IO2 Annals of the Philosophical Club 



having once been liquid and of its interior being still in 

 this condition, and invited Mr. Hopkins to express his own 

 views. He replied that he thought the subject was not 

 yet ripe for discussion, but that it would be much advanced 

 if Sir H. de la Beche would undertake some experiments 

 on the results of pressure. The latter expressed himself 

 willing to do this, if the requisite funds were provided and 

 friends would co-operate. 



During the fourteenth meeting (Oct. 26th) a letter, written 

 by Dr. Hooker from a station in the Himalayas, was read to 

 the Club, in which he said : * " Kinchinjunga, the mountain 

 opposite us, is now found to be the highest in the world, 

 28,178 feet, as measured by the Surveyor-General, who has 

 just announced the result." 2 After referring to the heights 

 obtained for some other peaks and his admiration for 

 the way in which the surveyors' work had been done, the 

 writer continues, " There is not a shadow of doubt that 

 the snow-line is much higher in Thibet than on the south 

 slope of the Himalayas. In Upper Assam (27$) we have 

 permanent snow at 15,000 feet, but have about 16,000 feet 

 in Kimaweena, (and) 17,000 to 18,000 feet in upper valley of 

 Sutlej ; 36 N. it is 20,000 feet. Is not this defying latitude ? 

 Precipitation and evaporation are the important elements. 

 There is no precipitation in Thibet, precipitation and no 

 evaporation in Upper Assam. The south pole over again ! " 



Conversation then turned on the sea-serpent, which 

 according to the newspapers had been seen on Aug. 6th, 1848, 

 by Capt. M'Quhae of the Daedalus frigate. 3 Mr. Bell said 

 it had been thought the animal might have been a gigantic 

 land snake, some of which are known to exceed 30 feet 

 in length ; speaking for himself, he recognized the difficulty 



1 The letter was probably written from Darjeeling, where Dr. Hooker arrived 

 on April i6th, 1848, leaving it for the Kinchinjunga district on October 27th. 



8 In Round Kangchenjunga (the spelling exhibits variation) D. W. Fresh- 

 field gives the elevation as 28,156 feet, stating that it is the third in height 

 of the measured mountains of the globe, yielding place to Mount Everest, 

 29,002 feet, and to ' K. 2,' which is 28,250 feet. 



3 His letter was dated Oct. yth, 1848. The creature was seen in the 

 S. Atlantic, lat. 24 44' S. and long. 9 20' E. 



