The Sun.
London, England, 1853-01-08 00:00:00

LONDON INSTITUTION.

On Thursday last, Mr. P. W. Bragley, jun., F.L.S.,
F.G.S., delivered his second lecture on "Physical
Geography." Resuming part of the subject relating to
the ocean and its currents as treated in the first lecture,
he began by reminding the audience of various facts re-
garding the comparative extent of land and sea, and
their respective distribution upon the globe. Some par-
ticulars were also given of the whaling grounds of the
Atlantic and Pacific, occasioned by the production of
extensive tracts of quiet water inclosed by the circulat-
ing torrents, to which the whales and other marine
animals resort. To these succeeded a view of the gene-
ral nature and configuration of the bed of the ocean,
with a recital and discussion of the series of facts and
principles affecting and regulating the maintenance of
the actual level of the sea. It was stated that indepen-
dently of the secular elevation of great portions of the
sea bed, and of other causes of the variation of
its level, tending to maintain the balance of land
and sea, such is the immense disproportion
between the magnitude of the planet and the
power of the agencies at work upon its surface that,
as had been shown by Mr. Alfred Tylor, F.G.S. (a mem-
ber of the committee of visitors of the London Institu-
tion), in a paper recently communicated to the Geologi-
cal Society, the constant action of the ocean in the de-
gradation of the sea cliffs and coast, together with that
of the rivers on the land over and through which they
flow—if the matter they wear from the land, and trans-
port into the depths of the (ocean, wero uniformly dis-
tributed over its entire bed, the level of the sea would
not he raised more than about three inches in ten thou-
sand years. The results of various recent measurements
of the depth of the ocean in various parts of the globe
were then related, from which it appeared that we do not
actually know of a greater depth than about five miles
and a quarter, but that indications are on record of a
depth probably extending to six miles ; and as these are
amounts equalling, or slightly exceeding, the altitudes of
the highest mountains, it might be said that the only por-
tion of our planet which is open to the direct observation
of man is a spheroidal shell of about 10 or 12 miles in thick-
ness, consisting partly of land and air, and partly of sea.
The vast structures of coral abounding in the Pacific and In-
dian Oceans, and in the China Sea, termed lagoon islands,
barrier-reefs, &c., were described, their forms and ap-
pearances illustrated by reference to views and plans of
some of the more remarkable, and the mode of their
growth related, together with the inductions of Mr.
Darwin, founded on the united consideration of volcanic
and coral actions, relative to the present existence in
the Pacific of immense tracts of the sea-bed gradually
rising, in alternation with others which are subsiding,
thus adding a further cause of the permanent mainten-
ance of the level of the sea. The inquiry respecting the
sources whence the coral-polypes could obtain the lime,
of which, in union with carbonic acid, their structure;
essentially consist, led to the consideration of the
amount and nature of the saline matter dissolved in the
sea-water ; and on this subject it was remarked that Mr.
A. Tylor, in the paper already referred to, had been the
first to point out how immense a quantity of solid mat-
ter in a state of chemical solution must be conveyed
from the land to the ocean by river action, in addition
to that mechanically suspended in their waters, and
eventually deposited at their mouths in the form of sand
and mud.

