Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-01-20


ly in positions far removed from volcanic
activity and under circumstances which
clearly indicate that il is due TO the decom-
position of organic matter
The report on British America which we
have noted above with reference to the con-
clusions concerning the extension Of petro-
leum has also much popular interest from
the facts which it affords concerning various
other resources beside petroleum which may
be of value to men who resort to these high
regions when the world becomes overcrowd-
ed. 1t is interesting to note that there is
another source of light and heat in that hy-
perborean region where both of these agents
are to be in such demand. The commission
asserts the existence ofvery extensive Ignite
deposits extending throughout more than
half of the Mackenzie basin. Although
these lignites being but half baked Goals are
poor substitutes for our high grade fuels,
there presence in this country, in which no
better subterranean fuels are known, is like
ly 10 prove of the utmost Importance as re-
CARDS the fitness of the area for mans use.
They will afford both heat ana light, and
with proper treatment, gas as well.
EXTENSIo OF CULTIVATION.
1t is perhaps with reference to the agri-
cultural resources of this territory that the
report of the Canadian commission is of
most immediate Importance. 1t is asserted
in the report and indicated on the maps
that the wheat belt extends to the parallel
of about 62 north, including the ter
ritory south of the Great Slave lake and
west to near the one hundred and thirtieth
meridian. They assert that barley will
ripen about as lar north as the Great Bear
lake, and that potatoes will develop nearly
up to the mouth of the Mackenzie river.
Al. al
as favorable as the observations will admit,
and may assert a greater adaptability of
this region to the use of agriculture than
experience will bear out, there can be no
question of their importance as indicating
the extension of the tillable area of the con-
tinent over field of several hundred thous-
and square miles which has hitherto been
deemed unsuited to the use of civilized man.
The facts appear to show that an area of not
less than 100000 square miles, or, cay ten
times that of Kentucky, has by this report
been added to our reckoning as to the
hahitable area of North America.
In a recent communication to the London
Economist, Ottamar Haupt gives computa-
ton as to the total quantity of gold held by
the United States Treasury and the national
banks of the various European States. He
shows pretty conclusively that there has
been a notable increase in the quantity of
this precious metal in these Government
stores during the past year. The amount in
October, 1887, was estimated at 961, ,000, ,000f,
and in October, 1888, 6,525, ,000, ,000f, or, say,
at present, for the total store of gold in the
Government treasures about 600, 600, 000.-
000f Despite this great horde and the
strong positions given to the national cur
rencies thereby, the gold market seems in a
singular sensitive state. Whenever the
gold shipments set in from any country the
general markets at once exhibit indications
of fear on the part of the fnanciers. This
apprehension, though probably due to
various causes, doubtless in part represents
the apprehension lest the total amount of
gold in any country be insufficient to main
tain the stability of the currency. 1t is
satisfactory to note that at present the
United States Treasury has more gold at its
command than is held in any other national
depository, the total in 1888 amounting to
1,726 OOO. .OOOf
LITTLE GOLD IN CANADA.
1t would doubtless be in an immediate
sense very fortunate if new discoveries of
gold fields would serve to increase the sup
ply of the precious metal in something like
the way in which the California finds OF 40
years ago enhanced the worlds supply. 1t
is Therefore with some regret we note that
the Canadian commission does not seem
very hopeful as to the profitable nature of
the wide area of sands containing gold w.
ing on the western. side of the Mackenzie
river. Many geologists were disposed to
look upon this field as possible source of
extensive supply from gravels, though the
washfhgscould, of course, be carried on dur
ing only part of the year. 1t appears now
that, until Central Africa comes to be bet
81, l,+.1o Il nj
dorado comparable to that of California or
Australia.
1t is evident that the search for gold
among the early peoples of Asia, and prob
bly, among all primitive folk after they had
come to esteem the precious metal-was ex-
tremsly ardent. Thus, Mr. G. Atwood, in
recent paper published in the quarterly
Journal Of the Geological Society, observes
that in the province OF Mysore OF Southern
India natives in former centuries have
shown a curious skill in searching out every
possible deposit of gold over a very extern
sive area. Although he tested for gold at
several hundred points he never found it in
a single place where the old miners had not
lett the marks of their work. They appear
to have won all that substance from the al
luvial deposits and to have searched all the
outcrops of quartz in their inquiry for the
metal.
The fact seems to be that Europe, Asia
and much of Africa have been thoroughly
secured for this precious metal. With all
the modern search for new supplies, no new
profitable fields have been developed in
these areas. All the important modern sup.
ply of gold has come from the Americas,
from Australia, and in a measure from
Africa.
A HAZY THEORY.
In the correspondence column of Science
there has of late been much discussion as to
the nature of the curious haze which is
often seen in Alpine and other parts OF the
old world. This haze, most distinct at
morning and evening, does not seem to be
cloud-like in its nature for it is evidently
not composed OF watery vapor. 1t has been
suggested that it is smoke, but there are no
forest fires in that region such as yield the
abundant smoke often found in this coun-
try. NJ. Antoine d'Abbadie suggests in the
last number of Nature that such peculiar
haze abounds in many countries, and that
it has special names in Portuguese, in
Spanish, in the Basque language, in Ethio.
pia, German and elsewhere. He notes the
fact that the Ethiopians compare
it with smoke but regard it as distinct
from it.
NJ. d'Abbadie agrees with Prof. Tyndall
that this curious haze commonly appears in
horizontal layers, often of a singular form.
He notes the fact that the Ethiopian schol-
ars, in commenting on the tenth chapter of
Exodus, state that the darkness referred to
in the twenty-second verse was an intense
form of this haze, to which they give the
name dobar. They furthermore explain
that the ''light enjoyed by the children of
Israeli is fully burne out by the fact that
the dobar may sometimes be present in one
place and absent in another. The learned
writer suggests that this Alpine haze is only
dry air, which, as IS we'll known to astrono-
mers. is less transparent than very moist air.
He apparently regards these hazy layers as
bands of air exceptionally free from witery
vapor. Last o. all, he notes the interesting
fact that the natives of countries in which
the dobar abounds are remarkably swarthy,
and he asks the question whether or not it
operates to darken mems skin. This sug-