NOTES. 
r E 
The death of Sir Roderick Impey Murchison occurred on the 
22d of October, at the age of seventy-nine. He was not a gradu- 
ate of either of the great universities, but like Faraday, Miller and 
several other prominent English scientists is said to have had in 
early life only an ordinary education. He studied at the Military 
College at Marlow, and was an officer in the army from 1807 to 
1816. In 1831 he began to study geology practically and at the 
end of five years published his celebrated Silurian system. In 
1836 he was employed in the geological survey of Russia. He 
contributed over a hundred memoirs to scientific journals, and was 
among the first to call attention to the Australian gold fields. He 
was long President of the Geological Society of London, and at 
the time of his death was President of the Royal Geological So- 
ciety. 
The U. S. Coast Survey Steamer F. R. Hassler, commander P. 
C. Johnson, U. S. N., now arrived at Boston, will be despatched as 
soon as ready to the coast of California for the survey for which 
she is designed. 
Prof. Peirce, Superintendent of the Coast Survey, to make this 
long voyage by way of the Straits of Magellan as profitable as 
possible to science, has offered to Prof. Agassiz the direction of a 
scientific party to sail in her, and pursue during the voyage deep 
sea researches and investigations in natural history at the different 
points of stoppage. The party will consist of Prof. Agassiz as 
director (accompanied by Mrs. Agassiz,) Ex-President Hill of 
Harvard College as physicist, Assist. L. F. Pourtales of the Coast 
Survey in charge of deep sea dredgings, Dr. Steindachner as 
icthyologist, Mr. Blake as ichthyologist and draughtsman. Some 
of the officers of the ship have also qualified themselves to assist 
-in various researches. The point at which the steamer will prob- 
ably stop will be Bermuda, Trinidad, Rio Janeiro, Montevideo, the 
Falkland Islands, the Straits of Magellan, Juan Fernandez, the 
Gallapagos. The ship is fitted out with a special view to deep sea 
soundings and dredgings, and with all possible contrivances for 
catching fish, etc. 
(737) 