COLLEGE OF PRECEPTORS.—The half-yearly meeting
of the College of Preceptors was held yesterday at the
offices of the institution, 28, Bloomsbury-square. Dr.
Jacob, of the Collegiate School, Sheffield, the president
of the college, took the chair, and read a lengthy and
most instructive opening address, wherein he adverted
to the hold which the college was gradually taking in
society, and the value of a certificate of a competency
from the board of examiners, which- no longer brought
the properly qualified teacher down to the level of the
ignoramus who adopted the scholastic profession because
he was unfit for other employment. The learned
doctor concluded by calling on the whole of the profes-
sion to look to their own interests in time before they
were supplanted by Government schemes. A vote of
thanks was unanimously passed to the doctor for his
address. Mr. Parker, the secretary, then read his re-
port, from which it appeared that a society in unison
with the college had been formed in Adelaide, South
Australia, which was making great progress. A dis-
cussion ensued upon a recommendation from the Not-
tingham local board respecting the propriety of com-
pelling every teacher to pass a proper examination by
order of Government. A list of prizes at the last ex-
amination was then read, when the usual votes were
passed, and the proceedings terminated.
ANTIPODAL PEDESTRIANISM.—Mr. Sands, the well-
known equestrian proprietor, has arrived in London
from New York. It is Mr. Sands' 'object to give a
public demonstration of his newly discovered principle
by means of which he resists the laws of gravitation in
walking across the ceiling of a theatre with his feet up
and his head down.
ATTEMPT AT SUlClDE.—Yesterday morning, a man,
named James Irving, residing at No. 25, Holliday-yard,
Ludgate-hill, made a determined attempt to destroy his
life. It appears that the unfortunate man, who was a
widower, had a large family, and had been in the employ-
ment of Mr. Debaufer, the gas-fitter of Creed-lane, but
he had left that employment on Saturday last, and since
that period he had been in a very low and desponding
state. Yesterday morning he got up earlier than usual,
and having bound the handle of a razor round with wax
thread and two pieces of firewood, to prevent the blade
from slipping, he deliberately cut his throat in a frightful
manner. From the excessive hemorrhage little hopes
can be entertained of the unfortunate man's recovery.
THE STEAMER AUSTRALIAN.—The rates of insurance
for the steam-ship Australian have not increased, and the
general confidence in her safety is undiminished. When
it was announced that 10 per cent. had been demanded
at Lloyd's, many private parties came forward to take
risks upon her at considerably lower terms, and the pro-
bability is therefore, that even if she should keep out for
a much longer period, it would still be possible to effect
policies within that limit.
THE ELSRCAR COLLIERY EXPLOSION. —ELSECAR,
THURSDAY.—After a protracted deliberation, the jury
came to a verdict of "Accidental death " as regarded
the whole of the ten persons. They also desired to re-
commend that the suggestions of the Government
thooutldhebedifsocrtiphlwiineth aenadrrigedenoerautl.
inspectorem management
orfeftehreenpciet s
manag
The coroner, in discharging the jury, thanked them for
the patient attention which they had devoted to this case,
which he hoped would be the last it would be his painful
duty to investigate.
FEARFUL COLLIERY EXPLOSION. Loss OF FOUR
LIVES.—Early on Monday morning a fearful explosion
took place at the Leasing Thorn Colliery, in the neigh-
bourhood of Bishop Auckland, nbdy, twhheieproperty ofeNnicahnodlaa
boy have lost Nicholas
Wood, Esq.,
and partners,their lives. From the particulaorsrdwetrheera(eti
have been gathered it would appear
or earyld n men
Monday
ppeartliastit were the
o they
took a
sent into the pit on Sunday
tmootainega, tloammpa,kiensitterad of eadylheh
forvi night,work, and a
it
is
tcaaknednlep,
lwaeheich at wa aslattehre
hcoauurse
in of
tthhee
mexop•oi
rnlinsgo.
,nwhllad when
ntbiet
havemen hbaedenallfgeaortininit. o toheu workings,idnngessd,
Wednesday
mloosrsnoinf
glifennwootuhlecll.
bmyanthlensftalhl
h •to the cause
isoflifae at the BlackOnlßvoeyd,ntesed
aaydjaoninii.nnqguciorlyliew7,B
oofpetnheeddebaythtbs einctooroLneearsifnogr STohuotrnh Dcuormearmy.in
Ample time
Dunn,will b
Esq.,giv to ntpourtvheeyGovernment
the pit.
Inspector, Matthias

THE SHARE MARKET'S.

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BRITISH RAILWAYS.

Closing Prices
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