nothing, but the evidences are apparent that he had received an excellent training, both moral and intellectual. At the early age of 19 he graduated at the Wesleyan University, Middletown, Conn., and shortly afterwards became a teacher of youth. Still later we find him delivering lectures on astronomy, a science which he fully comprehended and passionately loved. In 1850 he was engaged as an assistant with Prof. Bond, of the Cambridge Observatory. While here he was employed in calculating the eclipses for 1851, the results of which were published with appropriate diagrams in Harper's Magazine for July of that year. He also wrote an article on "Telescopes for the New York Independent, which at the time attracted considerable attention among scientific men. In the latter part of 1851 he removed to New York, where he was employed, first in the office of the American Railroad Journal, and soon after became assistant to Dr. R. S. Fisher, who was then engaged in the preparation of his "Statistical Gazetteer of the United States," which was published by T. H. Colton early in 1853. The "American Statistical Annual," published in the same year, was the joint production of Dr. Fisher and Mr. Colby. Subsequently he went into the office of "Hunt's Merchants' Magazine" as assistant editor, and there remained until on the death of Mr. Hunt, the property was transferred to other hands. His next employment was in writing the description and statistical letterpress for "Morse's Geography of the World," "Morse's Diamond Atlas," (in 2 vols.), and several smaller works. He also wrote a number of articles on the city and State of New York for the "Encyclopædia Britannica" and several for " pleton's American Cyclopædia." In 1861 he removed to Boston, where he was engaged on the Boston Commercial Bulletin. Il-health now compelled him to intermit his labors and seek a more congenial climate than he found in New England. He again came to New York in 1864, and here remained until the time of his death, employing himself in many useful labors. Never a strong man, he succombed to an attack of inflmation of the lungs after an illness of five days. His remains were taken to Brockport, near his native place.

Ap

PETROLEUM IN MIDDLE TENNESSEE.

We find the following letter from Professor Winchel in a late number of the Mining and Manufacturing Journal of Pittsburg:

It may interest some of your readers to ascertain some definite facts in reference to the petroleum belt stretching along the eastern border of the Highland river, of Tennessee, from Wolf Creek to McMinnville. I offer, therefore, a summary of information obtained from observation and other sources.

The valley of the Calfkiller Creek, a tributary of Cany Fork, contains some old salt wells, which have a history not a whit less remarkable than that of the “Old American Well," near Burksville, in Kentucky. About three miles north of Sparta, in White county, is a well, known throughout the region as the “Great

Burning Well." I have seen affidavits signed by seven different persons, and certified by the clerk of White county court, to the following effect:

That the Great Burning Well was bored for salt somewhat over thirty years ago, but when down to the usual depth a dark and strong smelling substance burst forth with great violence, throwing the tools above the derrick, which was seventy feet high, and in such abundance as to prevent the manufacture of salt from the brine obtained. This substance, which was evidently petroleum, flowed upon the surface of the creek and floated down the stream. At length it became ignited, and the flames ascended in an unbroken sheet to such a height as to illuminate the country for many miles, enabling people to read as by daylight.

The accounts assert that it continued to burn at the mouth of the well for many months, and was finally extinguished by the efforts of the proprietor. Some controversy arising in reference to the property, the well was plugged with a tallow bag, and subsequently filled with sediments from the stream. A company are now at work reaming out the well, expecting that the result of reopening it will be similar to that experienced with the old American well. The same farm embraces another well which is said to have burned in a similar way; and half a mile distant, on another farm, is still another from which the oil burst forth with great violence and in great quantity. This was also filled, and is now covered by a mound of earth; but the oil is still oozing slowly.

These facts furnish an exact parallel with the great Burksville well; and it is worth while to inquire as to the topographical and geological situation of the locality. This inquiry leads to the discovery that the hope of success in re-opening the Great Burning Well is justified no less by the reasoning of science than by the experience of the past. These wells are bored in a formation which, like that of Venango county, Pennsylvania, lies iminediately above the celebrated Black Slate, so prolifically charged with bitamenized matters that it has been regarded as the mother rock of most of the oil produced in the country.

As a further parallel, this formation is of a sandy and porous nature, so as to be fitted for the reception of the products eliminated below. Moreover, it is even cavernous to a greater extent than the Pennsylvania oil rocks; and is covered by a series of limestone strata practically impervious to the escape of the oil throughout most of their extent.

The formation in which the oil accumulates, and which is so favorably cir cumstanced for productiveness, has been styled by Prof. Safford the "Silicious Group," and the limestones above belong to the mountain limestone series. Fossils collected by myself, or placed in my hands by Prof. Saffard, indicate that the Silicious group belongs to a more recent geological age than the Venango county shales and sandstones, but the conditions of oil accumulation have no dependence on this fact. The Silicious group, in fact, corresponds to the Keokuk and Warsaw limestones, and is overlaid by the representatives of the St. Louis and Kaskaskia limestones-all members, in ascending order, of the great mountain limestone series of the West.

The valley of the Calf killar is not the only region in which the Silicious group has proved productive in oil. The wells of the Glasgow region in Kentucky are all bored in this group, and many of them terminate in it-a few pass

that until steam can compete with canvas on equal terms, the preference will undoubtedly be awarded to the latter.

