4i8 



NATURE 



[January 25, 191 2 



.1 ih. iru;li.-l iilliH -I 



K.im. II i 



1 nil nil I II 

 I n . 1 1 Is 

 1,1(1 jusi 



NOTES. 



ip 



|„ II.;; , 1,(1. .1 .11 I .ll 



w ,is 1,1 (|c 1 1. 1 (in .\l.i\ I 

 «-;islw;ii(l 111 J(liMt;li' 

 passage Imm ili.- ' 



-.i-.l-.( Ml , ,111(1 I' 

 |.1>m1|1( I 



vin,ii 1. 



Illrll U< 



ill it \M • I 



,111(1 (l(lllll 



niaiiv not, 



\( Tscd, until .\u^u>t 



.111 ciul. 



.si\ \M-ikv l,iti r lie 

 111 --111 \ (A till- ( i,inj4c' 

 tiiiiinr <'\|ic(litioii a- 

 lakiii ill. As boiin ; 



ull,i. 



iMlM.lk 



lU^lll'cI' 111 



iic.ir l-drt 

 .1 - 1 11 \ • \ 



Ih. 



Willi 

 (.1 i!i. 



ihc ( i(i\ . I III ir 1 ■ 



ll in |)iu>u.ni('c ' 



■ lind (l.'iiU iiolc^ I'll 111' 



til.- ri\('r at liif^li ,in 



n till- iia\ii;at)ilil\ dl 



when ilic I 



the ajjjjc.ti '':i • 

 iliroutjh to Mi. 



'I' ' '• nil 11,1 



d 1. 

 the 



; \ 



,H(1 



\ , Ill- 

 was 

 ■ rdci's, ;in(i 

 I , ill.- w idth 

 uaiir, with 

 (dianml-- tra- 

 ilimi ciiiii- Id 



sl,-irl.-d (ill a sc 

 lidin the |i(iinl 

 l,tr .Is l).i(ia, 



s he had ricii\- 



KHul ( \|)t-diti<in 

 r(-,i(li<-ii in till 

 wlii-r.' In- \\ . 



-i"(-il hi- ciriii - : 



his survey to tin- juiu-rHin nf the Mi-ijm.i ,ind tin- 

 Ganges, which his observations show tn h.ivc then 

 been about a degree farther north than ii now i-. 

 This expedition ended in May, 1765, and h< sidt ^ inly- 

 ing; cut his own surveys, we see from the "Journal" 

 ih.ti In was also occupied in collecting from others 

 all such iii.itci-i;il ;is wmild hi- of scrviii- in compiling 

 a i^cn, -f.d in.-q) ol HciiKal- .\fltr two nKmths engaged 

 in sui\i \iiiL^ on the Meghna and Brahmaputr.i Rivi rs 

 the ■■ jiiuin.d" passes to the fourth expedition undii- 

 i,dvi 11 at Lord Clive's orders in order to form a 

 L^ciK 111 iii.i|) of Bengal, for which distances were to 

 be taken in a cursory manner, only latitud(-s being 

 used to correct them. In Febru.iry he w,is s. rinusly 

 wounded in a fight with a body ol Sanaslii takiis, :ind 

 incapacitated from work until June, hut so iiti ctiNi 1\ 

 had he pushed on his survey that on Lord Clivu's 

 sudden departure at the end of January, 1767, 

 Rennell was able to supply him with a map of 

 Bengal and a part of Hahu, .md another of the 

 Ganges from Patna to Kananj, on the scale of 10 

 miles to one incTi. On January i, t7''7, hi Hdtes 

 that h(^ w.is ap])ointed Surveyor-General, .iml men- 

 tions the four oflicers who were appointed as his 

 assistants, among whom he apportioned the country 

 to be surveyed. 



A large collection of itineraries, latitudes, observa- 

 tions for magnetic variation, and v.irious memoranda 

 complete the volume, wliieh t:i\i s .a vivid picture of 

 the conditions under which tin firsi survms in India 

 were carried out. At this time f( w instruments of 

 precision were available, and his survi vs were made 

 with a compass and the chain, while he i ninloyed ,1 

 Hadley's quadrant for the determin.ation of latitiules. 

