﻿

  THE 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  JOURNAL 
  OF 
  SCIENCE 
  

  

  [FOURTH 
  SERIES.] 
  

  

  Art. 
  XXIII. 
  — 
  The 
  Mathematics 
  of 
  Isostasy. 
  I; 
  by 
  T. 
  C. 
  

  

  Chamberlin. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  October 
  number 
  of 
  this 
  Journal 
  there 
  appeared 
  

   a 
  posthumous 
  paper 
  by 
  the 
  deeply 
  lamented 
  Dr. 
  Joseph 
  

   Barrell, 
  1 
  on 
  "The 
  Status 
  of 
  the 
  Theory 
  of 
  'Isostasy," 
  in 
  

   which 
  he 
  criticized 
  with 
  great 
  severity 
  a 
  paper 
  by 
  Dr. 
  

   "William 
  D. 
  MacMillan 
  on 
  the 
  mathematical 
  aspects 
  of 
  

   isostasy. 
  2 
  The 
  terms 
  of- 
  the 
  criticism 
  and 
  the 
  impor- 
  

   tance 
  of 
  the 
  subject 
  are 
  such 
  as 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  supplementary 
  

   statement 
  seem 
  imperative, 
  notwithstanding 
  the 
  embar- 
  

   rassment 
  of 
  doing 
  this 
  under 
  the 
  circumstances 
  of 
  the 
  

   case. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  first 
  duty, 
  however, 
  to 
  note 
  that 
  Dr. 
  Barrell 
  

   was 
  not 
  permitted 
  to 
  give 
  his 
  paper 
  a 
  last 
  revision. 
  

   Quite 
  likely 
  some 
  modification 
  of 
  phraseology 
  in 
  the 
  line 
  

   of 
  his 
  usual 
  urbanity 
  of 
  statement 
  might 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  

   had 
  the 
  paper 
  passed 
  under 
  his 
  hand 
  again. 
  Passing 
  

   the 
  matter 
  of 
  form 
  and 
  many 
  minor 
  points 
  as 
  negligible, 
  

   there 
  remain 
  two 
  reflections 
  that 
  call 
  for 
  comment. 
  The 
  

   first 
  relates 
  to 
  the 
  preparation 
  and 
  purpose 
  of 
  Dr. 
  Mac- 
  

   Millan 
  ? 
  s 
  article, 
  the 
  second 
  to 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  essential 
  points 
  

   in 
  the 
  article 
  itself. 
  The 
  first 
  falls 
  to 
  me, 
  as 
  the 
  really 
  

   responsible 
  party 
  ; 
  the 
  second, 
  to 
  Dr. 
  MacMillan. 
  

  

  It 
  seems 
  clear 
  from 
  the 
  tone 
  of 
  his 
  paper 
  that 
  Dr. 
  

   Barrell, 
  in 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  any 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  circum- 
  

   stances 
  that 
  called 
  forth 
  the 
  paper 
  of 
  Dr. 
  MacMillan, 
  and 
  

   impressed, 
  by 
  its 
  shortness 
  and 
  limitation 
  to 
  one 
  phase 
  of 
  

   the 
  subject 
  merely, 
  drew 
  the 
  inference 
  that 
  its 
  author 
  

   had 
  given 
  little 
  serious 
  study 
  to 
  the 
  subject 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  

  

  1 
  Joseph 
  Barrell: 
  The 
  Status 
  of 
  the 
  Theory 
  of 
  Isostasy, 
  this 
  Journal, 
  

   vol. 
  48, 
  pp. 
  291-338, 
  Oct., 
  1919. 
  

  

  2 
  Wm. 
  D. 
  MacMillan: 
  On 
  the 
  Hypothesis 
  of 
  Isostasy, 
  Jour. 
  Geol., 
  pp. 
  

   105-111, 
  Peb.-Mar., 
  1917. 
  

  

  Am. 
  Jour. 
  Sci.— 
  Fourth 
  Series, 
  Vol. 
  XLIX, 
  No. 
  293.— 
  May, 
  1920. 
  

   23 
  

  

  