282 



SCIENCE 



[Vol. IV., No. 85* 



Dr. J. B. Hurlbert said that by comparing the 

 climates of different portions of the two hemispheres, 

 — western coasts with western, eastern with eastern, 

 and interior divisions with interior, — it was found 

 that vast areas in the new world possessed soils and 

 climates similar to corresponding regions of the old. 

 With regard to the coasts, this was due to the oceanic 

 currents. As to interiors, they had warmer summers 

 and colder winters than oceanic regions ; and in the 

 central part of North America, between the parallels 

 of 30° and 50° north latitude, there was but little rain 

 in summer, and much snow in winter. This summer 

 drought was due not to the Rocky Mountains, as 

 many had supposed, but to the prevalence of south- 

 west winds. The operation of these winds was de- 

 scribed in detail, and it was asserted that trees could 

 not be induced to grow in that arid waste, and that 

 the prairie once broken up could not be reset. The 

 reverse of all this was true of the interior of Canada. 

 He closed by remarking that climates have as power- 

 ful an effect upon the human race as upon vegetables ; 

 and that, therefore, the people of this region of great 

 summer drought would in time become like the Be- 

 douin Arabs ; while Canada would be the future great 

 power on the continent. 



Dr. Hurlbert then read a paper on some peculiar 

 storms. He began by saying that he did not believe 

 in the existence of cyclones, although he admitted the 

 existence of whirlwinds in the West Indies. But he 

 thought that the hurricanes which swept our eastern 

 coasts were due to a warm current of air, which, start- 

 ing from the Gulf of Mexico, proceeded in a northerly 

 and easterly direction, and, meeting with a cold at- 

 mosphere, condensed. Into the vacuum thus formed, 

 air poured from every side, and the storm swept on 

 with ever-increasing violence. 



Dr. Ball said that he thought that Dr. Asa Gray 

 would hardly agree with the learned gentleman's de- 

 ductions with regard to the future of vegetation in 

 the region of summer drought, and reminded him 

 that it often rained there when least expected, and 

 hinted that averages of rainfall, etc., were likely to be 

 misleading. He also asked him some questions as to 

 the climate of the coast of California, to which no 

 satisfactory explanation could be given. 



Mr. Trelawney Saunders then severely criticised 

 the unscientific method pursued by the Dominion 

 survey, borrowed from that of the United States sur- 

 vey, which had been devised in times of geodetic 

 darkness ; and he advised a method of division of the 

 land by meridians and parallels, which was shown 

 (the next day) by Mr. Leslie Russell of the Dominion 

 survey to be precisely the method pursued by that 

 survey. As to Mr. Saunders's criticisms on the lack 

 of orographic information furnished by the maps of 

 the survey, Mr. Russell replied that the differences in 

 elevation were so slight in the region now being sur- 

 veyed, that it was impossible to show them by any 

 ordinary means; and that, besides, it was necessary 

 that the territory should be laid out into sections, 

 townships, etc., as soon as possible, that settlers might 

 go there and take up land without fear of future liti- 

 gation as to boundaries and titles. 



On the fourth day Lieut. P. H. Ray, U.S.A., after 

 describing the objects of the circumpolar expedi- 

 tions, gave an account of the explorations and obser- 

 vations undertaken by him at Point Barrow, Alaska. 

 He said that the ground never thawed to a greater 

 depth than twelve inches ; and that two years' care- 

 ful observation had satisfied him that there is no 

 open polar sea, from the fact that the temperature 

 of the sea-water is unvarying from the time the sea 

 closes in October until it opens in July, which could 

 not well be the case if there were a large body of 

 warm water lying around the pole. Besides, the 

 atmospheric conditions were found to be such as 

 would not exist near a large body of open water. In 

 addition, all discoverers had noticed, that, although a 

 current runs to the north, nevertheless the sea is 

 filled with old ice, which he thought came from the 

 north, and this could not happen if there is an open 

 polar sea. In concluding he said, that, in laying out 

 the work for the circumpolar expeditions, the mag- 

 netic pole had been neglected, which was a great mis- 

 take; and he declared that he would willingly go 

 there himself. 



The president of the section, in introducing Lieut. 

 Greely, said that his party had helped to solve one of 

 the most difficult geographical problems of the day, 

 and that Lieut. Lockwood had reached the farthest 

 north; that they had furnished data for determining 

 the compression of the polar axis, by observations 

 nearer the pole than any hitherto made; and that they 

 had brought home the pendulum used, that it might 

 be corrected at Washington. He thought that noth- 

 ing in the annals of scientific heroism exceeded the 

 devotion of those hungry men in sticking to that 

 ponderous piece of metal. Lieut. Greely' s paper 

 descriptive of the work of the expedition has been 

 extensively printed ; and there is no need of mentioning 

 here more than a few points which, indeed, were sup- 

 plementary to the paper itself. He said that at Fort 

 Conger the ground thawed to a much greater depth 

 than at Point Barrow, namely, between twenty-nine 

 and thirty- four inches ; and that with regard to an open 

 polar sea he believed in the existence of an open, but 

 not necessarily navigable, sea in that direction. He 

 said that he had only been at his station a short time 

 when it struck him that he could tell whether the 

 tide was flowing or ebbing, by the temperature of 

 the water ; and by observations he found that when 

 the tide came from the north the water was warmer 

 than when it came from the south. The tide trav- 

 elled with great velocity; and most perfect observa- 

 tions had been made at different points, in many cases 

 simultaneously, which would be published in due 

 season. 



Capt. Bedford Pirn, in offering his congratulations 

 to the explorers upon their safe return, said that he 

 was glad that Lieut. Greely agreed with him as to 

 the existence of a polynia in the vicinity of the pole, 

 and he hoped that Lieut. Ray would be brought to 

 their way of thinking. 



It seemed to be the opinion of all the speakers, that 

 arctic exploration should be continued, and that it 

 was especially important that the magnetic pole (of 



