16 PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. 



modern ship, such a contrivance, if reliable, would be a great 

 boon. The chief thought in our minds at present in con- 

 nection with ships is however the dreadful shipwreck which 

 has so lately taken place of the Titanic, which was not only 

 the largest and finest ship afloat, but was looked upon 

 as practically unsinkable owing to her elaborate system of 

 watertight compartments. Yet she sank on her first 

 voyage. An enormous steel tank, holding 9,000,000 gallons, 

 has been constructed at Leeds for the water supply of Calcutta. 

 It is 321 feet square and 16 feet deep, and will be supported 

 on steel columns at a height of 110 feet. Kinematography 

 has improved very greatly of late and wonderful results have 

 been obtained in moving coloured pictures, but the most 

 recent development of this art is the representation in a 

 highly magnified form of moving creatures of extremely small 

 dimensions. Blood is shewn circulating and the micro- 

 organisms which produce fevers and other diseases can be 

 seen in their various forms moving about amongst the blood 

 corpuscles in their deadly course. And these are said to be 

 much more distinct in their forms and motions than one can 

 see them when looking into a microscope. The difficulty of 

 illumination is overcome by illuminating the objects from the 

 side and viewing them, when thus lit up, against a dark back- 

 ground. 



GEOGRAPHY. 



Though we may naturally regret that the honour of being 

 the first to reach the South Pole has not fallen to the lot of 

 an Englishman, yet we cannot do otherwise than admire the 

 pluck and energy shewn by Captain Amundsen and his men 

 in succeeding where many have failed, in reaching the South 

 Pole on Dec. 14 last. The Pole itself lies in the midst of a 

 vast elevated plain of ice, presenting no special features. 

 Careful observations were taken during the days during 

 which the party remained before beginning their homeward 

 march. Captain Amundsen also discovered the end of 



