The Sun.
London, England, 1864-01-28 00:00:00

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At a recent meeting of this society Mr. J. Craw-
furd, F.R.S., Vice-President, in the chair, an im-
portant paper was read "On the Varieties of Mar.
in the Malay Archipelago," by Mr. A. It. Wa11,7c.2._
The term " Oceania" has been applied to the region
of islands extending over two-thirds of the Pacific
Ocean, the inhabitants of which, though notoriously
differing widely among themselves, have been con-
sidered by all ethnologists to form one of the most
strongly marked varieties of the human race. The,
paper was an account, from p?rsenal observation, of.
the inhabitants of the chief islands of the AILIby
Archipelago, and an attcmpt, by a comprion of
these with the inhabitants of the surroundi7lg coun-
tries, to arrive at definite c.nc.u.iGns Its to their

PRICE 4d.
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routuF,l relations or thcir con.mon
ik,sia on the one hand one, fron

From

other immense snlin-Firir:e b rks e:-1113:-er t

cent islands to the mainland, while besoed the
limits of theee benke an uniatherauble ocean is
always found. The great islands of SUlVitrti,
end Boraeo aye eltueted Ott the Asiatic batik, and,.
from the fact that a number of the largest nnimele
which could not have crossed the see, suet' as the
rhinoceros of Java and Sumatra. the elephant of
Sumatra, and the tapir of Sumatra and Bounce,
being all found in some part or other of the Asiatic
continent, it is highly probable that ail these great
islands have formed a part of Asia frog which they
have been separated by the same cenvilsions which
have raised the volcanic chains of Sumatra and
Java. In the like manner, New Guinea and some
adjacent islands have been once connected with
Australia. The belt of deep ocean, however, be-
tween those banks indicate the separation as of
very long existence, and there is evidence in the
geological structure of Java and Borneo that
some parts of these islands are of recent
formation, so that the gulf between the
Asiatic and Australian regions was formerly greater
than- at present—a conch:talon' 'etrikinglyeeonfirmed
by the almost total diversity of the animals
of the two halves of the Archipelago. In
the western islands all the chief forms of the Asiatic
continent are found, while in the eastern half they
are chiefly those characteristic of Australia, so that
a line drawn across the Archipelago west of
Celebes marks the division bttween two vast zoolo-
gical areas. Turing from the consideration of the
lower animals to man, two very strongly contrasted
races are found in the region—the Malays, inhabit-
ing almost exclusively the western half of the
Archipelago, and the Papuans, whose headquarters
are new Guinea and the adjacent islands, and these
range over the eastern area, the people over all the
islands as far as the Fiji being identical in their
chief features with the Papuans, and the varieties
being all forms of one great Polynesian race. But
here arises the question—are these races derived
from America or Asia, or have they originated in
sours of the islands, and thence spread over the
whole area they inhabit? The author considered
there was evidence to show, which he gave in de-
tail, that they had been derived from none of these
sources, but from a great Pacific continent which
had, geologically speaking, been recentlysulnergee!,
and of which the numerous Pacific isieude were the
residuary relics. The discussion which followed
was unusually interesting. Dr. Falconer strongly
supported the views of the author as to the
derivation of the inhabitants of this region
both upon zoological and geological grounds.
The elephant ranged on the continent as far
north as 30 deg., and these and other great beasts
he believed had passed over during the human epoch
on dry land. Certain species of oxen and deer, too,
were met with alike in these islands and on the
continent of India, but nowhere else on the globe ;
and while we had a parallel case in Europe, where,
before the glacial epoch, there were doer like those
of this archipelago, and rhinoceroses and other great
mammalia living in this country and over Europe
which had spread in from the south, while after the
glacial era had passed away there was another fauna
of great mamrualia which had come in from the
north, and arctic in character, we had less reason
for objecting to such geological changes in the
Pacific as were brought forward by Mr. Wallace
to account for the distribution of the mammaliaa,
and the two races of man which inhabited those re-
gions. The close proximity of Sicily to Italy seemed
naturally to suggest a dismemberment from that
peninsula, but the fossil fauna of the late tertiaries
there affords convincing proof of its recent connec-
tion with Africa, and no doubt within the human
epoch the great mammals of Africa had walked on
dry land across the present Mediterranean. If such
views as we admit in European geology be applied
to the Malayan Archipelago, there are good grounds
for supporting Mr. Wallace's theories. Sir 11,,(10-
rick Murchison, Profc.ssor Busk, Sir W. Armstrong,
C -pt. Spoke, Mr. Christie, Mr. Bohn, Mr. Craw-
ford, and others, spoke upon various topics in con-
nection with the paper.

