1878. | Scientific News. : 637 
only $5,000, which in 1873 had been raised to $95,000. In 1876 
this was reduced by $30,000, and again, in 1877, by $20,000, 
leaving the appropriation at only 846, 000. The largest sum is 
what is actually needed that the survey may be carried on ‘with 
efficiency, and to reduce it is quite unworthy of a nation so ad- 
vanced and liberal as the United States, and is really re Not 
possible economy. The additions which have been made 
country can be no less great. The mere list of the many admir- 
able publications of the survey is sufficient to prove that the 
money has been well spent; and we trust that the United States 
Government and Congress will be able to rise above all party feel- 
ing, and prove to the world that they have the best interests. of the 
country and the interests of scientific knowledge at heart by re- 
storing the appropriation to at least its old amount. Mr. Single- 
ton truly says that not a small item in favor of these surveys is 
the check they place on mining and land swindles.—Wature. 
OBITUARY.— Admiral Sir George Back, F.R.S., deceased on the 
23d of June, aged eighty-one years. He took part in five Arctic 
expeditions, the most important of which were the “ Franklin Second 
Expedition,” in 1825-27, “ The Arctic Land Expedition to the 
mouth of the Great Fish river and along the shores of the Arctic. 
ocean,’ in 1833-35, and “The Expedition of H.M.S. Zerror” 
in 1836-37. 
John A. MacGahan died at Constantinople, the oth of June, 
aged thirty-two years. He will hereafter, be remembered for his 
wonderful journey to Khiva, in 1873, as related in his admirable 
work, “ Campaigning on the Oxus.” He also wrote an account, 
“Under the Northern Lights,” of his voyage on the Pandora, 
with ee Allen Young, up the Peel strait, in 18 
. T. Cooper, British resident at Bhamo was assassinated at 
that lade on the 13th of May. He was forty-one years of age, 
and was the author of “ Travels by a Pioneer of Commerce,” in 
which he related the details of a remarkable journey from 
Shanghai, through China and the border county of Tibet, to 
unnan. 
:0: 
SCIENTIFIC NEWS. 
— The sixth volume of the Proceedings of the California 
Academy of Sciences for 1875, has just been received, and con- 
tains a variety of interesting papers on the geology, insects, 
shells and plants of the Pacific slope. Part I, Vol. vii, just pub- 
‘lished, forms a brochure of 174 pages, and contains a number of 
papers on Pacific coast Lepidoptera, by Mr. Henry Edwards, two __ 
articles on Crustacea, by Mr. W. G. W. Harford, and numerous 
