1^ 



NATURE 



[Nov. 25, 1875 



the most beautiful nuances of red, numerous, and colossal bush- 

 like Alectos, Crustacea, and MoUusca stuck fast on its strands. 

 On the 28th a start was again made, and a number of immense 

 glaciers coming down to the sea were passed ; the coast was 

 rocky and very wild. The following day anchor was cast in 

 Udde Biy. Marine vegetation was uncommonly abundant here, 

 which is all the more interesting, as ir has been stated that the 

 Kara Sea is devoid of all plant life. Vegetation on land, on the 

 contrary, was exceedingly scanty. Some small withered willows 

 met the eye here and there. The fell-poppy (Fjellvalmon) alone 

 yet bare flowers, but even these the autumn had almost 

 destroyed. " The whole of nature produced the impression of 

 indescribable desolation." On the 3rd September the Proven 

 sailed into the mouth of Matotschkin Strait, where the expedition 

 remained till the nth September. They then steered home- 

 wards, and after experiencing exceedingly tempestuous weather, 

 the Proven entered the harbour of Tromso on the 3rd October. 

 "We have," the letter concludes, "during this summer sailed 

 over known and unknown seas more than 6,000 (English) miles ; 

 we have visited regions whither expeditions for more than three 

 hundred years have attempted in vain to come ; we have made 

 rich collections in all departments of natural science. What 

 more can man desire from such a journey?" In Petermann's 

 Mittheilungai for December, along with some account of the 

 expedition, is a map showing the route outwards and home of 

 both parties. Nordenskjold had reached St. Petersburg on the 

 17th instant. 



Ii\ his will, dated Oct. 16, 1875, Sir Charles Wheatstone 

 bequeaths all his scientific books and instruments, as well as 

 his medals and diplomas, to the Corporation of King's College, 

 London, together with a legacy of 500/. for the purchase of scien- 

 tific instruments. To the Royal Society he bequeaths the portraits 

 of the Hon. Robert Boj'le, and of all the other scientific men in 

 his possession, together with a legacy of 500/. to be added to the 

 Wollaston Donation Fund. 



It is stated that Prof. Huxley has accepted the invitation of 

 the Senatus of the University of Edinburgh to take charge again 

 of the Natural History Class during next summer session. 



The Chalhnga- arrived at Valparaiso on the 19th inst. 



The following gentlemen have been appointed as a Commis- 

 sion to consider the claim of the Scottish Meteorological Society 

 on Government, a claim which we may state has already been 

 reported on by the Duke of Devonshire's Commission : — Sir 

 Wm. Stirling Maxwell, Dr. Hooker, Col. Strachey, Messrs. 

 Francis Galton, Brassey, D. Milne Home, Farrer, and Lingen. 



Petermann's Mitthdlungen for December contains a trans- 

 lation of Mr. Stanley's letters, with a clear map embodying the 

 results of his circumnavigation of Lake Victoria Nyanza, and 

 showing at the same time Speke's route of 1858, and that of 

 Speke and Grant in 1861-62. In an introduction to the letters, 

 Dr. E. Behm discusses the results obtained by Mr. Stanley. 

 The Daily Telegraph of Tuesday publishes two letters from the 

 late unfortunate M. Linant de Bcllefonds, describing his sojourn 

 at Mtesa's and his meeting with Mr. Stanley. 



The same number of the Mittheilungen contains the first part 

 of an elaborate and important paper by Oscar Loew, giving an 

 account of Lieut. Wheeler's second expedition into New Mexico 

 and Colorado in 1874, and pointing out the important scientific 

 bearings of the results obtained. He pays a well-deserved 

 tribute of praise to the enterprise of the U.S. Government, in 

 accomplishing the survey of so large a portion of their extensive 

 territories in so comparatively short a time. 



An interesting letter appears in yesterday's Daily Nrws from 

 Mr. Smithurst, the engineer of the steamer which made the 



voyage up the newly discovered Baxter River in New Guinea, 

 referred to in Sir Henry Rawlinson's address at the Geogra- 

 phical Society last week. The river seems to be a magnificent 

 one, and could evidently be made navigable to a considerable 

 distance inland. The exploring party found the banks to consist 

 mainly of mangrove swamps, though, near the end of the 

 journey, high clay banks with Eucalyptus globulus were found. 

 Scarcely any natives were seen, though there were frequent 

 signs of their being about. Mr. Smithurst refers to a very 

 remarkable bird, which, so far as we know, has not hitherto 

 been described. The natives state that it can fly away with; 

 a dugong, a kangaroo, or a large turtle. Mr. Smithurst states ! 

 he saw and shot at a specimen of this wonderful animal, and that ■ 

 "the noise caused by the flapping of its wings resembled the j 

 sound of a locomotive pulling a long train very slowly." Hej 

 states that " it appeared to be about sixteen or eighteen! 

 feet across the wings as it flew, the body dark brown, ^ 

 the breast white, neck long, and beak long and straight."] 

 In the stiff clay of the river bank Mr. Smithurst states that he] 

 saw the footprints of some large animal, which he ' ' took to bel 

 a butfalo or wild ox," but he saw no other traces, of the animal. 1 

 These statements are very wonderful, and before giving credence 

 to them we had better await the publication of the official account 

 of the voyage. A very fair collection of rocks, stone-, birds, 

 insects, plants, moss, and orchids has been made, which will be 

 submitted to a naturalist for his opinion. The dates of Mr. 

 Smithurst's communication are from August 30 to Sept. 7. 



The long-standing Chancery suit of the King of Portugal v. , 

 Carruthers has at length been terminated by a compromise. The^ 

 suit arose out of the will of the late eminent African explorer. 

 Dr. Welwitsch, who had explored a portion of Central Africa at 

 the expense of the Portuguese Government, and had made large 

 and important botanical collections. These collections were left 

 by will to the British Museum ; but Dr. Welwitsch's right to so 

 leave them was disputed by the Portuguese Government. The 

 compromise finally arrived at is to this effect : — A declaration 

 that the King of Portugal is entitled to all the collections ; the 

 King, as an act of grace and favour, paying the defendants 703/. 

 in full discharge of all demands ; that jhe study set (the best) 

 and the next best set of the collections should be separated from 

 the other collections ; that the British Museum should have the 

 second best set as a gift from the King, and that the King should 

 have all the other sets, 'and should distribute them as he may 

 think proper. 



We learn from the Gardener's Chronicle that M. E. Andre, 

 well known as a landscape gardener in this country as well as 

 on the Continent, and also as the editor of the Illustration Horti- 

 cole, is about to undertake a botanical exploration in Brazil, 

 Peru, Ecuador, and New Granada. 



M. Gabriel de Mortillet, the learned sub-director of the 

 St. Germains Museum, has been appointed President of the Paris 

 Anthropological Society for 1875-76. 



Two new zoological gardens have recently been established 

 and opened in the United Stales of America, at Philadelphia 

 and Cincinnati, and both appear to be making good progress. 

 The Supeiintendent of the former is Dr. Dprner, who was lately 

 scientific secretary of the Zoological Garden at Hamburg, and 

 has quitted Europe in order to inaugurate the new institution in 

 America. 



The meeting of Orientalists to be held in September next at 

 St. Pete sburg is to be accompanied by an exhibition of Oriental 

 manuscripts, coins, arms, implements, and other objects illus- 

 trative of the history and industry of the East. The meeting 

 will be directed by an Imperial Commission, presided over by 

 Prof. Gregorieff, the well-known geographer of Central Asia, 



