1815.] Scientific Intelligence. jy 



descends swimming for two days, first the river Guancabamba, or 

 Chamaya, and afterwards that of Amazons, from Pomahuaca and 

 Ingatambo to Tomependa. He wraps the few lettei-s of whieli he 

 is the bearer every month, sometimes in a handkerchief, sometimes 

 in a kind of drawers called guayuco, which he winds as a turban 

 round his head. This turban contains also the great knife with 

 which every Indian is armed, rather to cut his way through the 

 forests, than as a weapon of defence. 



The Chamaya river is not navigable, on account of a great num- 

 ber of small cascades. Its fall, according to Humboldt, from the 

 ford of Pucara to its mouth in the river of the Amazons, below 

 the village of Choras, a distance of only 18 leagues, is 1/73 

 English feet. The postman in order to fatigue himself less in 

 descending the river, supports himself on a log of bombax or 

 ochroma, trees of very hght wood. VVlien a ledge of rocks inter- 

 sects the bed of the river, he lands above the cascade, crosses the 

 forest, and re-enters the water when he sees no further danger. 

 He has no need of taking provisions with him, for he finds a 

 welcome in a great number of huts, surrounded with plantain trees, 

 and situated along the banks of the river, between las Huertas de 

 Pucara, Cavico, Sonanga, and Tomependa. Tliese rivers are not 

 infested with crocodiles ; the savage hordes therefore almost all 

 travel like the Peruvian postman. — Humboldt's Researches, p. 254. 



XIII. Floetz Trap Rocks. 



It appears from the observations of Professor Jameson that there 

 exist three floetz trap formations: 1. That in old red sandstone. 

 2. That in the independent coal. 3. The newest floetz trap, 

 which is considered as newer than the other two. It constitutes 

 the floetz trap formation described by Werner. The floetz trap 

 mountains of Scotland belong chiefly to the two first formations. 



XIV. Granite in Scotland. 



Two granite mountains have been lately discovered in Roxburgh- 

 shire, immediately on the borders of England. They appear to be 

 situated in the midst of the transition rocks of that country. 



XV. Hoffman. 



Hoffman, well known as the author of the best German work 

 on mineralogy, is just dead. Unfortunately he has left his work 

 unfinished. 



XVI. Steff'ens. 



Dr. StefTens, one of the most eloquent teachers of natural 

 history on the Continent, is a professor at Brcslaw, the capital of 

 Silesia. When Silesia was invaded by the French armies, he 

 called together his class, pointed out to them in glowing colours 

 the disgrace of quietly witnessing the pollution of their country by 

 an enemy, and the honour to be obtained by joining 'in the glorious 