The Crawley Court-Martial and its Results,

(Fro►n the Medical Times and Gazette.)

The proceedings of the Crawley court-martial have been
summed up by some remarks from ILL H. the Commander-
in-Chief. The accused colonel is almost the only person who
has escaped scatheless, and he returns to the command of his
regiment with a few words of advice from the Horse Guards.
Not so, however, the witnesses, Major Swindley, Adjutant
Fitzsimon, and Surgeon Turnbull have, in reality, under-
gone their trial, and received a sentence of dismissal from
their regiment. In future cases witnesses will do well to
remember the facts supplied by the few court-martials of
late years. Into Surgeon Turnbull's conduct a court of in-
quiry is held. The president of that court is, we under-
stand, Major-General Eyre, and the members are medical
officers of rank. We have neither ratified nor entirely sup-
ported the course pursued by the Surgeon of the 6th Dra-
goons, but we have stated what might and ought to be
urged in vindication of his conduct and that of our profes-
sion. One point, however, cannot be strongly dwelt upon.
This court of inquiry is held upon the medical records of
the regiment, and has ostensibly arisen from the dis-
crepancies (real or supposed) in the case of a Sergeant-
assjor Wakefield. Now, putting aside every question of
the proper or improper conduct of the Medical officers,
this matter' was totally and entirely irrelevant to what.
was the subject of the late court-martial. This was
uitioubt the
we can have
n
not about Sergeant-Major Wakefield, but about the arrest,
aopinion.
nillness,else.and
death
The
iro f r
ossrgeiemGe arl
Guards,
Sergeant-Majorepparently,h
Laivl lee ys
e,
iazne
dd
upon this distinct and irrelevant subject for saddling One of
the medical officers, who was witness for the prosecution,
with a large amount of discredit and opprobrium. On the
proceedings
con-
clusions arrived at will be just and fair ; but we only desire
to call attention to the fact, that a medical officer's conduct
is called in question upon a case which had nothing what-
ever to do with the subject for which he was a witness.
And here let us advert to another subject. All cannot be
right in the Army Medical Department, or we should nut
read of the resignation of assistant-surgeons of many years'
o right toe o
enter te finding
r o dring venture of this
n court
No ry
standing, and two such appeared only the other day. It is
contrary to common sense to believe that such resignations
would take place—it is contrary to all the ordin try experi-
ence of life to find men voluntarily disconnecting them-
selves from a certain means of livelihood for the more pre-
cariZ.Ms chances of success in civil life—if some grave
defects eZ.id not exist in the department which they quit.
The fact is, that the army not only offers no chances of
speedy success to good medical men, but it holds out so
little probability of promotion within a reasonable time,
that really good students refrain from entering it. The
discontent is widely spread. In some cases the grounds on.
which it is urged arc substantial enough, such as the above,
and the degrading duties of branding soldiers, &c. ; in
others the reasons are more indefinite, but the discontent
undeniably exists.
There are rumours in abundance about changes in the
department, bat they rest on no other foundation than the
necessity which is supposed to exist for supplying the
ranks of the army with medical material. So long as Go-
vernment can got medical candidates, so long will there be
no changes. That is our opinion, and we commend
the
lesson which flows out of it to the attention of medic
aspirants for fumy honours.
rormen tliftt
Since the above was in type we have been in: d _
Surgeon lurnbullins been entirely exoneraotieatinx T.n:
ccurt of enquiry from the charge of i‘note6r
__ragonfilos.
medical cases in the hospital registers ofbeaen 1)
fatly investi-
We learn that this matter had alreadynd'
that his bringing
gated by Colonel Crawley, in Indiaywas
an adroit means
it before the Aldershot Court Maratia
es against himself, by
of diverting attention from the eihn g
rtbe eyes of the Court.
damaging Surgeon Turnbull
attempt to get up a
• of the
Notwithstanding the
failure
about the books, it is said
charge against Mr. Turn u
laced on half-pay by the
that he is about to be p
of the animus which lie is
Commander-in-Chief on account
' sitting his evulence, This nary is
alleged to have shown is
a warniUt medical officers for the future not to give apy
to
evidence that ig not palatable to tne Ease Guarc.b,

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