New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-03-21
SCIENCE.
ypocErpINGs OF SOCIETIES.


e't"n " n uo,nos 70 the letter from Bayard Tay:
la nro1 DIR. Schliemans Troad, IN HE TRIBUNE oi
March 2. r, .-., I,ob
DAVENPORT: Iowa ACADEMY OF SCIENCEs' feo'
MONTHLY meeting, DR.. Parry in the chair' MI
prott reported that the Committee on the Explors-
tion Of the Albany Mounds had sent to the Smith
;a Institution detailed account of their labors,
nth humber of drawings and several skulls inns
naper il Is hoped, will be puOllSheu III lho
the Smithsonian INSTITUTION.
RosToS: NEw-ENGLAND HISTORICAL AND UENE-
,,oc,c,I. SOCIETY: March 4-The President, the
Hon NJ p Wilder in the Chair. The Rev. Jere-
n,;ob Chanlin read paper on the Life and Char
acter of James Cudworth regarding him chiefly as
a representative of the more liberal sentiment OF
early New En- gland. The deaths among members OF
tbe Association announced. and the reports OF
the librarian and curator were read.
BALTIMORE: MARYLAND ACADEMY OF SCIENCES:
March 9-The President, Prof. p h Uhler, In the
chair. The report of the Committee appointed by
the Academy year ago TO take into consideration
the subect of the gradual disappearance of the food
fishes from the waters of Maryland was presented
In urned FORM as lately published in Inc AmelTcdhi
and transmitted by the Governor to the OeDeIai
Assembly. The Committee expressed the hope tnat
the action Of theSociety has been OF Denet IN Sei b
suitable powers for establishing and enforcing cer-
tain needed regulations
Boston: MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECH
NoIoGY: Feb. ga paper was read by Mr.. Horace
MeMnrtrie, entitled Boiler Explosions no Mys-
tery in which he remarked that there was bat one
grand direct cause of boiler explosions, namely the
incapacity of the metal at the time to sustain the
pressure to which it is subjected. Explosions can
be brought about in many ways, such as defective
material at the time of construction, all parts
beinc incapable of sustaining the same pressure,
excessive pressure and in various other ways. ne
considered the investigation that Is DelhR Ia9e
by the Government quite unnecessary, as not IheN
10 determine any points not already perfectly well
understood. The remedy suggested by MT. MeMuII-
trie is 10 commence with suitably constructed Doll
ers 10 reaulre n frequent inspection, and to secure
the services of thoroughly competent men Us ehgi
neers,
MONTREAL: NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY Feb. %
President Dawson in the chair. MIR. Selwyn, IN De-
half of committee appointed to endeayor TO lIqui-
date the floating debt of the Society reported that
the sum Of c1OO mad been collected and he hoped
the desired amount would be secured. Mr. &. NJ
Dawson the Geologst of the Northwestern Boun-
dairy Commission. read paper on the Ignite Ter
tiaries of the West" in which he remarked that
although not comparable to true coal as fuel, they
are Of considerable value, and must play very I'M
uOrtant part in the settlement OF country so dest-
tute of wood not only as fuel for ordinary use pit
os needed i'm the manufacture of brick for buildings
from the abundant clays. Those found 10y MN near
the north boundary OF the Umted states are al
Though superior to some in use in other PORTIONS, de-
,ldedv infarinr 10 the best Of those On the hne oil
the Union Pacific Railway.
BUFFALO: SOCIETY OF NATURAL SCIENCE; Marcl
e.-vice-Presdent Chandler in the chair. The fol
lowing papers were read On the species of Ho'icop
inhabting the Valley of the Amazon, by Aug.
Crote Preliminary List of the Noctuide of NORTH
America. by Aug. r. Grote. Mr.. Grote drew thu
attention Of the Society TO the recent discoveries Of
the remains of the extinct American equine genera
in the tertiary of Oregon by Prof. o. C. Marsh
Taken together with Prof Huxley's previous con-
b.. Doubt aolII
III possibv remain that neaf descent for the horse
1Eqaa Lad been shown from the four toed Or0h'P-
t,as of the EOCene) by pal9ontoogists. To irOf.
Marsh belonged the honor Of having placed me me
age of the American horse (EqHas Udternus( beyond
the possibility of intelligent question, Mr.. Grote
described the GrarG singular variety of Cohds
pLilOdof hitherto uDrecOTded, in which the prlma-
rcs above were sutiused with brilliant caTmine,
and recalled the tropical species of Cdlhdryds, to
winch the genus COtidS was related. lilo under
surface had strong intermiXture of orange-red
scales. The specimen had been taken in Canada,
and was male.
BosToN; AMERICAN ACADEMY OF ARTS AND
SCIENCES March 1O-The Rumford Medal which
at the annual meeting was voted to Lewis NJ.
Rutherfurd of New-YOTk. for his imprOvementsin
celestial photography and his investigations in that
field was presented, Prof Wolcott Gibbs receiving
it a. tho representative of Mr.. Rutherford, now in
Europe Prof. Cooke the Chairman of the Rum
ford Committee stated the grounds for recommend
ing the award. The President Of the Academy (Alr.
Adamsl made an address, in which the history of
Count Rumfort's rust was rccounted, and the new
applications of light and heat, both to research and
10 practical life, made since ITS foundation, were
briefly stated, ending with some compliments TO
Mir. RrtheTfud upon the occasion. Prof. Gibbs re-
sponded for the receiver. and added some ac-
count If the steps taken and the present condition
of Mr. RutherfuTds work IN applying the photo.
graphic method to the deneation of the position OF
stars. &c. Mr.. Seudder propO sed that the Academy
should address memorial 10 the state Legislature
in behalf Of a new geological and Typographical
survey of Massachusetts. and read the draft OF a
memorial. Tins referred to special COM
mlttee
SAN FRANCIsco: ACADEMY OF SCIENCES: Feb.
1G-Prof Davidson. the President in the chair.
Prof Davidson reported upon the result of the
souudings made by Capt George T. Belknap of the
United States steam r Tusearora during the year
1873 having especial reference t. the project of lay
ing a tclegraphc cable from the California coast
to Japan rThe particulars of this exploration were
given in fun in the correspondence of THE TRIB-
UNE.b This examination determined the fact that
the sudden descent of the bottom of the Pacific is
continuous down the entire coast at a distance fl M
shore varying from ~ to 20 miles. On the latitude
OF San Francisco Bay the great beach is reached a
short distance off the Faraloues, where the bottom
suddenly deSceudS 10 a depth OF two miles On
Cape FOulweatier the bottom deScends prccipltOusy
from 400 fathomS TO depth of 1900 fathOms. aud
then the plateau continues westward for hundreds
of miles, and comparatively level as a billiard
table.
Prof Davidson in discussing some of the ques-
uous connected with the temperature Obseryat atoms
obtained by this expedition, remarked that the
passage Of Behnug Straits permitted no large
under OF the Arctic waters, but branch Of the
great japanese current set uOIthWaTd and eastward
The effect of the small Arctic current from the coast
al kamtschaik a seen in the scanty and bOreal
character OF the fauna Of the region in striking con-
tTast With the influence of the warm japanese cur
rent along the coast of Alaska in the same latitude
NEw-YoRK AMERICAN FISH CuLTT-RIsTs' AssoCI-