^Bwu 13. i(>s5.j SCIE
the Tolume as a whole, vc are drivCD to one of Iwo coDcluBions, — - either that there is a lack uf good ediloriui judgment in preparing the volume and acoeptiog articles for publication, or else there must be a lack of good articles. Tbst the latter is the case we cannot believe.
Of an altogether different type is the lieport of the fish-commission. Its greatest fault lies io the fact that it is extremely bulky, being compose<l of over eleven hundred pages; but this fault is partly hidden by the value of some of the articles. Among the most valuable con- tributions contained in the appendices are those by VeniU and Smith upon deep-sea animals, and by Ryder npon the embryography of osseous Gshes and upon the development of the oyster. There are other irajiortant articles by Collins, McDouald, and others. We notice that in many of these papers there is a decided ten- dency toward the use of more space than is necessary to set forth the ideas of the author. This tends only to swell to unwieldy propor- tions an already bulky volume. There are two articles — one by AIcDonald, the other by Smi- ley — the value of which we fail, to see : they ore simple lists of the people who have received carp from the commission. If these had been left out. together with the equally superfluous lists of lakes and rivers of the United States, the rep«rt would have been shortened by at least two hundred and fifty pages. The idea of separately paging the different articles, and furnishing them each with an index, is good.
In addition to the report of the secretary, a new and important feature, the report of the Assistant director of the National museum, is introduced into the Annual report of the Smith- sonian institution. The appendices, which have been introduced in the last three volumes under the title of ' Record of recent scientific prog- ress,' are continued in this report. These are very good summaries, and are written by some uf our most eminent scientific men ; still we doubt if they are of any considerable value. 'Ilie si>eciali8t in each branch treated must ne- cessarily know as much aa is contained in the article upon his own branch, and all are certainly too concise to be of popular interest. The idea, however, is excellent ; and if the Smithsonian could each year publish separate bulletins, each one covering one of the branches of natural science, and if each one should be made to occupy several times as nuioh space, and be written in a more popular style, we think that they would soon come to be recognized as the most itnix>rtant publications of the institution by all who are interested in the natural sci- ences.
��The last volume of the Proceedings of the national museum shows a decided improvement over ail the others. It is even richer in im- portant articles than any previoue one, such men as Smith, Bean, Jonlan, R3'der, Gill, and Ridgeway, being among the chief contributors. A noticeable feature of this volume is, that among its list of contributors are the names of two women. This is a comparatively new feature in American science. The chief fault of the volume lies in the appendices, which are entirely out of keeping with the rest of the vol- ume. Such articles as "Brief directions for removing and preserving the skins of mam- mals," although very valuable to young col- lectors, are out of place here. The volume for this year shows signs of careful editorial work ; but the index could be improved by printing it in treble columns, to bring more under the eye at once.
NOTES AND NEWS.
Mil. SiDNEr Gilchrist Thomas, wlioso [lame is conne^ited with the Thomas-Gikliriat psLent for Ibe
cnnversion of phosphoric pig-iron into sieel, ilied In Paris on Sunday morniiig, Feb. 1. Mr. Tliomag, Bays the Atlienaeum, was educated M Dulwlch col- lege, and was intended for the medical profession; but on the death of his father he entered the civil serTlce. lie was excessively fond of elteniiaLiy, and ilevoted all his leisure to the study of tlial science. In 1679 he read before the Iron and steel instilule a paper on the elimination ol phosphorus, in which be announced the discover; which be and his relative, Mr. Gilchrist, had mode. The dephosphoriiatiou or basic process, as ll is usnally termed, renders avali- ablfl for the production of steel the pig-iron smelted from spathic and less pure ores of England. This process was thought so highly of, that Mr. Thomas was presented by the Iron and steel institute with the Bessemer gold medal. The labors of Mr. Thomas in establishing the basic process In Uermaiiy, where it is most extensively employed. In France, and in Eng- land, told severely upon a conBtltution always in- clined to be delicate. A voyage to Australia, and a residence for some time In Algeria, appeared to give hopes of his ultimate recovery; but on his return to Paris be became worse, and on Sunday morning (Feb. 1) he breathed bis last, at the early age of thirty-six.
— The Acadtimie d'a^rostalion mvtforologiiiiie of Paris held a celebration, on the ISih of .lanuary, of the centennial of the balloon- voyage of Blauchard and Jeffries across the English Channel. On account of an accident, the jile, which was held at the seat of W. de Fouvlelle, was postponed from the 7th, the Bctaal date of the transit. It is now proposed to hold a celebration in the forest of Guinea on the 25th of May, on the spot where the balloon landed, and where a monument has been erected.
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