242 Miscellaneous Intelligence. 



4. The National Geographic Magazine. Vol. I, No. 1, 98 pp. 

 Washington, 1889. — The "National Geographic Society" was or- 

 ganized in January, 1888, "to increase and diffuse geographic 

 knowledge," and this magazine now appears as the organ of the 

 Society and to aid in the accomplishment of its aims. It is ex- 

 pected that, though issued at irregular intervals at first, the num- 

 bers will later appear periodically. The magazine opens most 

 auspiciously in attractive form with a number of valuable papers 

 liberally illustrated. These include the address of the president, 

 Mr. Gardiner G. Hubbard, and also the following: Geographic 

 methods in geologic investigation, by Wm. M. Davis ; classifica- 

 tion of geographic forms by genesis, by W. J. McGee ; the great 

 storm of March 11-14, 1888, by A. W. Greeley and Everett Hay- 

 den, with four folded plates ; the survey of the coast, by H. G. 

 Ogden ; the survey and map of Massachusetts, by Henry Gannett, 

 The proceedings of the Society, by-laws, list of members, etc., 

 close the number. The subjects with which the new Society has 

 to deal are such as will interest and appeal to a large number of 

 persons, and it is to be hoped that it will meet with the hearty 

 support and cooperation which it merits. 



Many readers will regret the method too rigidly adhered to of 

 cutting down the adjectives ending in ical to a common " ic" 

 thus depriving the language in a number of cases of the distinc- 

 tion of meaning which the use of the two independent forms now 

 allows. A Geologic society or association is well exemplified in 

 the early Tertiary association of fishes in the Green River 

 basin ; a Microscopic society, in the Richmond Infusorial stratum. 

 Magazines may be Microscopical, Geological, Geographical, but 

 not Microscopic, Geologic or Geographic. 



5. JBathy metric Map, Plate VII — After the preceding paper 

 was printed, I received a communication from Marshall McDonald, 

 Commissioner of the U. S. Fish Commission, dated February 12, 

 in which he mentioned the very interesting fact that the Alba- 

 tross, of the Fish Commission, has proved the extension of the 

 deep depression south of the eastern part of the Aleutian Islands 

 to a distance westward of about 400 miles. In crossing it a depth 

 was obtained, in Lat. 52° 20' N. and Long. 165° 00' W., of 3820 

 fathoms. The trough was found to be 30 miles wide. In 52° 18' 

 N. and 163° 54' W., the depth found was 2848 fathoms, in 52° 20' 

 N., 166° 05' W., 2654 in 52° 40' N., 166° 35' W., 2267 fathoms, 

 in 52° 53' N., 166° 44' W., 1961 fathoms. The direction obtained 

 for the deep trough was S. 65° W. The conclusion is stated that 

 " The soundings revealed a depi-ession only " and not a continua- 

 tion of the trough " to the Tuscarora's soundings of 4037 fathoms 

 off Attou." J. D. D. 



6. Soaps and Candles. Edited by James Cameron, F.I.C. 

 306 pp. 12mo. Philadelphia, 1888. — This little volume presents 

 in compact form a large amount of information upon a subject of 

 much interest in applied chemistry. It forms one of a series of 

 technological handbooks based upon articles in Cooley's Cyclo- 

 pedia. 



