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��an aaioiint which might he joiiiliy contributed by the several govemmeuts to the maintenance of mouutain observatories, directed by tin in- ternational commission, or of an international computing bureau for the complete utilization of the masses of observations accumulating the world over, and for the encouragement of research in theoretic (latroiiomy, — it is certain that the deliberations of such a congress could not fail to advise governmental co-operation in the preparation of the nautical almunaca now existing. National pride aside, and this might be done in a multitude of ways, most prominently in the case of the preparation of the data relating to the moon. Take, for ex- ample, the hourly hinar ephemeris and the lunar distances aa printed each year in the British nautical almanac and the American ephemeiis. These data occupy about one-third of the entire number of pages of each of these publications ; they are now prepared independ- enllj" by the two offices, but are, when printed, substantially identical in Iwth ; and, further, the work being done at about the same time in the two countries, the results of the one do not serve any sufficient purpose as a check upon the accuracy of the other. The cost of lliis part of the almanac alone to each natiun amounts to several thousand dollars annually, — an amount which might be reduced oue- hair by the preparation of these data con- jointly, to say nothing of other immediate and favorable results which might bo secured by such co-opornlion.
We should not like, however, to give the impression that this hail never been thought of before, nor indeed that steps had never been taken towai'd securing such co-operation. It is frequently the best |>olicy to let well enough alone ; and we do not fail to recognize the fact that it is very often wise to leave a thing as it ia, just because it has always been so: in fact, we are conservatives ourselves, thou^rh not that precise tyi)e of conservative, which, as we speak of the moon, recalls Douglas Jerrold's charactt-rization as one who would " refuse to go out when there's u new moon ; and all out of love and i-especl for that ' ancient
��institution' — the old one." The wisest con- ser^-atisra would appear to suggest the annual , publication by the nations conjointly of 4 , single volume of astronomical predictions, which, in addition to other improvements, should combine all those desirable features not dependent upon individual mendians, and which in some degree characterize all lie astronomical ephomerides of the several gov- ernments. The contents and arrangement of the articles of such an ephemeris could only be determined by an international conference. While this may be little belter than mere speculation, any oni! who has the four principal cpheuierides in constant use will readily recog- nize how small n portion of each is employed, and, with extended interpolation- tables, bow little the inconvenience of using the ideal ephemeris solcl>' would be.
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��Tdb general features of the geographical | work of the Lady Franklin Bay ex|)editioo i may be of interest to the readers of A'ciencs, j in connection with the map furnished through 1 the courtesy of Capt. J. R. Bartlett, chid" | hydrographer U. S. navy. The details are re- produced from photographs of charts made at Fort Conger by the late First Lienterianl James B. Lockwood", U. S. army, of his and my work.
The esiiedition fitted out by the war depart- ment under the BUi>erviaion of Gen. W. B. Hazen, chief signal- officer, and cummanded by me, left St. Johns, Newfoundland, July 7, 1881. After a remarkably successful voyage, the party landeil on the shores of Disooveiy Harbor, just south of Robeson's Channel. The station called Fort Conger was in latitude fit" 44' north, longitude 64° 45' west. The site was the same as that occupied by the stores lande<] from the English ship Discovery, of the Nares expedition, 1875-76. During^ the autumn, as much work as possible was done towards establishing depots for use of explor- tng-parties the following spring. The sun, returning after an absence of one hundred aad thirty-five days, found the party well and in good spirits. Parties were immediately put into the field to establish advance depots ; and
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