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KANSAS CITY REVIEW OF SCIENCE. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 



This number of the Review concludes the 

 fifth year of its existence, and it only remains 

 for us in closing, to renew our thanks to our 

 subscribers for the patronage which has en- 

 abled us to keep it afloat so long. It has 

 been a hard and rather costly struggle and 

 would have resulted in failure long since had 

 it not been for the accustomed loyalty of the 

 people of Kansas City to all laudable enter- 

 prises started among them. It is safe to say 

 that in no other city of the whole West could 

 such a magazine have survived more than 

 one year. 



We feel that in return for this support we 

 have rendered a full equivalent in the char- 

 acter and quality of the reading matter we 

 have furnished. Of this we are assured, not 

 only by the comments of home readers, but 

 also by the compliments received from read- 

 ers at a distance on both sides of the Atlan- 

 tic, as well as on the Pacific coast. 



It must not be inferred from these remarks 

 that the Review is even now in a prosperous 

 condition. On the contrary, it barely pays 

 expenses, and needs at least one hundred 

 more subscribers to make it really and clear- 

 ly self-supporting. Its circulation is, how- 

 ever, constantly widening and its sphere of 

 usefulness extending, so that with the natur- 

 al and proper increase of patronage at home, 

 we shall at least be enabled to improve it 

 from time to time and thus deserve more aid 

 from our friends. We have no other object 

 than this in view, as it must be manifest to 

 all that a periodical of its class can scarcely 

 be expected to become a source of much pro- 

 fit to its publisher. 



The Kansas City Academy of Science has 

 at last secured a home of its own, having 

 taken the handsome room lately vacated by 

 the Medical College in the third story of the 

 " Diamond " building. Its library and col- 

 lections of specimens have been placed there, 

 and friends who have contributions to make 



to either object can feel assured that here- 

 after what they give will be properly arrang- 

 ed and carefully preserved. 



There are valuable geological, mineralogi- 

 cal and archasological specimens enough lying 

 about, uncared for, in this city, to make up a 

 handsome museum, and we call upon those 

 having them to turn them over to Mr. Harfe, 

 the Curator, who will gladly receive, label 

 them with the names of the donors and lock 

 them up. 



In this way we can very soon gather to- 

 gether a collection which will be not only 

 creditable to the Academy, but of real service 

 to scientists and to the youth of our city. 



There seems to be scarcely a vestige of 

 hope left that any of the officers and crews 

 of the two missing boats of the Jeannette will 

 ever be found alive. In our next issue we 

 shall give an extended and reliable account 

 of this disastrous voyage. 



The extreme loss of life and property and 

 the great expense to the Government, occa- 

 sioned by the floods along the Mississippi 

 River, from Cairo to the mouth, will precip- 

 itate some decisive action on the part of 

 Congress, to guard against such disastrous 

 results in the future. In view of the experi- 

 ence with the levees during the past few 

 weeks the "outlet system" looms up quite 

 prominently as very possibly the really prac- 

 ticable remedy after all. 



The following inscription was once upon 

 the house at Harlem, formerly occupied by 

 Laurent Koster or Coster, who is charged,^ 

 among others, with the invention of printing. 

 Mention is first made of this inscription about 

 1628: 



Hemortte sacrum, 



Typographja 



Ars artium omnium 



conservatrix. 



HiC PRIMUM INVENTA 



Circa annum mccccxl. 



