478 Scientific Intelligence. 



A considerable number of American geologists were present, 

 among them the venerable but active Prof. James Hall of Albany. 

 The following were named vice-presidents: Prof. O. C. Marsh, 

 Prof. B. K. Emerson, Mr. 8. F. Emmons, Dr. Persifor Fraser. 



The excursions both before and after the Congress were well 

 attended and were managed with great ability and success con- 

 sidering the obstacles which in many cases had to be overcome 

 in moving so large a number of people from point to point. Here 

 the influence of the Russian government was clearly perceptible. 

 Before the Congress the excursions were in Finland, Esthonia 

 and to the Urals, and after it the excursion presented a choice of 

 routes to the Caucasus and then through to Asia Minor and on 

 the Black Sea, including the Crimea. It lasted upwards of a 

 month. For these excursions, the members of the Congress were 

 indebted to the Russian and Finnish governments for free trans- 

 portation. 



It would be well if in the future some plan could be devised 

 by which these excursions could be strictly limited to those 

 whom they are designed to benefit, and the alleged scientists, who 

 join them tor the sake of obtaining the advantage of cheap travel, 

 could be cut off. l. v. p. 



3. Mineral Resources of the United States, 1895, David T. 

 Day, Chief of Division (17th Ann. Report of the U. S. Geologi- 

 cal Survey, Charles D. Walcott, Director). Washington, 1896. — 

 The appearance of the seventeenth annual report of the United 

 States Geological Survey has already been noticed in this Journal, 

 but the two volumes on Mineral Resources of the United States 

 in 1895 call for an additional remark. These volumes together 

 form Part III of the complete report. This is the second time 

 that the work on the mineral resources brought out by Mr. David 

 T. Day has been published in this form. 



The first of the two volumes is devoted to the metallic products 

 and coal, the second to non-metallic products. They contain 

 a valuable series of papers by various authors, of which the fol- 

 lowing may be mentioned among others : on iron ores by John 

 Birkinbine ; on copper and on lead by Charles KirchhofT; on 

 manganese, on coke and on petroleum by Joseph H. Weeks ; on 

 coal by Edward W. Parker; on stone by William C. Day. An 

 interesting chapter by George F. Kunz is devoted to the preci- 

 ous stones of the country. 



4. A Descriptive Catalogue of Useful Fiber Plants of the 

 World, including the structural and economic classifications of 



fibers; by Charles Richards Dodge, Special Agent, U. S. 

 Department Agriculture. Washington, 1897. — It is doubtful 

 whether the general public realizes the extent to which investiga- 

 tions bearing on economic development have been carried on, of 

 late years, at the instance of the departments. The treatises are 

 numerous and, for the most part, of excellent quality. The one 

 before us is a case in point. Mr. Dodge has brought together in 

 this convenient form a vast amount of information, much of 



