February 18, 1887.] 



8CIENCJE. 



155 



agents. Mr, Delcommune, who spent ten years at 

 the factories and stations on the Kongo, will prob- 

 ably be its leader. 



The announcement of Dr. Holub's death is de- 

 nied by the latest telegraphic news. Holub left 

 Austria a few months ago, with his wife and a 

 few servants, to explore the country north of the 

 Zambezi, and some weeks ago news was received 

 that a European was murdered thereabout. It 

 seems that this report gave rise to the rumor of 

 Holub's death. 



America. 



The Geographical society of the City of Mexico 

 announces its intention of resuming the publica- 

 tion of its journal, which was discontinued in 

 1883. 



Dr. R. Bell's report on the Alert expedition to 

 Hudson Bay, which is contained in the last ' An- 

 nual report of the geological survey of Canada,' 

 shows how little is known of those countries. As 

 the object of the expedition was the relief of the 

 meteorological stations in Hudson Strait and Bay, 

 Bell had no opportunity of leaving the ship for 

 any length of time. However, his observations 

 are the only ones we have referring to this vast 

 district, and as he has carefully availed himself of 

 every chance the movements of the ship gave him, 

 he offers a great deal of new material. The author, 

 who is thoroughly acquainted with the Hudson 

 Bay Basin, through his extensive travels and 

 numerous researches, gives a general sketch of the 

 distribution of strata in Hudson Bay, and makes 

 it probable that the whole of this vast basiu is 

 composed of flat-lying paleozoic strata. His 

 observations lead him to the conclusion that dur- 

 ing the glacial period an enormous glacier filled 

 Hudson Strait, and flowed east towards the Atlan- 

 tic Ocean. A southern branch seems to have come 

 from Ungava Bay. It is very desirable that a 

 geographical expedition to Hudson Bay be organ- 

 ized, as the coast is only known in its general out- 

 lines, and no scientist has ever set his foot on the 

 greater part of these districts. Since Fox's jour- 

 ney to Fox Channel, only a few whalers have en- 

 tered this strait ; and the coasts, which are within 

 easy reach from our harbors, and are of consider- 

 able importance on account of the whale, walrus, 

 and seal fisheries, have never been explored. 



Australasia. 

 The New-Guinea company's steamer Ottilie has 

 ascended Augusta River, in the German part of 

 New Guinea. It was found navigable for a con- 

 siderable distance. Having sailed three days, the 

 water was found to be too shallow to continue the 

 journey in the steamer, which drew eleven feet of 

 water. The party ascended the river two and a 



half days farther in a steam launch, and returned 

 only on account of the want of provisions. Meas- 

 uring on a straight line, their farthest point was 

 156 nautical mUes distant from the mouth of the 

 river, and 74 miles from the north shore of the 

 island. The existence of a navigable river of this 

 size will be important for the development of the 

 colony. 



NOTES AND NEWS. 

 The fourth annual catalogue of the Chicago 

 manual training school is very encouraging. Al- 

 though the regular school exercises were only be- 

 gun in February, 1884, the total number of pupils 

 enrolled is now 190. The course is a three years' 

 one, and embraces instruction in mathematics,, 

 science, language, drawing, and shop-work, dur- 

 ing the entire period. The requisites for admis- 

 sion are, that the candidate be at least fourteen 

 years of age, and be able to paes a satisfactory ex- 

 amination in reading, spelling, writing, geography, 

 English composition, and arithmetic. The school 

 has a well-equipped wood-room, foundry, forge- 

 room, and machine-shop, and ample apparatus for 

 teaching the various subjects in which instruction 

 is given. Under the efficient direction of Dr. Bel- 

 field, the successful future of this institution is 

 assured. 



— Perhaps no university chair in the world has 

 had such a succession of distinguished occupants 

 as has the Smith professorship of the French and 

 Spanish languages and belles-lettres at Harvard. 

 The professorship was established seventy years 

 ago, and George Ticknor held it for nineteen years. 

 His successor was Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 

 who held it for eighteen years ; and James Russell 

 Lowell, who has just resigned, held it for thirty- 

 one years. 



— In an account in Modern language notes for 

 February, Mr. Calvin Thomas says that of the 176 

 names of those in attendance at the recent conven- 

 tion of the Modern language association at Balti- 

 more, seventy per cent appeared to be English or 

 American, and twenty per cent were obviously 

 German. Of the total number in attendance,, 

 seventy-eight were teachers engaged in modern 

 language work, and of this last number, sixty-five 

 were engaged at colleges and universities. These 

 sixty-five came from eighteen different states, as 

 follows: from Maryland, 11; Massachusetts, 8; 

 Pennsylvania, 8 ; Virginia, 6 ; Ohio, 4 ; South Car- 

 olina, 4 ; New Jersey, 4 ; New York, 3 ; Rhode 

 Island, 3 ; Connecticut, 3 ; Indiana, 3 ; Michigan, 

 2 ; Kentucky, Louisiana, Delaware, Illinois, Ten- 

 nessee, and Nebraska, each 1. These figures 

 afford at least a rough criterion as to how far the 



