Personal and Scientific Ncti's. 401 
collection, which represents the enthusiastic and painstaking 
labor of Theodore D. Rand, Treastirer for 31 years of the 
American Institute of Mining Engineers, is remarkably com- 
plete. It contains many rare minerals, seldom found in priv- 
ate collcH:tions and many valuable and interesting crystals. 
The minerals have been secured by purchase and exchange 
from all parts of the world. The rock collection illustrates 
a more limited geographic district. It is thoroughly represent- 
ative of the rocks of eastern Pennsylvania and includes a fine 
series of polished Serpentines, a rock type of which Mr. Rand 
had made a special study. 
This collection is now being installed at Bryn Mawr col- 
lege under the direction of Dr. F. Bascom. associate pro- 
fessor, and Dr. Benjamin L. Miller, associate in Geology. 
Dk. Marsok.v Mansox. of San b'rancisco. gave, by request, 
a lecture at \\'ashington on the "Evolution of Climates." be- 
fore the Washington Philosophical Society. 
The Coal Fields of Cape Lksburne. Alaska. Near cape 
Lisburnc, which is on the Arctic coast of Alaska. 300 miles 
north of the arctic circle, are two coal-bearing formations of 
economic importance. They were studied during the past sum- 
mer by ]\[r. Arthur J. Collier, of the United States Geological 
Survey, who. assisted by Mr. Chester Washburn, made his 
way in an open dory along that distant shore as far east as 
cape Beaufort. 
Of the two coal-bearing fomiations. one. which lies east of 
cape Lisburne. is of Jurassic or Lower Cretaceous age. and 
the other, which lies south of cape Lisburne. is either Ltnver 
Carboniferous or Devonian. The Mesozoic coal-bearing for- 
mation, which has been known for the last three-quarters of a 
century, commences at a point 25 miles east of cape Lisburne 
and is continuously exposed along the coast to cape Beaufort, 
a distance of 40 miles. It contains the well-known Corwin and 
Thetis mines, the location of which has been shown on many 
recent maps of Alaska. 
Geologic study shows that the coal measures of these fields 
have a total thickness of at least 15.000 feet and contain not 
less than 40 beds of coal, each over a foot thick. The aggre- 
gate thickness of all tlie beds seen by Mr. Collier is over 150 
feet. Eleven of them are more than four feet thick and contain 
coal of good quality. Analysis of samples from some of the 
beds shows the product to be low-grade bituminous coal. A 
limited amount of coal has been mined here since 1879 for 
whalers and revenue cutters. Several cargoes were mined in 
190 1 and sold at Xome markets for $t8 and $20 a ton, in 
competition with Comax and \\'ashington coal at $25 a t(in. 
None of the coal beds has been permanently developed. 
The coal produced was mined from tlie croppings along the 
