396 The American Geologist. Suries Aes 
was read at the late meeting of the American Institute of Min- 
ing Engineers at Philadelphia. 
Dr. Joun H. MatHews, the Carnegie fellow at Columbia 
University, was awarded the Carnegie gold medal on May & 
by the Iron and Steel Institute of London, for his research 
work on low carbon steel alloys. 
THe NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Society, Washington, has 
sent the following of its members to examine and report on 
the late volcanic eruptions at Martinique and St. Vincent, viz: 
Robert T. Hill, Israel.C. Russell and C. E. Borchgrevink. 
Dr. J. W. SpeNceER has returned to Washington after an 
extended trip in Mexico and Central America. He crossed the 
Tehuantepee isthmus on mules and in ox carts, then visiting 
Gautemala and Honduras, touching the corner of Salvador. 
The object of the trip was to study the resemblances or con- 
trasts with the submarine topography of the West Indies. 
Pror. W. G. MILLER has been appointed Provincial geolo- 
gist and Inspector of Mines of Ontario. This is a new 
office, recently provided for, and the appointment took effect 
May 1. Prof. Miller has occupied the chair of geology and 
petrography at Queen’s University, and has for some time 
past been connected with the Ontario School of Mines at 
Kingston. He has also been associated with the Bureau of 
Mines in the economic exploration of northern and eastern 
Ontario, more particularly in connection with the iron, gold 
and corundum resources of those districts. The appointment 
is an excellent one. Prof. Miller has done good work, and 
much may be expected from him in the larger field opened to 
him by his new position —(Eng. and Mining Jour.) 
GEOLOGICAL Excursion. On May 15, 16 and 17 about fifty 
students from the University of Wsconsin and from North- 
western University participated in an excursion to Devils lake, 
Wisconsin, and to the Dalles of the Wisconsin river. The par- 
ty was under the leadership of Prof. C. R. Van Hise, assisted 
by Prof. J. Morgan Clements and Prof. U. S. Grant. May 
15 and 16 were spent in the Devil’s lake district where the 
phenomena connected with the Baraboo (Upper Huronian) 
quartzyte and the unconformably overlying Postdam sandstone 
could be studied, and where also the sharp contrast between 
the glaciated and the driftless areas’ is very prominent. Of 
especial interest is the small but beautifully perfect terminal 
moraine and the pre-glacial river gorges. At Kilbourn on May 
17 the dalles of the Wisconsin and other instructive erosion 
phenomena in the beautifully cross-bedded Postdam sandstone 
were studied. 
Monts PELEE AND SOUFRIERE, the former on Martin- 
ique the latter on St. Vincent, West Indies, have been in violent 
eruption since. May 8. On that date they burst into terrific 
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