132 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. IX., No. 210 



sending this to the . hydrographic oiiice at Wash- 

 ington, D.C., stating when and where found." 

 The note was signed "J. L. Somers, schr. Emma 

 L. Cottingham, of Somers Point, N.J." 



— Three more sheets of the topographical atlas 

 of New Jersey are issued, making thirteen out of 

 the seventeen for the whole state. The new sheets 

 are named after their chief places, Trenton, Mount 

 Holly, and Camden. The remaining sheets will 

 probably be completed in 1888. 



— The report of Lieut. William H. Schurtze, 

 I7.S N., on his official trip to Russia to distribute 

 the testimonials of the government to the subjects 

 of Russia who extended aid to the. survivors of 

 the Jeannette exploring expedition, was presented 

 to congress last week. The report is quite long, 

 and records in detail the movements of the lieu- 

 tenant and the results of his observations. Ac- 

 companying the report are copies of two charts 

 the existence of which Lieutenant Schurtze be- 

 lieves have been forgotten outside of Russia. He 

 says, in view of the general interest taken in any- 

 thing pertaining to the Jeannette expedition, it 

 seems that these charts are worthy of special con- 

 sideration, because they relate directly to two 

 regions most prominent in the history of the ex- 

 pedition, namely, Bennett Island and the Lena 

 Delta, North Siberia. 



— The U. S. coast and geodetic survey report 

 for 1885 — Appendix No. 10 — contains a paper 

 by Charles O. Boutelle, who gives practical sug- 

 gestions for geodetic reconnaissance, such as he 

 derives from his long experience in field-work. 

 His information on the selection of base-lines and 

 stations for triangulation will be useful for topog- 

 raphers. 



— In 1882 small-pox was very prevalent in 

 New York, there having been 708 cases with 259 

 deaths. In 1883, only 26 cases and 12 deaths oc- 

 curred ; in 1884, 5 cases and no deaths ; in 1885, 

 105 cases and 26 deaths ; and in 1886, 109 cases 

 and 31 deaths. During the week ending Jan. 29 of 

 the present year, there were 23 cases, of which 3 

 proved fatal. 



— The health commissioner of Denver, Col., re- 

 ports that in 1886 there were 195 deaths from con- 

 sumption in that city, only five of which origi- 

 nated in the state of Colorado. 



— The U. S. geological survey is engaged in 

 the preparation of a detailed topographical map 

 of the vicinity of Washington, Alexandria, and 

 contiguous parts of Maryland and Virginia. It 

 is intended to show the elevation by contours at 

 twenty-five feet intervals, showing the curvature 

 of the earth as it rises from the sea-level The 



existing coast-survey work in this neighborhood 

 will be incorporated in the new map. This will 

 be the first authentic topographical map, on a 

 trigonometric basis, of the District of Columbia 

 and its surroundings. The coast-survey steamer 

 Hassler arrived at the Mare Island navy yard last 

 week, and will soon go north to the Alaska coast 

 and resume work in that vicinity. 



— Dr. Hini'ichs has lately published a compari- 

 son of the weather-predictions of the signal service 

 for last August, as indicated by flag-signals hoisted 

 at Iowa City, with the weather occurring in the 

 period for which the predictions were made, get- 

 ting the following results : — 



Predictions. Facts. 



fZ days, average difference from 



Colder, 7 days \, Preceding noon, 3° 3 colder. 



' ■^ I 4 days, average difference, 4°.0 



t warmer. 

 Stationary temperature, P ^^Z^' average difference, 3°.6 

 IS davs -' coiaer. 



' 15 days, average difference, 4°. 8 



t_ warmer. 



' 3 days, average difference, 3°. 6 



I colder. 



Warmer, 8 days -(4 days, average difference, 1°.8 



I warmer. 



\l day, no change. 



fS days, no rain. 



Local rain 11 davq J ^ ^^^^^ '"^^'^ ^^* measurable. 



Local ram, ii aays s 3 ^^^^^ ^^^^ barely measurable. 



L2 d^s, appreciable rain. 



f2 days, appreciable rain. 

 1 day, violent thunder-storm, with 

 heavy wind and rain (others 

 not mentioned). 



Dr. Hinrichs concludes that it is exceedingly 

 unfavorable to the people's confidence in the flag- 

 display of the signal service, when its fair-weather 

 flag is beaten by storm and ram, and when its 

 rain-flag flutters lustily and dryly in a hazy, 

 balmy atmosphere of summer. 



— A valuable Algonquin -French lexicon {Lex- 

 ique de la lanque Algonquine) by the distinguished 

 philologist, the Rev. J. A. Cuoq, has lately been 

 published (Montreal, J. Chapleau et Fils). The 

 Algonquin, as the name is here used, is the lan- 

 guage of that tribe of Indians who formerly pos- 

 sessed the country about Montreal, and of whom 

 some bands still remain in the neighborhood of 

 that city. Their speech has a special importance, 

 both scientific and historical. As in the case of 

 the author's Iroquois lexicon, there are interesting 

 notes, linguistic and ethnological, on almost every 

 page. The volume lacks the French-Algonquin 

 part. It is to be hoped that the industrious author 

 will hereafter supply this deficiency, as well as 

 the similar lack which detracts from the useful- 

 ness of his excellent Iroquois lexicon. 



— Prof. Max Miiller's volume on ' The science 

 of thought,' on which he has been engaged at 

 intervals for several years, will soon be published. 

 The author is occupied in it with the origin of 



