Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1886-07-06

AN4AA0M ~ NME ~ HINItM AIL4Ma
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RBgEMF EXPLORATION ANn srHnM-
TlFEC lNEEsEAeAsIoN.
The Director OF the Geological
Surrey Of Ireland. Professor Hull
=. r s., delivered The annual cd
dress Of the Victoria Philoa0phf lea
institute in London. on the ssh ol
May, on which occasion the Insfi
tute's new President, Professor
Stokes. President Of the Royal 50.
cieiy. took the. chair. The report
was read By Captain F. Petrie. the
Honorary Secretary, and showed
that tRe Institutes home, colonial
and American members were up.
wards Of eleven hundred, Including
many who joined from q desire 10
avail themselves Of the Institutes
privileges rather than bear part ID
IN its work. An increasing number
Of leading scientific men now con
tributed papers and aided in the
work OF bringing about Z truer ap.
probation Of the result Of scientific
inquiry. especially in cases where
scientific discovery was alleged by
TIE opponents Of religious beliefs 70
be subversive thereof. The author
OF the address then gave an account
Of the woEk. discoveries, and genera
results Of the recent Geological and
Geographical Expedition TO Egypt,
Arabia, and Western Palestine. Of
which be had charge. Sketching the
course taken BY kim (which 70 z con-
siderable extent took the route as.
cribed 70 the Israelllesl be gave an
account Of the physical features Of
the country. evidences Of old sea
margins 200 feet above the present
sea margins, and showed that at one
time an arm Of the Mediterranean
had occupied the valley Of the Nile
as far aa The First Cataract, e. which
time Africa was an island Ian opinion
also arrived ct by another Of the
Institute's members, Sir w. Dawson),
and that, at the time Of the Exodus,
the Red Sea ran up into the Bitter
Lakes, and must have formed q bar
FIer 10 the travellers progress at that
period. He then alluded to the great
changes Of elevation In the land
eastward of these lakes, mentioning
that the waters Of the Jordan valley
once stood 1. .202 feet above their pre-
sent hight, and that the waters Of the
Dead Sea, which he found /, $50 feet
deep, were once on q level with the
present Mediterranean Sea margin, or
I. .292 feet above their present hight.
The great physical changes which
had taken place In geological time
we're evinced by the fact that whilst
the rocks IN Western Palestine were
generally limestone, those Of The
mountains OF Sinai were amongst
the most ancient In the world. The
various geological and geographical
features of the country were 90 de-
scribed as 10 make the address q con-
dehsed report OF all that Is now
known Of them In Egypt. Palestine
and Arabia Petf@a. Sir Henry Bark
ly, G. G. NJ. g., F. r. s., moved q
vote Of thanks 10 Professor Hull, and
to those who had contributed to the
work OF the Institute during the
year, which included AssyFiologieal
investigations by Professor Sayce,
Mr.. B0scawen, and ethers; IL. Mas
pero's aud Capt. Conder's Egyption
papers; Professor Porter's Eastern
researches; also q review OF the ques
ton Of Evolution by Professor Vir-
chow, and the results Of investigations
In regard TO the subject Of the origin
Of man, IS 70 which It had been
shown by Sir William Dawson, that
geology divided the chronology Of
animal life into four great periods" /;
In the frsi, --or Eozoic, - Ia the Geo
logical as In the Bible records, were
found the great reptiles; and the last.
or Tertiary. was again subdividod In
70 I'VE periods, and IL was only Ia
the last Of these, the modern per.
iod, that the evidences Of mans pres
ence has been found. Again, IS re-
CARDS his ape descent, the formation
and proportions Of the skull and
bones Of the ape considered most
like man were found 70 be 90 dl1er-
ent from those Of man Is 70 place
insupeFable difficulties In the way Of
the theory. In the gorilla. The high
crest on the skull, which was also
found In the hyena, was absent 10
man. Also, among other points, II
the capacity Of the brain ol the an
thropoid ape were taken 81 ten, that
Of man even 10 bis savage state was
twenty SIX, or nearly thrice as much.
q very important fact when, as Il was
knuwn, any appreciahle dlminution
In the brain Of man was ak once &C.
companied BY idiocy. AS regards the
transmusability Of species, Barrande'a
arguments against the theory founded
on the results Of life Of research
among the fossil strata, had not yet
been overthrown; and modern re-
search clearly pointed % the fact
that one great bar to the transmuta-
bility OF species lay il The refined
and minute differences In the mOle-
eular. arrangements in their organs
The proceedings we're concluded
By 4 vote Of thznks 70 Professor
Stokes. under whose presidency Il
was remarked that the work Of the
Institute would be carried out with
the increased help snd guidance Of
men Of the highest scientific aftain.
ments. and In 3 manner 70 tend 70
advance Truth. A conversations
was then held il the Museum.