The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1884-10-14
TIE BRITISH sClENTISTs-NO. S.

section of the British Association for
the Advancement of Science were
opened by tho president of that sec
tion with Il review of recent eNplora-
tions. Geography and geology he
showed were more intimately con-
nected than was generally known.
DR.. Hahn had enumerated ninety-six
more or less extensive tracts of land,
on the sea coast alone, known TO be
rising or sinking. Mr.. II. A. Pea
cock has given evidence that the is
land Of Jersey had no existence in
the time of Ptolemy, and was pro-
badly not cut off from the mainland
Of France until the fourth or fifth
century. Nordenskjold found the
remains Of whales, evidently killed
by the early Dutch fishers, on the
elevated terraces of Martins Island.
Professor Halls recent conclusion
that the land between Suez and the
Bitter lakes has risen since the EXo-
dus throws fresh light on the Mosaic
account of that great event: and, to
go further south, the Indian survey
had demonstrated that it was almost
certain the mean sea level at Madras
is a foot higher than it was sixty
years ago. SO gently had the Island
of Bermuda subsidized that great
hangings of stalactite, unbroken,
may be found dipping into the sea,
or, at all events, into salt water pools
standing at the same level, and they
had no reason to suppose the sinking
to have stopped. The president re-
fcrred to Canada's having within its
limits two spots Of Il physical in
tcrest not surpassed by any others
on the globe, viz:--the pole of mag
nctic attraction, commonly called the
magnetic pole, and the focus of
greatest magnetic force: also often
but incorrectly called pole. The
first was visited by Ross in 1885,
and again by others. The utmost
interest attached to the question
whether the magnetic pole had
shifted its position in these fifty
years, and although he was far from
rating the danger lightly, it was pro-
badly approachoblc overland, with
out the cost of nm Arctic expedition.
The second has never been visited at
all, although DR.. r. Bell, in his ex-
ploraton Of Lake Nipigon, was
within 200 miles of it. He referred
to the progress made on the canal
works at Panama, saying that in
March last the excavations were H.
500,022 cubic metres, being Gl5, 1881
metres per month. We quote the
remainder of the report of the presi-
dents speech in FULL
I'm Africa Mr.. James Thomson has
explored an unknown country about
Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Kcnia,
continuing his route to Lake NyanZa,
Mr.. III. ii. Johnston has also made an
investigation into the fauna and fora of
kilimaniaro, of which details will be
given in section ID. Through the
rapid progress of the religion of Mo
hammed among the African races Of the
northern equatorial zone, native tribes,
hitherto without moral or political
cohesion, are being knit together in the
Western Soudan, the Upper Niger and
the Gambia, with rapidity which en-
dangers the peaceful advance of Euro
pean commerce. 1t is to be expected
that this movement will in time reach
the Congo, and we have too recent evil
dencc of the fanaticism it is capable of
inspiring, not to perceive here moral
element which may greatly affect white
settlements and missionary enterprise
in Central Africa hereafter. Reference
Stanley on the Upper Congo, and to the
teemlng life of these equatorial regions.
Lieut.. Wissmann had brought coniirma-
ton of the oft reported existence of IA
dwarlish race, the Watwa, on the upper
waters of the Sankuru. Lake Nyassa is
becoming busy inland sea. There are
two steamers on it, and one on the
River Shire. Upon the Tanganyika
there are three. All around in this dis
uict centres of trade are arising. and
soon roads will link the petty capitals
in friendly communication. In Asia,
the Caspian Sea, Notwithstanding the
enormous quantity of water poured in
by the Volga, the Ural, and other rivers.
is drying up fast, and the freshwater
seals, which form so curious feature
Of its fauna, are fast diminishing in
numbers One of the finest feats of
mountaineering was performed last year
by Mr.. w. W. Graham, who reached an
elevation OF %, 900 feet in the Hima-
layas. The President then spoke of the
great work being done by the trigono-
metrical survey of India, The Austria