New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-09-22
SCIENCE FOR THE PEOPLE.


. - ,,.t,., ,s.,.l,t,on for the Advancement of
ecenoe nv ProL T. s,erry Hunt, Secretary OF tue com
ro,,tee for an international Geo'o-'ch hN"'V'.l'"
ano c,ncress 10 Doe held az fhtiS ]" 1913
.rh, Committee consisted OF Mess's' W d. ''oAoiS
r. uau ] ". Dawson J. :. Nc"eerry' L. S'frN
-, 4, ra,,pollv ami C. II. Hitchcock; together WITH
T M unxIev Tor ENGLAND o TOrell, Tor swocen ana r.
II vo, Raumhauer for Holland. Al meeting OF ue
committee at Buffalo, ON the 23ih 81 August le'o'
ts,,es Han was chosen Chairman, ant t. Sierry hnt
,ocrearv Il was then agreed 20 prepare circular set
,,, ,rtb the plan of International Geological ENh-
n,, which should form part Of the general exhibit
40, to be held at Paris In 1873, and Indicating "
c,er,o Tor TIE organization OF the GEOLOGICAL coiec"hs
10 Doe sent los al n8t0u- taking para h that 'Nn-
,oo and moreover proposius an International GeoioN
ga Conercss Co. Dee hcd rs Paris. as SCI forth IA cica-
lar The circular was duly prepared and printed ia Eue
ush French and German and before tnc end o the year
had been sent boy the Secretary 90 the principal sccni'hc
so,cties and academies. w,i as 60 thc workers ia
GEOLOGY throughout the world. Tao response 10 TINS III
y,st,on has been most gratifying. The Geological $50
c,tv of France has formally recognized the great I'M
riaco OF tn objects proposed, and promised ITS hearty
,o6peraon while private letters from US ficede" ."
IN Secretary u tho Committee ana from Prot iiepeit
3, Pot James Hall give cordial assurances o the sane
kiud spanish AND lUihau ee0loalS's nave t"nail.'-
afd iuYis.cd the circular in tlei. respective ilAutst
@rS nave communicated 20 Ec Secretary their i9nh p
y,,ei M tIr ilau Pr.f. Cai cimi bass puhhsLed am We
tresitpr corrsugudcncc calling attention TO the lact
ihat hc in l-Tl lld tho project oil smit lne',,"
ttnai Ier'acii Congress- 90 Dc he'd n ITALY, before me
Italian Minister Of Agriculture, lneusii ana .Vl,g'
mo Geological society OF london and the NeoOst."i
Survey o. Great Britain have Also ioiA'i..! s-l'IC
tbcr approval of oar objects ana lhe ,oo,.' a''rn
s., A. is 90 be- regretted tl Germany hes decit1 10
-aho .It "a .Ac International i-AniD.4'i ~ . = ,
A. f.u.t chat DIS Will Iot prevent her ulo&i07 IRON
tluug n tIc proposed C0n-less. Ihe director OF 'ne
Clo.oslal survey az Jspu promises TO tdhe iStt ~
wolE, and we nave me SANE as ~, 1.
Wuerc She circular hes been translated INTO fotD~eev'
en tiou OF tIor geology 1T Paris next years
whlo Canada. poih through her Geological survey d' ~
Tic Government OF tic United STATES mas az yt' "',u
g. accept thc Invitation ~ France % tSe Pd' h ,t
Fyhiion Of ISTe. SD that American Ccologss are nor
oman that enc, viii Dee able 10 participate ia ue lhls
NATIONAL Geological Exhibition. In any cAeh.;; ~
n 4 ~ Tee,,o,mendcd bS The standing COMMITTEE OF The
cifi,n t,1t n addition 10 tue names OF Prot ). J..
les!cy. ol Pal!adcl iAs, aui lroi L. e. l''ns
e. the international Committee, tic Presidents iol tne
fimt-aeus Oi tio Geological rctes 90 ai''e ol -
klnu and D., tu-.l and of hc Imperial Geologic s'i
tuc Of Vienna be invited TO form ii oI inc toini'''o
precious limestone has been found at
Thachela Kern County, Caifornis, which is SAID TO be
identical with the "gial0 autico Wncent Yellow mar
bleofI.lv Tho latter highly priced by antquarans,
a. the location %; quarry from which it was procured
bss been unknown for era centuries The CamoIna
stone Is described white with ambercoiored veins
specimen been presented 10 tho sO'e Oooios'c''
bouey.
