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The Scottish Naturalist. 



was 64 degs. 30 min., when about 40 miles from the E. coast. 

 At this place, the elevation above the sea was 7000 feet. In the 

 beginning of September, the altitude reached was between 8000 

 and 9000 feet. Here the temperature reached 60 degs. Fahr. 

 They had no water during the whole journey, except what they 

 got by melting snow in iron bottles in contact with their bodies, 

 or in the cooking apparatus. Their food consisted of beef- 

 pemmican, meat biscuits, dried bread, butter and chocolate. 

 Besides provisions, they carried scientific instruments, guns, snow- 

 shoes, &c, and two sleeping-bags of reindeer skins. Three men 

 slept in each bag, and they did not much feel the cold. It was 

 very unfortunate for these hardy and successful travellers that 

 they arrived a day or two too late to get back to Europe in 1888 ; 

 and they consequently had to remain among the Eskimos till the 

 spring. 



Besides the popular and interesting papers from which a few 

 extracts have been taken, there were on the average eight or nine 

 papers read, and most of them discussed, in each Section daily. 

 These papers were, of course, all new and original ; and most of 

 them were the work of advanced thinkers and eminent men of 

 science. A considerable number attracted crowds to hear them 

 read. A feature in the order of business, tried, I believe, for the 

 first time at this meeting, was a classification of the papers, so 

 that only one branch of science should be dealt with on each day 

 in each Section. Thus, for example, in Section G., Thursday and 

 Friday were devoted to Mechanical Engineering, Manufactures, 

 Transmission of Power, and Allied Subjects ; Saturday to Naviga- 

 tion, Water Supply, and Rivers ; Monday, Electric Illumination, 

 Telephonic Communication, and Applied Electricity in general ; 

 Tuesday, Blast-furnace-practice, and Theoretical Investigations 

 connected with Engineering : and Wednesday to Miscellaneous 

 Subjects. This arrangement will assist in the acceleration of 

 business, as well as be of great convenience to the authors of 

 papers. 



But in addition to the regular meetings of the Sections there 

 was no lack of other kinds of entertainment, amusement, or 

 instruction. On Wednesday, the opening day, there was a fine 

 Horticultural Show in a neighbouring park, to which members of 

 the British Association were admitted free. On Thursday the 

 1 2th, and Tuesday the 17th, there were two grand Conversaziones 



