questions of improved husbandry, of irrigation and of famines. Then follow sections on commerce and trade, arts and manufactures, mines and minerals, and on vital statistics, the whole being illustrated by a series of tables." A similar treatment is observed in the articles on Bengal and other provinces, or districts and towns.

In concluding his review Mr. Markham remarks: "The Imperial Gazetteer is the crowning work which brings the results of the great statistical survey within reach of the general public. It represents twelve years of incessant labor demanding many high qualities for its efficient execution and natural gifts such as are rarely combined in one man. Learning, experience and scholarly research were no less essential than habits of accurate thought, administrative talent, and orderly, methodical arrangement. Above all, imagination was needed-that quality without which work cannot be endued with life and movement, but remains dead, a mere receptacle of lifeless facts. It is to the rare combination of literary skill and the imaginative faculty, with the qualifications of an able and energetic administrator, that we owe the completion of this great and difficult task."

This great achievement is a model for our own people. Such a Gazetteer of the United States should be the final result of the explorations, observations and collections that have been and are yet being made under the authority of the National and State Governments.

THE ARCTIC CAMPAIGN OF 1881.—The U. S. steamer Jeannette sailed from San Francisco on an exploring voyage through Behrings Straits on July 8, 1879. She was supplied for three years' voyage in the Arctic regions and Captain De Long's instructions do not require him to return until the expiration of that period. The Jeannette was last heard from by a letter from Captain De Long, dated August 27, 1879, off Cape Serdze on the north-east coast of Siberia. She was last seen on September 2d of that year by the American whaler Sea Breeze about fifty miles south of Herald Island, and on the following day several whalers in lat. 70° 51' N., long. 174° 30′ W., saw the smoke of a steamer going north a little east of due south of the island. As no news has since been received of her safety, several vessels have been ordered by the Government to visit the Arctic seas for her relief if necessary.

The U. S. revenue steamer Corwin sailed on May 4, 1881, from San Francisco, and has already made investigations along the Siberian coast, resulting in the discovery of relics of one of the two missing whalers in the possession of the natives, who had obtained them in November, 1880, from a wreck northward of Cape Serdze. Captain Hooper expected to sail on July 8th from St. Michaels and proceed along the American shore as far as the ice would permit and then attempt to reach Wrangell Land.

The U. S. steamer Rodgers sailed from San Francisco on June 16th to search for and relieve the Jeannette. She is a full-rigged bark of 420 tons, heavily sheathed with three-inch oak plank. She is supplied with stores for four years, including large quantities of pemmican and lime juice. She is commanded by Lieutenant R. M. Berry and has a company of 35 officers and men. The paymaster is W. H. Gilder, formerly of the Schwatka expedition. She is to proceed to the coast of Siberia and thence to Herald Island and Wrangell Land, where Lieut. Berry hopes to winter.

The U. S. frigate Alliance has been ordered to cruise in the northern Atlantic, visiting the coast of Spitzbergen, in view of the possible return of the Jeannette by the east coast of Greenland or the shores of Franz-Josef Land. The Alliance sailed from Norfolk on June 16th, arrived at Reikiavik, Iceland, on July 9th, and at Hammerfest on the 25th.

Congress having appropriated the sum of $25,000 to the establishment of two stations within the Arctic circle, at Lady Franklin Bay and Point Barrow, in accordance with the plan adopted by the Hamburg International Polar Conference, the parties to occupy them have been organized and despatched. The Lady Franklin Bay Colony will number twenty-six, commanded by Lieut. A. W. Greely, for twelve years acting signal officer, with two other officers, sixteen soldiers, four observers, one naturalist, two surgeons and one photographer. They sailed in the steamer Proteus from St. Johns, N. F., on July 7th. They go first to Disco to procure Eskimo guides, dogs and furs, and expect to be joined there by Dr. Pavey and Mr. H. Clay, who were left there by the Gulnare last year. The Proteus will then visit Lancaster Sound to see if any traces of the Jeannette are to be found, as is thought not unlikely, and then continue her course for Lady Franklin Bay in lat. 81° 40′. She will endeavor to call at Carey island and at the cachès made by the English in Grinnell Land, which will be supplemented by supplies from the Proteus. On reaching Lady Franklin Bay the vessel is to be unloaded at once, so as to return to St. Johns. The expedition is provided with a number of portable houses and full supplies of stores of the best quality, including a very large stock of anti-scorbutics. After erecting the dwelling house and observatories, a sledge party is to visit Cape Joseph Henry to seek for tidings of the Jeannette. Full instructions are given by the War Department for the forming of collections and taking of observations of all kinds, as recommended by the Hamburg Conference. It is expected that the station will be visited yearly by steamers to replenish stores and bring back any disabled members of the party. Lieut. Greely is ordered to abandon his station not later than September 1, 1883, if not previously visited, and retreat southward by boat, following the east coast of Grinnell Land until the relieving vessel is met or Littleton island reached.