The reasons already mentioned-namely, the cost of fuel and the space it occupies in attempting this long voyage-are the (at present) insuperable difficulties to contend with, and which have been more or less the cause of so many failures in the endeavor of the promoters of steam to get a place firmly in this trade. And until these serious hindrances can be removed by some invention to economise fuel, every succeeding attempt must result as unsatisfactorily as those which have gone before. Against every new thing there naturally exists prejudice. And had steam not had a fair trial we should have been disposed to have viewed the prevailing feeling, which in China particularly is very obvious and common, against the steamers, as simply want of honest judgment. But from the comparison we have endeavored to make in the preceding remarks, it is clear that there are actual grounds of distrust in steamers, and plain reasons why sailing clippers in this trade should be preferred and substantially supported.

While we come to this conclusion on the subject of canvas vs. steam, it cannot be denied that the success of the sailing ship has been much owing to the incentive produced by competition with steam. No doubt while many unsuccessful attempts were being made the shipowner saw the necessity to meet the advancing spirit of the age, and struggle for the supremacy of sail. For from year to year the ships have been constructed of always finer model, dimensions being adopted where capacity was sacrificed for speed. In fact (of late more especially) the extreme clippers in this employment have been built with lines that more resemble those of our pleasure yachts than that of ships for carrying merchandise. So much has this been the case that these ships are renowned throughout the world for their remarkable sailing powers, and are peculiarly the pride and property of the China tea trade.

TRADE OF GREAT BRITAIN AND THE UNITED STATES.

COTTON, BREADSTUFFS, PROVISIONS, ETC.

Notwithstanding the unsatisfactory position of affairs in England, the Board of Trade returns for the month of September, and the nine months ending September 30, show very satisfactory results as compared with previous years. Both in imports and exports a large business has been done, and as prices are higher, as regards many articles, than in former years, the value of the articles imported or exported shows a considerable increase. During the nine months ending September 30, the declared value of the total exports of British and Irish produce and manufactures was £141,936,898, against £119,717,377 last year, and £123,404,161 in 1864. For the month of September the declared value was £16,671,078, against £17,316,681 in 1865, and £14,687,942 in 1864. For each inonth, from January to September, inclu sive, in each of the last three years, the figures stand thus:

The imports in August were larger than in the previous month, and within £60,000 of the corresponding month last year. The total value of the imports for the eight months is £50,000,000 greater than in the corresponding period in 1865. This large increase is chiefly to he accounted for by the greatly-augmented value of the cotton imported, viz.: £58,000,000, against nearly £30,000,000, and by the increase in the value of the wheat and flour imported, viz.: £11,600,000, against £6,400,000 last year. The computed real value of the imports into Great Britain from all quarters for the eight months was as follows:

With regard to the United States, it appears that the value of British and Irish produce exported in August was £2,554,506, against £1,636,223 last year, and £735,803 in 1864. For the eight months, the exports were of the following declared value:

The principal imports into Great Britain are now from British India, the supplies received from this country being comparatively trifing. In September the imports reached a total of 980,713 cwts., of which 724,712 cwts. were from the East Indies, and only 161,679 cwts. from the United States. The total from this country for the year, however, is nearly 4,000,000 cwts., out of 9,790,314 cwts. It is fully anticipated that, as the crop in Egypt is of more than average extent, increased supplies of cotton will shortly be received from that quarter. The particulars of imports of this staple are subjoined:

IMPORTS OF COTTON INTO GREAT BRITAIN IN NINE MONTHS.

The exports of cotton from Great Britain in September were rather less than in the corresponding month last year; but for the nine months there is a balance in favor of this year of about 680,000 cwts. In September the shipments were 382,908 cwts., against 405,732 cwts. in 1865, and 188,833 cwts. in 1864. For the nine months the following are the figures:

To Russia.

EXPORTS OF COTTON FROM GREAT BRITAIN IN NINE MONTHS.

Prussia

Hanover

Hanse Towns

Holland.

Other Countries.

Total

The computed real value of the cotton imported into Great Britain in the eight months ending August 31 was as follows:

The wheat trade in England has now assumed a position of great importance to ourselves. At the latest date, wheat was about 12s. per quarter dearer than in 1865, and as importations from France had almost ceased, whilst Prussia was sending very moderate supplies of produce to the London market, the trade, though quieter than in previous weeks, was characterized by considerable firmness. The arrivals of wheat, however, at ports on the east coast had been large, chiefly from Russia, and rather considerable supplies of flour, of good quality, had been received from Moscow via St. Petersburg and Cronstadt. It was expected that previously to the closing of navigation in the Baltic large supplies of Russian, an 1 moderate supplies of Prussian, wheat would be hurried forward. With regard to the French crop, there is certainly a deficiency from the recent abundant years. In some quarters it is said that France will require a very large supply of wheat from abroad; but from trustworthy sources it appears that the deficiency is greatly overstated. The French are certainly taking supplies of wheat at English ports; but it must be borne in mind that a the French crop is deficient in quality, there is the greater necessity to buy fine foreign wheats for seeds; hence, French buyers have made more important purchases for this purpose than customary. A few parcels of wheat and flour continue to be received at English, from French ports, and although unimportant in extent, serve to indicate that there is some exaggeration in the reports