High authorities in England have taken up
H. question OF The existence Of the great scascrpeut
Tic report of tie officers OF The royal yacht Osborne De
ing laid before tie Admiralty Mr. Cross secretary OF
State for the Home Department, asked the opinion OF
Prank auckland, the Wen known naturalist 81 /" Tue
vac of the testimony sir auckland solicited the views
Of Prof owen NJ. A d. Bartlett, Of the Geological Gar
dsps Capt David Gray If whaling ship and Nj Hen
er,a naturalist. Az these opinions. with that OF
M. Buokiand, are now published. Tie officers ol Tue
O.bolnc two things which cannot be- readily sci
nk1e ridge Of fins, aud the head o. Vlat me! h~ic'e I
70 be sea monster of ihe north coast of Sicily The
head was estimated no fifteen 20 twenty feet III length
after being examined by telescope The animal bad
two happers OF Hns 10y which propelled ITSELF when
ms seen 10 was distant about two cables l. e quar-
'er of mile PIOf owens opinion ADVERSE lie th.nhs
The observations "by 40 means afford ground Tor con
cludug that what was afforded by an object
unknown and uurccorded M natural history there arc
III no grounds for calling monster" fir Buck
land reviews the evidence from The osborne ana other
SOURCES and concludes that the appearance was caused
p, tll.e or four lasliu eharks swimming line one
behind the other Capt. Gray suggests whale ana OF
Ief3 som o0G '.'a ,,.;s sh's officer ni.tooE
warus lor a whale. Mr.. Bartlett snd Mr Lee favor the
saqserpent theory The former says that with tue d
nrsi riyen il is most conclusive, in fact. proof posi-
tive that az animal rs set unknown seen. Mr.. lee
says: lac evidence Is 10 my nnd, conclusive mat
enormous animals, with which zoOOssts YET mac
sinted. 81 the sea- quite recently Vess, from
d. East Indies arriving England gave fresh news re
seen crossing bow OF the vesse- one morning When
Two degrees north Oh tie Equator
The Rev. DR.. Morris, OF Baltimore, claims
90 have made curious discovery about The esrWig ~
insect whose scientific FOrfeUiG q has pair
Of foreeps ~ the end o body nearly long TIC rest
of the insect The doctor that the Wig lie
forcep after bonding its BODY upward the lack 10y
inserng them under It's wngcGss lifting those so az to
free its wings The process described 10 he
awkward one but the Doctor ought 10 be good authority
OD TIC method oi using the loFcePs'
A somewhat unexpected result is obtained
ny the reductions the British observations the last
transit Of Venus the eye observations
steesoopic) in Egypt Honolulu, New-zeaaud, Rodri
gIeg and KeIgueien. The photographic observations
have not ye been reduced there also eye obser
vatons taken India and Australia that may be utilized
but II Is not believed that great change in the con-
imitation viii be effected by the figures obtained from the
lser source and value OF Photographic observations
fsas yet an open problem. The British calculations
give ior the value OF tho suns paralSN S1OV. with
probablc error Of 0Ol3 This corresponds 20 distance
Tor the sun Of 90 500 miles, with probable OF
10000 miles The curcus feature about this Is that ii
e. IN some measure return toward the Old figures which
made the suns distance very much greater These Old
figures from the transit OF 1863 believed TO be in
erro to the extent Of three four per cent But II the
new figures The paraax ho conceded ii will be est
mated bout midway between the extreme views Tie
following table viii Ioake this paiD u. No v Prot.
Enekes estimate from the transit Of 1869 No p Prof.
ReWcomn's USED iu Tic American Nautical Almanac
apd .lv,n in the British Nautical Almanac No. 4, the
recent deductions from tie British observations tue
last transit.
Il mate. IarallaN, seCOncS Distance. miles.
NJ. ..-..-..-..--.- -t.--S ~ "..'l"y
So