The Point Barrow party sailed on July 18th, from San Francisco on the schooner Golden Fleece. It consists of ten men, including the commander, Lieutenant P. H. Ray, a surgeon, astronomer, three observers, interpreter, etc. They take 16,000 feet of lumber, for the erection of a building thirty by forty feet and astronomical and magnetic observatories. The party is excellently equipped with instruments and is provisioned for two years. A vessel is expected to reach them annually. They are to remain for three years.

Many of the outlets from the Arctic sea are this year reported unusually obstructed by ice. Heavy ice floes are reported along the Labrador coast, and the pack ice is unusually heavy and far south in the European Arctic sea-Spitzbergen being at last advices entirely inaccessible. The past winter was unusually severe in Iceland. Owing to the large flow of ice it is thought that later in the season the seas in the higher latitude will be left unusually free and navigable.

The weather on the south-west coast of Greenland during the winter of 1880-1, is stated, however, to have been the mildest ever experienced in that vicinity. No ice formed in the bays or fiords and but little snow fell. The prevalence of south-west gales is assigned as one cause of this unusual climate.

Mr. Leigh Smith sailed from Peterhead in the third week of June. On reaching Eira Harbor in Franz-Josef Land, he purposes to construct a house from materials taken with him and then explore as far north as possible. He has a company of twenty-five sailors and assistants and provisions for fifteen months.

Besides Lady Franklin Bay and Point Barrow, the stations recommended to be established by the Hamburg Conference are Upernavik by Denmark, in Northern Finnmarken by Norway, on Jan Mayen and western coast of Greenland by Austria, on Spitzbergen by Sweden, on Novaya Zemlya [already opened] and at the mouth of the Lena by Russia.

The Nature states that the Swedish Government has decided to send a scientific expedition to Mossel Bay in the course of next year, for the purpose of collecting meteorological information. The expedition will be directed by Capt. Malmberg and will have to remain during the summer of 1882 and the winter of 1883, in order to obtain the observations of an entire year. Mossel Bay is situated to the north of Spitzbergen, lat. 79° 54′, long. 16° 15'. The locality is well known to the Swedes. Professor Nordenskiöld stayed there in the winter of 1872-3 with three ships.

MICROSCOPY.1

METEORIC DUST.-From time to time fine dust, having nearly the same composition as certain meteorites, has fallen upon various parts of the earth's surface. Professor Silvestri,

* * *

1 This department is edited by Dr. R. H. WARD, Troy, N. Y.

of Catonia, recently collected some dust which fell in Sicily, and found it to contain not only metallic iron, but also nickel and various silicates and phosphates, such as are commonly found in meteoric stones. He is, therefore, inclined to believe either that the dust has been abraded from meteorites, or that it circulates in space, and is attracted to the earth's surface when it penetrates within the atmosphere.

