December 19, 1884. 



SCIENCE 



561 



however, that these experiments clearly demonstrate 

 that in many cases it would prove a material protec- 

 tion to ordinary open boats in a dangerous surf, and 

 he strongly urges its adoption for use in such cases. 



— Capt. Klein of the German bark Kron Prinz von 

 Preussen, making passage from Rio de Janeiro to 

 Baltimore, reports encountering on Nov. 30 and 

 Dec. 1 a very strong current from south-east one- 

 eighth south, which he estimated at 3.2 knots per 

 hour. The wind was blowing a whole gale from the 

 north-east and north, and his vessel was hove to for 

 twenty-four hours. His position at noon on Nov. 30 

 was, latitude 34° 29' north, longitude 74° 22' west; 

 and on Dec. 1, latitude 36° 5' north, longitude 73° 20' 

 west. The captain, being unable to account for this 

 unusual current, took six observations between noon 

 of Nov. 30 and noon of Dec. 1 to verify the fact. 



— The earlier editions of the Coast pilot of Alaska, 

 prepared by Davidson, and published by the Coast- 



fessor Oliver are fellows, — the former well known 

 for his mathematical investigations on the rigidity of 

 the earth and on tides ; the latter, for his investigation 

 of the classification of plants, and for the important 

 services which he has rendered to taxonomic botany. 

 — The work of establishing secondary meridians 

 of longitude on the west coast of Central and South 

 America by means of the submarine cable, which 

 was undertaken by Lieut.-Commander C. H. Davis, 

 U.S.N., has been completed. Stations were estab- 

 lished at various points between La Libertad, San 

 Salvador, and Valparaiso ; and the differences of 

 longitude between Valparaiso, Arica, Lima, Payta, 

 Panama, and La Libertad, were determined. The 

 measurements between La Libertad and Guatemala 

 were made in eo-operation with Mr. Miles Rock of 

 the Guatemala survey. From Valparaiso, signals 

 were exchanged with Dr. Gould at Cordova for the 

 purpose of connecting the measurements made on 



kasa-an bay, cape grindakl, e. % x. 12 miles. {From U.S. Ifydr. Office, Chart No. 225.) 



survey in 1867 and 1869, are now succeeded by a new 

 work, exhaustive of all known sources of informa- 

 tion, compiled by Mr. W. H. Dall, assisted by Mr. 

 Marcus Baker. This is entitled 'Pacific coast pilot, 

 Alaska, part i,' and gives sailing-directions, with charts 

 and views, for the inland passage from the north 

 end of Vancouver's Island to Dixon's entrance, and 

 thence along the coast of our distant possessions to 

 Yakutat Bay, where the shore-line turns westward. 

 Much additional surveying is needed to attain final 

 accuracy, as the coast is fringed with many islands, 

 and is greatly broken by long, irregular fiords. In 

 the northern part especially, it is bold and mountain- 

 ous, and numerous glaciers descend close to water- 

 level. The accompanying figure gives a view of 

 Kasa-an Bay, and recalls the abruptness of the Nor- 

 wegian coast. 



— Nature states that Prof. G. H. Darwin of Cam- 

 bridge, and Professor Daniel Oliver of the Royal 

 gardens, Kew, have been nominated by the council 

 of the Royal society for the award of the two royal 

 medals conferred by the crown. The Copley medal 

 is to be given to Professor Carl Ludwig of Leipzig, 

 in recognition of the great services which he has 

 rendered to physiological science; Professor Tobias 

 Robertus Thalen of Upsala is to have the Rumford 

 medal for his spectroscopic researches ; and the 

 Davy medal is awarded to Prof. A. W. H. Kolbe, also 

 of Leipzig, for his researches in the isomerism of 

 alcohols. The two Leipzig professors are foreign 

 members of the society. Professor Darwin and Pro- 



the west coast with those made on the east coast of 

 South America in 1878 and 1879. The observations 

 are now being reduced, and prepared for publication. 



— The bureau of navigation of the Navy department 

 announces that the computations and discussions 

 of the observations and experiments for determining 

 the velocity of light have been completed, and are 

 being prepared for publication. 



— The Navy department reports that the ' electric 

 plant ' for incandescent lighting, which was supplied 

 to the U. S. S. Trenton, has given great satisfaction, 

 notwithstanding some defects in the insulation of the 

 wires, and has added materially to the comfort and 

 health of the officers and crew, and therefore the 

 Atlanta, Boston, and Omaha are to be lighted by elec- 

 tricity. The plant for the Atlanta will be supplied 

 by the IT. S. electric-lighting company of New York; 

 that for the Boston, by the Brush electric company 

 of Cleveland ; and that for the Omaha, by the Con- 

 solidated electric-light company of New York. The 

 merits of the various systems may thus be deter- 

 mined. 



— A group of beetles known as the Stenini has re- 

 ceived attention at the hands of Lieut. Casey in a 

 brochure of more than two hundred pages. It brings 

 us another step toward the aggregation of the mate- 

 rial for a more or less complete monograph of our 

 Staphylinidae. The work has been carefully and con- 

 scientiously done from the author's stand-point, and 

 but little adverse criticism can be made except in the 



