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HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



extensive cultivation of the Liberian coffee-tree. This 

 tree bears somewhat larger beans than the Arabian 

 coffee, and its productive power is much greater. The 

 shrub is much larger, growing to the height of forty 

 feet. Mr. D. Morris, F.G.S., M.A., director of the 

 Public Gardens at Jamaica, has published a pamphlet, 

 entitled " Notes on Liberian Coffee," bearing on the 

 above subject. The author gives an epitome of the 

 past history of coffee cultivation, and then describes 

 the cultivation of Liberian coffee in Liberia and the 

 East and West Indies. These remarks are followed 

 by a description of the coffee itself, and the various 

 conditions of climate, temperature, soil, &c., affecting 

 it. The comparative yield of Liberian coffee trees is 

 given, and the commercial value of their produce. 



The Distribution of the British Flora. — 

 Professor G. S. Boulger, F.L.S., F.G.S., recently 

 communicated a paper on " The Geological and 

 other causes that affect the Distribution of the British 

 Flora," to the Geologists' Association. Professor 

 Boulger prefaces his special remarks on the British 

 flora by an outline of the general conclusions arrived 

 at as to geographical distribution. After reviewing 

 the work done in this branch of science, which dates 

 from the time of Humboldt, Professor Boulger 

 proposed to geographically divide the English flora, 

 (which is mainly an extension of the Germanic area 

 of temperate flora) into nine botanical provinces 

 dependent on the position of the great watersheds 

 of the country, that being in Mr. Boulger's opinion 

 the most obvious and convenient. The following 

 are the different divisions : i. The Thames and south- 

 east westward to the axial watershed and that between 

 the Axe and Otter — a province entirely Neozoic. 

 2. East Anglia, the valleys of the Black water, Stour 

 and Yare. 3. East Fen and Secondary, the valleys 

 of the Wash and Humber. 4. The vale of Severn, 

 including that of the British Avon, but not the more 

 mountainous one of the Wye. 5. The Peninsula 

 of Devon and Cornwall. 6. The Welsh mountains, 

 including the Wye valley, but not that of the Dee. 

 7. The lowlands of Cheshire and Lancashire. 8. The 

 Lake Mountains, with the valley of the Kent. North- 

 umberland and the valley of the Tees. 



Great Grey Shrike {Lanius excitbito7-).—\ see 

 the occurrence of this bird is noticed in North Lanca- 

 shire by one of your correspondents. This winter 

 two specimens were secured in the vicinity of Scar- 

 borough, both of which I saw just after they were 

 shot. One of them was procured at Ilackness. The 

 other is in the possession of Mr. Thompson, natural- 

 ist, of this town, and I believe was shot here by him- 

 self. Several fine specimens of the gannet have also 

 been obtained a little way out to sea, being captured 

 by the sailors towing a fish-hook astern, baited with 

 a dead fish. — J. A. Wheldon. 



GEOLOGY. 



The St. Gothard Tunnel. — The following notes 

 are taken from the pamphlet of F. Giordano, In- 

 spector of the Corps of Miners, Rome. The tunnel 

 was bored through 9 miles 3 furlongs of hard rock in 

 seven and a half years. The experience gained iu 

 the Mont Cenis greatly expedited the work. It 

 connects the Canton of Uri with the Ticino Valley. 

 The physical history of the work was entrusted to 

 Maurizio Stapff. The southern entrance at Arido is 

 1145 metres, and the northern at Goschenen 1109 

 metres above the sea level, or 36 metres lower on the 

 Swiss than on the Italian side. The height of the 

 tunnel is 6 metres, the breadth 8 metres. The rocks 

 met with in the boring are shown in a diagram and 

 in a table; they may be reckoned at 18 in all, of 

 which 8 are purely siliceous and oxygenic, the others 

 more or less calcareous with some clay. The latter 

 is supposed to be a decomposition of felspar ; there 

 is, however, no reason why this clay should not have 

 been deposited in its present state as it is now deposited 

 on the ocean bed. This rock is called " Anfiboliche," 

 its effect was noticed as an important phenomenon. 

 It pressed continually into the works in spite of 

 walls ; but it is hoped now that the difficulty is over- 

 come. This inception of plastic matter into the 

 tunnel was doubtless caused by the tapping of a clay 

 stratum, upon which the upper strata were pressing. 

 When this plastic mass began to move, it necessarily 

 continued, till the clay had vanished, or till it had 

 escaped from the pressure. Thirty-two minerals of 

 sorts were found in the excavation, of which 12 

 were in the Finsteraahorn, 15 in the Conca d'Ursen, 

 23 under the St. Gothard, and 23 in Conca del 

 Ticino ; the southern part was therefore richest in 

 minerals. The temperature of the tunnel was 

 examined with much care and ingenuity. The mean 

 of air external, and water internal temperatures were 

 found by very patient experiments. The northern 

 entrance gave + 7° 90, the southern + 8° 3 (Centi- 

 grade). At 1000 metres from north end the tempera- 

 ture was 19° 7 ; at 2500 metres 22° 7 ; at 3500 ; iS° i 

 (the mountain was lower here, and pressure not so 

 great) ; at 7200 metres it rose to 30° 8, but at 7200 

 metres sank with similar pressure. The temperature 

 fell to 30° 2 at 6000 from south end ; under a lesser 

 pressure it rose to 30° 4 ; at 2500 it fell to 25°, and 

 reached 8° 3 at the southern entrance. Great pains 

 were taken to exclude artificial heating of water, or 

 of the testing-holes. With the latter it is impossible, 

 because wherever a thermometer can be placed the 

 air must have access ; and the water is no criterion 

 of general temperature, because no one knows what 

 local causes of heat may have been passed through. 

 With lamps, steam, dynamite explosions, and a 

 number of men working in a cul-de-sac, where air fit 

 to breathe was supplied from the exterior, it is alnost 