*

Professor Tacchini, who has exchanged the observatory of Palermo for that of the Collegio Romano, in Rome, has recently published a lengthy memoir entitled "Sulle polveri meteoriche di Scirocco raccolte in Italia e segnatamente in Sicilia." He was assisted in his researches by Professors Macagno and Ricco, and a résumé of the results at which they arrived, was recently read before the meteorological section of the French Association for the Advancement of Science at Algiers. The memoir contains some beautifully-executed microscopic drawings of the appearance of the meteoric dust when highly magnified, and by a series of small maps showing the barometric curves for the periods during which the dust fell. A notable feature revealed by the analysis, was the similarity of the composition of the dust collected from various localities and at different epochs. * * * A microscopic analysis revealed the presence of transparent and opaque polygonal crystals, black granules of metallic iron, and of magnetic oxide of iron, feldspar, carbonate of calcium and sand; various vegetable substances and spores were observed, Palmella cruenta, Protococcus nivalis v. pluvialis and Discerœa purpurea. Professor Tacchini considers that the dust is of terrestrial origin, and that it is brought from the Sahara, being raised into the higher regions of the atmosphere by cyclones and whirlwinds, where it may remain suspended during transport for several days. A barometric depression invariably accompanies the fall of the dust.-G. F. Rodwell in Science Gossip.

MICROSCOPY IN THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE.—At the meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, held recently in Cincinnati, the sub-section of microscopy had several important and interesting sessions, at which a number of valuable papers pertaining to the science of histology and the technique of microscopy were presented. Rev. A. B. Hervey, of Taunton, Mass., was chairman, and Professor Wm. H. Seaman, of Washington, was secretary.

In the reorganization of the American Association, which was perfected at the Cincinnati meeting, the full section of “Histology and Microscopy" was established, by which this was put on a footing of equality with the other departments of science represented in the Association. By this arrangement the chairman of the section becomes a vice-president of the Association, and he, together with the secretary and a fellow elected by the section, represent the section in the standing committee. It is believed

that this action on the part of the Association will be gratifying to every student of histological and microscopical science in the country. It can hardly fail to furnish the most favorable and considerable advantage to all who care to enjoy the privileges of a national microscopical society. Professor A. H. Tuttle, of Columbus, was elected chairman, and Robert Brown, Jr., of Cincinnati, secretary of the section for the Montreal meeting.-A. B. H.

NEW FREEZING MICROTOME.-At the microscopical section A. A. A. S., Mr. Thomas Taylor, Microscopist of the Department of Agriculture at Washington, presented a model of a new freezing microtome of his invention. Mr. Taylor described his invention as consisting essentially of a thin brass tube about one inch and at half in length by one inch in diameter. A 4 inch brass tube is secured within the large cylinder. This tube enters the bottom where it is secured, and proceeds to within a quarter of an inch of the inside surface of the top. To the outside open end of this tube a rubber tube is attached; the other end of the rubber tube is made to communicate with a freezing mixture composed of finely cut ice and salt in about equal proportions. The pail containing this mixture is placed over and about fifteen inches higher than the section cutter. The object of this arrangement is to fill the brass cylinder with a freezing liquid, drained from the pail, and caused by the liquifying salt and ice, the temperature of which is about zero. On filling the cylinder with the liquid any object on the top of the cylinder becomes frozen in a short period and may then be cut to any degree of thickness. In order to preserve the low degree of temperature in the cylinder a second tube is secured in the cylinder to remove air and keep up a constant current of the freezing liquid. This tube enters the bottom of the cylinder, where it is fastened. It projects upwards to within an eighth of an inch of the top and has a diameter of about one-half of the supply tube. This microtome or freezing cylinder in other respects is arranged like other microtomes such as are used for ether or rhigoline; and the same mathematical accuracy attained in cutting sections.

MOUNTING CHICK EMBRYOS WHOLE.-Dr. C. S. Minot recommended the following method, for embryos under 40 hours. The egg is opened in the usual manner in warm 0.5 per cent. salt solution, the blastoderm freed from the yolk membrane, then swayed with pincers to and fro in the liquid to remove the superfluous yolk, and then floated out on a glass slide, on which it is to remain permanently. It is next treated with several fluids; all of which should be dropped on the center of the germ disc so as to spread out the blastoderm evenly by their centrifugal flow. Wash off thoroughly with distilled water. Remove the water as fully as possible by bibulous paper, and allow the specimen to remain. fully spread out until the edges are dried. The embryo will then