Personal and Scientliie Nev)s. 255 
his purpose in constructing this tower. ''I desired to show, in 
spite of my personal insignificance, that France continued to 
hold a foremost place in the art of iron construction, in which 
from the earliest days her engineers have been more partic- 
ularly distinguished, and by means of which they have 
covered Europe with the creations of their talent. Doubtless 
you are not ignorant that almost all the great engineering 
works of this nature, in Austria, Russia, Italy, Spain, and 
Portugal, are due to French engineers ; and the traveller dis- 
covers with pride, as he passes through foreign countries, the 
traces of their activity and their science. The tower, 1,000 
feet high, is, before every thing, a striking manifestation of 
our national genius in one of its most modern developments ; 
and this is one of the principal reasons for its existence. If I 
may judge by the interest which it inspires, abroad as well as 
at home, I have reason to believethat my eftbrts have not been 
unavailing, and that we may make known to the world that 
France continues to lead the world, that she is the first of the 
nations to realize an enterprise often attempted or dreamed 
of; for man has always sought to build high towers to mani- 
fest his power, but he soon recognized that the laws of gravity 
hampered him seriously, and that his means were very limit- 
ed. It is owing to the progress of science, of the engineer's 
art, and of the iron industry, that we are enabled tosurpgissin 
this line the generations which have gone before us by the 
construction of this tower, which will be one of the character- 
istic feats of modern industry." 
It is said that only three of the rarer metals are regularly 
produced in this country. These are aluminum, iridium and 
platinum. Most of the rare metals are imported from Ger- 
many, although many of their compounds occur more abun- 
dantly in North America than elsewhere on the globe. Gallium, 
as quoted in price lists of rare metals, commands the highest 
price, being worth $140.00 per grain. It is doubtful if the total 
production of this mineral since its discovery would amount 
to one hundred pounds. Vanadium and glucinum come next 
in order of value. Zirconium might be obtained from the 
zircons of North Carolina, but at present the supply all comes 
from Europe. 
At A MKETiNG of the Russian Mineralogical Society, K. D. 
Chrustschoflf, it is said, demonstrated the existence of a new 
metal which he has just discovered and named "russium." 
The metal approximates closely in its properties to thorium, 
and its existence was predicted by Mendek'eff. 
AccoRDiNr. TO Prof. J. E. Todd the Dakota sandstone of the 
Cretaceous, supplies the main source of artesian water for the 
numerous flowing wells throughout all South Dakota. 
North American Geology and Palaeontology is the title 
of a large work by S. A. Miller of Cincinnati Ohio, now in the 
