1877.] Proceedings of Societies. 127 
Mr. Dall remarked that the difference in character of the tides in the 
West Arctic basin, in Bering Sea, and in the North Pacific south of 
Bering Sea was such as almost to render certain the fact that the basin 
of the Polar Sea west of the Parry Islands has a tide of its own, which, 
according to Haughton (On Tides at Point Barrow), is a simple semi- 
diurnal wave, totally different from those observed by the United States 
Coast Survey in the other localities mentioned. He indorsed Dr. Bes- 
sels’ view that the northern tides of Polaris Bay were in all probability 
derived from the North Atlantic. 
December 2, 1876. Colonel Mallory, United States Army, exhibited 
a painted cloth which was obtained from a Sioux Indian, and which was 
a second copy from the original, said to have been prepared by Lone 
Dog, a Sioux, who was stated to be the official chronicler of the Sioux 
tribes of the Northwest. This cloth contained a series of symbols placed 
in sequence so as to form a spiral beginning at the middle of the cloth 
and extending from left to right. These symbols were seventy-one in 
number, and were said to forma chronology of events, one for each year, 
beginning with the year 1801 and including 1871. The events were not of 
an important character in all cases, but were such as were probably spe- 
cially notorious at the time of occurrence, therefore easily remembered 
and suitable for forming such a chronology. They did not relate solely 
to the chronicler’s own tribe, but to the Sioux tribes in general, The 
events were frequently of an apparently trivial character, such as a par- 
ticular murder or successful theft of horses, fight with the Crows, or 
building of a trading post; sometimes of more importance, such as an 
eclipse of the sun, the prevalence of a pestilence, the appearance of the 
first soldiers, etc. Colonel Mallory explained the asserted meaning of 
the symbols as obtained from a large number of Sioux of different tribes, 
independently, at different times and places, all of whom were said to 
recognize the chronological character of the inscription and the meaning 
of part of the symbols, though none were able to explain all of the lat- 
ter. Yet by the explanations of different persons, most of the signs 
Were explained. All were agreed as to the authorship and nature of 
the chronology, and their explanations were not paid for, hence a strong 
probability of the authenticity of the chronology and of its really chro- 
nological character. 
Much discussion followed on the reading of the paper. It was pointed 
out by Major Powell and others that while the figures were many of 
them unmistakably Indian in their character, yet the commencement of 
the record with the century, the representation of an eclipse as a black 
sun instead of by the mythological symbols, the representation of indi- 
viduals by symbols drawn from the literal meaning of their names in- — 
Stead of by their totemic symbols, were not aboriginal characteristics, 
and tended to throw a doubt on the purely Indian character of the au- 
thor or inspirer of the record, which nevertheless possessed great inter- 
