Correspondence. 395 
portunity in central Asia, and he has a good deal to say aboii': dctrital 
formations that impeded his i-rogress, but it is impossible to draw any 
concliisioTis from his records as to how these were formed. It may be 
that the aeolian surface mantle obscures, in a measure, the jrevious 
glacial features, but close observation ought to be able to unravel 
them from the existing covering. It ought at least to be possible to 
get as much evidence of glaciation in the tropics and the arid belts, as 
is now brought forward from the Permian, and thereabouts, against 
your views. Would it not be possible to get some one who is an en- 
thusiast on Glacial epochs to set en foot a systematic exploration of 
such promising fields as arid South Africa and South Amcri<-:i? The 
Kalahari on the south and the Sahara on the north would seem very 
promising, if not specially inviting to the average explorer; but one 
or two men above the average could surely be found; and if :ome of 
our rich men would direct their benevolence into that channel and thus 
aid in settling this leading unsolved problem in the past histor/ of the 
globe, immediately preceding the present era, it would redound much 
more to their permanent glory than even reaching the North pole, .-^s 
I understand it, the Carnegie Institution will not initiate si.ch re- 
searches, but once on foot might also extend help to a talented (.xplorer 
to complete his work. 
But the man who undertakes lhis must be no tyro, and have no 
preconceived notions to bolster up ; he should possess the mcH-al determ- 
ination and physical endurance of Hedin. It is a prize well worthy 
of the ambition of any young geologist, whether the result of his 
researches should be to prove or disprove your theory; and if it should 
take a life time to settle the question, it w-ould be a life time much 
better spent than are those of some of our "scientific hay-gatherers" 
who keep accumulating undigested raw material. 
I sincerely hope that some Meecaenas to endow this resenrch will 
be found ; if so, the man for the work will turn up, and may be care- 
fully selected by the Carnegie Board of Control. 
Yours truh'-, 
E. W. HILGARi;, 
To Dr. Marsben Manson, University of Califontia, 
San Francisco, Cal. April 4. 1904. 
PERSONAL AND SCIENTIFIC NEWS. 
Dk. G. p. Grimslky has charge of the Kansas mineral 
exhibit at the Louisiana Exposition at St. Louis. 
Professor W. M. Davis. Harvard LTniversitv. was re- 
cently elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences . 
r)R. Jamks Dovglas delivered the class dav address to the 
graduating class of the Michigan College of Mines at Hough- 
ton on April 22d. 
