Editors’ Table. 231 
attacks are constantly renewed by the ceaseless ice stream from the 
northwest, and this goes on uninterruptedly for a month or more.”’? 
Similar results elsewhere have been frequently recorded, as those of 
Professor Milne in Newfoundland.” 
While the power of glaciers, under favorable conditions, to 
abrade and scratch rock surfaces, as “sand-paper” scratches “a cab- 
inet,” is not questioned ; yet these observations, in Norway and else- 
where in high latitudes, all confirm the correctness of the verdict 
given by many geologists—especially in Europe—who have had 
the opportunity of personally studying living glaciers, that the 
potency of land-glaciers to act as great eroding agents, capable of 
“planing down half a continent,” or ploughing out great valleys, 
or lake-basins, or even of greatly modifying them, is not only not 
proved, but most strongly negatived. Even the power of glaciers 
to abrade is reduced in many cases almost’ to zero. 
EDITORS’ TABLE. 
EDITORS: E. D. COPE AND J. S. KINGSLEY. 
European governments give more attention to the preservation 
of their ancient and prehistoric monuments than does the United 
States. This may arise, partly, from the increased interest upon 
that subject among their officials and people; or, partly, from the 
differences in our form of government. Whatever may be the 
Cause, our government and our people, unless they improve their 
present methods in this direction, will find cause for regret in — 
after years, when the prehistoric monuments of our country 
shall have been destroyed and their contents scattered without 
a record, when it will be too late to remedy the neglect. 
_ The French government has passed several laws upon this sub- 
Ject. It has established a commission under the direction of 
the Minister of Public Instruction and Fine Arts, charged with 
the duty of the supervision of these monuments throughout the 
Republic, These laws only provided for the procuration of the 
title to land by gift or purchase. Some of the land-holders took 
' Notes on Some Geological Features of the Northeastern Coast of 
Labrador, Can. Nat. 1878. 
ce and Ice Action, Newfoundland, Geol. Mag., 1876. 
