The Sun.
London, England, 1863-08-28 00:00:00

Royal Geographical Society warmly supported a
proposal by Dr. '\Vallich to effect a complete survey
of the sea bottom as a precursor to the actual lay-
ing down of a cable upon the vast unknown irregu-
larities of the submarine surface. 'We naturally
supported an effort like this, which was certain to
throw much light on natural history end physical
geography—and we rejoiced in the preliminary re-
searches which have been made towards the esta-
blishment of an electric line overland to British
India; because, they, for the first time, laid open to
European knowledge countries which, though un-
known to the moderns, were seats of war when
Alexander the Great and his lieutenants invaded
India. The soundings which ascertain the nature
of the bottom of the ocean, not only give us the
outlines and characters of various sunken rocks,
sands, and mud-banks, and of vast and deep cavi-
ties, but inform us where undercurrents prevail,
and where at vast depths the surface is tranquil
and unruffled in some places, while in others sub-
marine volcanoes disturb the setnbottom. Nay,
more, these submarine operations have taught us
that animals can not only live, but flourish, pre-
serving even their colours at the enormous depth of
one mile and a 'half. We thus see how the efforts
of the nautical surveyors and the engineers to
spread the electric telegraph are not merely
destined to be useful to mankind, but also to elicit
great and important truths in natural history, the
deve'opment of which is specially connected with
the pursuits of the geographer and the ethnologist.
In adverting to the consideration of the other
science which this section embraces it gives me
pleasure to be able to report that our sister society,
the Ethnological, is in a prosperous and satisfactory
state, having within the last three years greatly
increased the number of its members, and improved
its financial condition. This satisfactory result is
in great measure due to the vigorous exertions and
numerous contributions of my eminent friend, its
last president, Mr. John Craufurd, whom I am
happy to she among us at this meeting. Under his
auspices and in the past season the society held no
fewer than 15 different meetings, at which 25 papers
were read and amply discussed. They embraced
such topics as the following :—The human remains
found at Wroxeter, in the ruins of the Roman city
of Uriconium ; the African cannibal tribe of the
Fans; language as a test of the races of man; the
aborigines of Australia ; on certain wild tribes in
Southern India; on the commixture of the races of
man in its influence on the progress of civilisation;
on certain ancient relics from the coast of the State
of Ecuador; the native tribes of the British Pro-
v!.nce of Burmah ; on the Jews of Aden ; on the
psychological differences which exist between the
different races of man ; on the history of the gipsies ;
on the ethnology of the Island of Formosa; on the
wild tribes called Yadis in the district of Chingle-
put, Madras; on the brain and skull in the various
families of man; on the antiquity of man; on the
native inhabitants of Vancouver Island ; on the wild
tribes in the interior of the Malay Peninsula; on the
institution and origin of the Hinds castes; on the
languages and races usually called Celtic; on the
ethnology of the African nations and tribes visited
by Captains Speke and Grant, from the island of
Zanzibar to the source of the Nile ; and on the pre-
paration of figures of typical forms of human
crania. Among the papers which are to be cora-
muicated to the ethnological branch of our section,
the following may be named :--" Cn the History
and Migrations of the Tamil Nations of India," as
communicated in person by that very accomplished
Cingalese gentleman, Mutu Coomaroo Swamy, a
member of the Legislative Council of Ceylon, rind
now, I am happy to say, a barrister of Lincoln's-
inn. Mr. Joseph Craufurd will give us one memoir
" On the Domesticated Animals, and their Influence
on the Progress of Civilisation, and another "On
the Origin and Antiquity of Man," both of which
will attract many listeners. If time permits, the
same indefatigable ethnologist will also give us his
analysis of the so-called Celtic languages and races,
and a paper " On the Commixture of Races of Mon
in Central and Eastern Asia." A memoir "On the
Tribes and Nations inhabiting the British Province
of Burmab," Phayre, her Majesty's Com-
missioner in that region, promises to be of great in-
terest. As the Ethnological Society of London has
had the good fortune to see the place vacated by
the retirement of Mr. Craufurd filled up by the ap-
pointment of so skilful and philosophic a naturalist
as Mr. John Lubbock and as Mr. Francis Galton,
the president of this section at the last meeting of
the Association, has kindly consented to act as the
Ethnological Secretary, we may reasonably calculate
on receiving much sound support from men like
these, who can so well connect the sciences which
we cultivate with many other branches of human
knowledge."
This evening, when the business papers of the
day have all been got through, there is to be a
great soiree and con versazione in the Exchange news-
rooms. Both for its size and its internal architec-
ture this fine meeting-place would do credit to any
part of the metropolis ; in truth, the metropolis has
nothing of the kind like it. Built in the form of a
large semicircle, and lit from above, with its flue
is one of the largest, and cecraottradil
roof, supported on a series of handsome columns, it
in Newcastle.
interiors to be found in any building
Hero has been gathered together a s.crt of local
exhibition, model specimens of mining rind Steam
on almost entirely in and
this town, and chiefly at
magnificentfsoasnsliplslefsreomf
ltehaed
certainly
re and lierinf,
cf art manufacture in aluminium, the ehymical pro-
cesses necessary for the reduction of which are car-
riedthe works of its most popular mayor, Mr. Bell,
who exhibited so largely at South Kensington last
year. Its ewes a rich mineral district it is elu.ost un-
necessary to say that the selected specimens cf ores
, are wonderfully fine, worthy 0? a place in any Ilft-
e:t
ihticae:e
worksest