Islands has 1 

 ed by the Legislature of the Islands, and an appropriatic 

 S.iOOO made for procuring instruments and meeting theexpensi 

 the first year. Prof. W. D. Alexander of Oalm has been a].] 

 ted Surveyor General, and is making arrangements tor eomii 

 iiuj the work. He proposes to nu-asure a base line on tlie s: 

 isthmus between East and West Maui, wbu-Ii is six or seven i 

 wide, and to carry forward the survey as nearly as ])Ossil)le ; 

 the methods of the U. S. Coast Survey. Geological and IJotai 

 collections and observations will be made m connection witl 



that an excellent position for the great central oDserv 

 continent is a few miles east of St. Louis, on the 0( 

 from Greenwich. American time reekoned from sucl 

 tory would differ from Greenwich time just si\ hours, 

 can longitudes from standard longitude from v4re*'nwi 

 degrees. It is believed that there are good location. 



4. Telescopes. — Messrs. Alvan Clark t.'t_ Sons h.ave rei 

 ly two orders for telescopes of altout 25-ineh object^ uh 

 Mr. ]\IcCormick, and the other from the National Gov 



5. Auroral Belt of Oct. 24-25«A.— An account of 

 ble crimson belt, in the great auroral display of Oct. 

 Prof. A. C. Twining, is ^deferred to the next number 



OBITUARY. 



Maithiessen.— The death of Dr. 



afterward i 



kindness of heart made him ready t„ ■ ^-a 



Dr. Matthiessen's mind was peculiarly fitte<l for seientifac re- 

 search. The acuteness which leads to the perception of truth, 

 detects as well the sources of error and suggests the ^^rf^^Y 

 which they may be avoided. With the most persevermg industry 

 he had a fondness for experimental enquiry ; and as his mma 

 moved easily, he was capable of long continued exertion. 



The work which first brought him into notice was a memoir 

 Properties of the Metals of alkalme 

 ^ - - ,ry at Heidelberg, 



ithinm and mag. 

 nesium; to them Dr. :Matthiesson now added ^^'■^!"^'^^". j"|*j|^j^''|,J- 

 the conductincj powers of the metals and their alloys tor electricity, 



will be learned with sorrow by those of ( 

 knew him in Heidelberg, in the years of his 

 • - ■ ■ ■ - d in London, the 



upon the "Preparation and Properties oi tne ivieiais y\-^-«'"^- 

 Earths," made while vet a student in the laboratory at Ueidelbeig. 

 Prof. Bunsen had himself obtained the 



.w.x. ... ...... He subsequently ^'^"''"T with 



cnemical properties of the alloys of zinc vnih Di«n^"^^\ fV^ ^J ;' 

 lead; and an alloy of tin and gold which he had obtained in 

 crystalline form. Upon these subjects he debyered m l^^^-jj 

 lecture before the Chemical Society of London, which was repeated 



