836 General Notes. [ December, 
investigations obtained surprisingly rich zoological results. The 
deepest sounding was taken between the Tortugas and the north- 
east cape of Yucatan (Cape Catoche) and was 1,920 fathoms; the 
next deepest being 1,568, north of the same. All depths of 
water of about 600 fathoms and upwards gave a uniform tempera- 
ture of 39.5° Fahrenheit. 
A correspondent of the New York Tribune gives an account of 
the results of a recent careful survey of Newfoundland under the 
superintendence of a Geological Commission. The area of the 
island is now found to be 42,000 square miles. It is 317 miles in 
length and 316 miles in breadth. It is, therefore, the tenth largest 
island in the world, and contains 10,000 square miles more than 
Ireland. Nor is there to be found an equal area with such an ex- 
tent of coast line as Newfoundland, which, according to the Sur- 
veyor’s report, cannot be less than 2,000 miles in length. 
Prof. F. V. Hayden, in charge of the U. S. Geological Survey of - 
the Territories, has recently been elected foreign member of the 
Royal Academy of Sciences, Letters and Arts, of Palermo, Sicily. 
he English Palestine Exploration Fund has successfully ac- 
complished the survey they began, in 1872, of all Palestine west 
of the Jordan. The scientific results of this survey are to be made 
public in a series of memoirs. The map is to be on the scale of 
one inch to a mile. The portion east of the river was assigned to 
the American Expedition, and is not yet completed. 
MICROSCOPY .! 
NationaL MicroscopicaL Conoress (Continued )—Dr. R. H. 
Ward spoke at some length in regard to “ Recent Progress in 
Microscopic Ruling,” referring chiefly to the recent work of 
Mr. Charles Fasoldt, of Albany, and of Professor Wm. A. Rogers, 
of Cambridge. Mr. Fasoldt's experiments in ruling commenced © 
during the middle of last winter, and must be regarded as 
remarkable considering the fact that he was entirely unfamiliar with 
the microscope and its use, and knew nothing of what had been 
done or could be done in microscopic ruling. Being a manufac- 
turer of chronometers, he possessed the advantage of great skill 
in small mechanical operations and some experience in handling 
gems. He first, at the casual suggestion of a friend, undertook 
to make circular rulings, described with a common lathe and 
spaced with the slide-rest; and in this manner produced fair con- 
centric circles as close as gyv of an inch. Parallel straight lines 
of equal closeness, but not of equal excellence, were then made 
on the same lathe, both the spacing and the ruling being accom- 
plished by the motions of the slide-rest. Dissatisfied with-this re- _ 
_ sult, a screw machine was extemporized, and much closer lines of 
much better quality were produced. Some of the bands ruled 
with this little screw were better than many of the commercial — 
This department is edited by Dr. R. H. WARD, Troy, N. Y. oe 
