New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-01-19
4 JOLLY SCIENTIFIC CRUISE.

These things go by rotation. III Is now
Americas turn for a circummundane explora-
ton. After Prof Agassiz's famous voyage ON
the Hasser, in which he picked mp the nest
of the cheiro-what-s-it floating Oh the Sara
gossa Sea and saw lin the very act of walk
ing I'D the Valley of the AmazOn) the mud
fish that goes ashore from motives OF aiiec-
ton: and brought back so many tons of I'M
recognized soft-clams and the like that the
Museum of Comparative Anatomy has MT yet
got them into perfect Ordcr-aiter all that
our British cousins felt that it was incumbent
on them to circumnavigate. Accordingly they
picked out passenger list of gentlemen who
| were up in the 'olOgics-eXcept theolOgy-and
| disnatched them on a three years pcregrina-
| ton. Those tourists did an extraordinary
amount OF work with a dredge and donkey
engine they raked up such Quantity OF
| globqerina and other scientific mu'i from che
| bottom of the ocean that the technical jour
| mails have been full of it ever since. A very
| deep set were that scientific party, admirably
| fitted for penetrating the depths Of the sea !;
their performance will for some time dofy all
| efforts to beat it, and it will always BIZ known
by the name of "the Challenger Expedition"
But ~ we have said, it is now America S
turn, and Mr.. Woodruff of indianapolis and
Prof Steere of Michigan University have
| issued programme for q new scientific cir
| cumbendibus.
There is something very delightful in the
Woodruff, Steere g. Co. circular, entitled a
Preliminary Announcement Of a Scientific
Expedition Around the World" If Mr.
Woodruff had Oceanica for sale and purp0sed
1Nt. .in al
seaside hotels, he could scarcely describe its
attractive points in more glowing periods. We
read of " several of the beautiful Polyncsian
islands, famous for their delightful climate,
fruits. corals, and sea-shells the delightful
sca-she!ls being no doubt of the kind referred
to by Wordsworth" and monumental remains
| Z" of former, forgotten races, and presenting
| "fayorable opportunities for dredging" There
| is a slight et-dOwn in the strain Of the last
clause, but it makes up in science what it
wants in poetry. We notice also with regret
the omission of ByrOn's famous line concern
| ing thine inimitable oil in the catalogue of
the attractions of MacasSar, whittier the voyagers
will tend. There is solace in tho thought that
| there are hopes of obtaining Alacassarene guides
| and of visiting a great inland lake which is
| supposed to be in BOrneO: there being
"strange stories of this lake and
"of large animals, among them the
elcphant" OF the "SooOo group" we are
| told that the natives are at war with the
Spanish, and are piratical, but are friendly
with all speaking the English language" 1t
might have been well to have vouchsafed
some further details about the SooloOnese, and
| especially as to their cdsus beIii with the
| - L., th. t,,,ip
| ages have similar hostility to people who
murder the Kings English, there viii be
special danger for the gentlemen who have
prepared the Preliminary Announcement, par
| ticuarly if the attempt IL made to obtain
some Of the strange animals and birds
with any expectation that the birds will not
prove to be animals But something must be
pardoned to tho warmth of feeling that evil
IDENTIFY overc0mes the writer of the circular
when he casts his thoughts upon tropical
| islands The vivid Impressions take ut times
| the present tense Manila is visited - vii
lagos "are found !" "Zcbu is visited" No
such ecstasy affects his visions of continents,
however, or of their natives. Indeed, the Chi
ncse are snubbed more than once with little
C, treatment we should hardly have ex-
peCted outside of the Pacific slope.
Under any circumstances, it seems certain
that the expedition will be prepared to be
jolly. The thoroughly irst-class steamship ~
| is not 10 he a hermitage "A good table" it
is stated. contributes materially to the health
and enjoyment of such an expedition
Probably il does, though we have never heard
of just such an expedition before. Good cooks
and stewards are 10 be secured; leo ia TO be
made ON board; the table is in general to