 Even with such simple equipment he worktnl with 

 remarkable accuracy, and many places fixed by him 

 are found by subsequent measurement to ai;ie, clos.ly 

 with their true positions, though his insiiuments hfr 

 much to be desired, as errors of <> uul S5 iiuh. s in 

 his chain length, which are recorded among the 

 memoranda of his "Journal," show. It was no doubt 

 his own skill in carrying out route surveys and con- 

 trolling them by astronomical ohservarions th.it pre- 

 judiced Rennell at first against Major L.mibton's 

 procedure of triangulation. 



The "Journal" is a record of the highest interest, 

 and geographers are much indebted to the editor for 

 his labours, and to the Asiatic Society of Bengal for 

 publishing it. together with a map of Bengal and 

 Bahar from Rennell's " Bengal Atlas " to illustrate it. 



H. G. L. 



NO. 2204, VOL. 88] 



dislinmii>»ii'-d 



f.iitlifiil vir.-ir 



[i.rl.-itlv wii 1. 

 |>a()ir sli,,iilil .1 

 liilh.rtii s,,ii;;ht til.' 



th.il ih'- e,-,,vi stdll'- 



:}<«on Chi: 



ly why a morii 



'■ .irnod men 1 

 - also kn. 

 ■t of T.ili! 



j lull ( (inj4ri j^.'iiiiins, and tiiis it w.as ihat suggested • 

 til. 11 (if a rmiral i.ilil-i mi wkiili il,. • i>itaph migh- 

 inan<-nil\ jiri-^- ds were r- 



siili,( 1 ini il ,11- i! bot;ini>! 



folUjus :--■' Hi 1 



'Pil;'!'' 



(it 17 



iiei'- 1- 

 i i k of the I 



V, .1- \ln,;-I.-r (if thi- ! .1: 

 January, I7'ii, in th.- ,S4; 



■idington, 



. .11 the sch' : 



the tablet on the w 

 ! 'v: inscriptjo" ;- 

 ihen Hal' 



' I ,>i'|)ii. 

 sS of \\i 



lie died tl 



Mk. W. Li-m Hi 

 Museum, Wellingluli. a . /■ .u.uiii, ,u\ i.-.\in.aiiei_\ \.Mii. 



collection of about 701. Mauri . thnological specimens wi 

 had 1 " 1 ted by his illustrious father, Sir Wc: 



Hull. il-kno\vn authority on the birds of N 



Z. al.iiKt. ill.- benefaction includes a large and represcr.-, - 

 ii\. collection ot valuable historical greenstones, includi: l. 

 both personal ornaments and weapons ; a number of he 

 carvings ; a large pataka ; a large carved war canoe ^ 

 all its urnainental fittings, and a small, beautii. 

 mod. 11. -d liiilit canvir- ; a collocti<^n of stone tools, ad. 

 iVc, incki'l - 'lie adze at pre- 



knciuii ; a I Maori garmi 



two being dug-skin cloaks in a pcrlcct state of prest: 

 tion, which were acquired in iSj;.S; a number of o: 

 objects i)f Maori workman-! which ar- 



historic inti-rest. In addition ; ns, the co 



tion will !>' compl.-ted by sending out to New Zealand 

 objects now in the Imperial Institute collected by 

 Walter Buller. It is dilficult to overestimate the value ot 

 this donation, and when the Ljift w,i- .announced hi I'-.e 

 Ni w Zealand Parliament bv 

 Il I ci\'-d by in- mi" r- with ■ ., 



.'ippn (iation. now anr :h confid- 



that the Doniir.;,,, ^..■. .rancnt will .,> .... ,..;;lda iiv.is. . 

 to house its natural history and ethnological specini -. ■ - 

 ,. .1,,.. ..f .,,,iiiiii cannot be r.-i'-'^- ■' '" .^- •"■•<■ r 

 nd in an inflammal 

 -aiciory to know thai u.- i.- i\ -p- (.liii-ns ^n... 

 care of Mr. Hamilton, the director of 

 1 'I'liuiuoii Museum, who has himself made valuable ■ 

 tributions to our knowledge of the arts and crafts of 

 Maoris. 



News has just reached us of the death, on January .^, 

 of M. T. Durand, member of the Royal Academy of 

 Belgium, director of the State Botanic Garden, and general 

 secretary of the Royal Botanic Society of Belgium. 



