

 observation have as yet been determined upon. 

 One or two astronomers will be stationed on the 

 estate of General Maiewsky, in the district of Tver, 

 where an astronomical observatory is established ; 

 and Professor Bredichin, with two English friends, 

 will take observations on his estate in the govern- 

 ment of Kostroma. It is not as yet known whether 

 or not the Pulkowa observatory will send out a 

 parly. The visibility of the eclipse on land will 

 be unusually great ; and the country west of Lake 

 Baikal, where the totality will be seen, is tolerably 

 well settled ; and to Tomsk, at least, the railroad 

 and steamboat communications are good. The 

 time of the year is favorable, and the hour, 7 

 A.M., is such that the morning fogs will have 

 been dissipated. 



The question as to the new chair of geography 

 in the Russian universities is under discussion. 

 The universities of Moscow, Kharkow, Kasan, 

 and Odessa have already sent their opinions to 

 the ministry of public instruction, that of St. Pe- 

 tersburg is still considering the subject, while 

 Prof. A. Woeikof has been sent to different coun- 

 tries of Europe on a scientific mission in connec- 

 tion with the matter. 



The Academy of sciences has recently elected ta 

 membership two chemists and a mathematician. 

 The former. Professor Beketow, of Khartow, and 

 Professor Beilstein of the Technological institute 

 of St. Petersburg, are well known abroad ; the 

 latter, Dr. Marcow, of St. Petersburg, is a young 

 man of great talent, who occupied the chair of 

 Professor Tschebischew after the latter left the 

 university. 



Among recent scientific publications may be 

 mentioned that of M. A. Rykatschew on the freez- 

 ing and opening of rivers and lakes in Russia. 

 The author, with the assistance of three naval 

 officers, — Kowalsky, Maliarewsky, and Filenius,. 

 — has collected a great quantity of material which 

 he has used in a very able manner. For the dates 

 of opening of the rivers, lakes, etc., he has availed 

 himself of observations at 907 different points, 

 and, for those of their freezing, 890 points. Some 

 of these observations extended over long periods,, 

 those relating to the Neva at St. Petersburg,^ 

 Vistula at Warsaw, Dwina at Archangel, Angara 

 at Irkutsk, Diina at Riga, and Kiiro at Storkiiro,. 

 reaching back over a hundred years ; the Onega 

 at Onega, Bielaya at Ufa, Volga at Saratov, Obi at 

 Barnaul, Sookhona at Ustiug-Weliki, Sysola at 

 Ust-Sysolsk, and Yenisei at Yeniseisk, more than 

 eighty years. The following table shows the num- 

 ber of available observations as to time of opening, 

 and freezing at the points mentioned during the 

 number of years given in the first column : — 



In the book under consideration the observa- 

 tions for each year are given separately. The re- 

 sults are also graphically shown by three charts or 

 diagrams, — one for the date of opening, one for 

 that of freezing, and one for the number of days 

 the rivers are frozen. As might be expected, 

 there is nearly always a retardation ; that is, the 

 rivers do not freeze over until some days after the 

 temperature has fallen below 0°, and do not open 

 until some days after it has risen above 0°. This 

 retardation is greater for large rivers than for 

 small ones. The explanation of this difference 

 is, that a longer time is required to chill a large 

 body of water than a smaller one ; and, on the 

 othev hand, the melting of the snow, and the 

 consequent snow-water, sooner affects the ice of 

 a small river than that of a larger one. But. 



