The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1869-09-02
Curious Scientific Developments.

Curious Scientific Developments.
Mr.. Welford's recent letter from Lon
don to the Book BUYER contains the
following interesting passages:
''In the Literature of Travel, book
| that should meet with wide reception
in the United States, looking at the great
interest connected with Central America
and the Isthmus, is 'Dottings on the
| Roadside in Panama: Nicaragua, and
Mosquito, by Captain PIN, r. n, and
DIR. Seemeon. Probably no part of the
world that made equal noise in its day is
so little known as the famous Mosquito
realm and its dusky king. Both geo.
graphical and chronological science owe
much to their notes, their joint authors
combining the peculiar provinces of the
explorer and scientific observer. 1t is
handsomely got UP and satisfactorily IL
Illustrated with maps and plates.
Almost equally fresh ground is broken
in Travels in the Central Caucasus, by
Douglas w Freshtield, one Of the three
members of the Alpine Club who made
the famous ascents Of Mounts Kezbeck
and EIbruz, recorded in this volume. His
journey began with visit paid to the
Hauran and the regions beyond the Jor-
dan, famous for the supposed identified
ton Of the ruined towns now existing
there, with the cities of the gigantic Rep
hahn, celebrated in Jewish history Mr..
FreShfeld' account Of these ancient re-
mains, wonderful from their present state
of preservation, Will be read with interest
by Biblical students. He is indisposed
to allow them a higher antiquity than a
late Roman era.
As relating to Biblical subjects it may
be mentioned that Sir Henry Rawlinson,
at the last meeting Of the Royal Asiatic
Society gave the remarkable announce
nent that the progress now reached In
the collection and arrangement of the
Ninevah inscribed fragments, made it
beyond doubt that they would be able
to derive the whole Of the history given
in the Book Of Genesis, from the time Of
Abraham, from the original documents
and 1t was not too much to expect that
almost the same facts and descriptions
would be found i'll the Baby lonian docu-
ments in the Bible He hoped very soon
to have paper on the Garden of Eden,
in which he would sho.7 that was the
natural name Of the Babylon. The rivers
bore the very same Names and the Baby
lonian documents gave an exact geograph-
zeal account Of the Garden Of Eden The
Hood and the tower Of Babel would be
found to be most amply illustrated in the
BahylOnlan documents.
This Is startling news; some would al
most suppose some confusion Of ideas in
the reporters, as hitherto it has been I'M
derstood that little progress had been
made III the Interpretation of the Baby
lonlan inscriptions las compared with
those Of Ninevah), owing to the greater
complexity of the characters, and the
large admixture of a Hamitic or Turani-
an element in the language.
The sphere of knowledge Widens every
day, however, and we just learn from a
.ctter of DIR. Beke's that Professor Owen
while journeying in Egypt with the
Prince of Wales, discovered in the re-
mains exhumed by NJ. Marietta in the
northeasternmost portion of Egypt, proof
of the existence OF Il people certainly
not African, nor Ethiopian, but Asiatic,
with indications off more northern origin
than the Assyrian or the Hindoo.''
In Greece, Mr.. George Finlay, tthe
first living authority in all that relates to
that region), draws attention to the use
of the study of prehistoric archaeology,
and the proof already afforded by it of
the existence Of considerable popula-
ton who lived all over Greece. who used
stone implements and had no knowledge
of working IN metal. all tradition of
this period seems to have been utterly
lost to the races that invented the myth
ology Of the Greeks Mr.. Finlay OBJ
serves: But surcij the popular myths of
the Golden Age and Its concomitants may
allow US to think that the poets retained
glimpses Of the past that was totally OBJ
scure to the sages aud historians The
last new geological fact to be mentioned
is the late discovery by NJ Sartel, in the
rocks OF the Dordogne, of human re-
mains coeval with the mammoth, and
possessing unique points Of interest Five
skeletons have been found belonging to
some gigantic race, whose limbs, both in
size and form must have resembled those
Of the gorilla. Three of the skulls are
perfect, and evidently contained very vo-
luminous brains \ report is expected
on them from a committee of Swans"