438 



NATURE 



[March 13, 1879 



and July which might apply to the object seen by De 

 Vico, assuming it to have been an intra-Mercurial planet. 

 Leverrier did not attempt to discuss these observations, 

 confining his attention to those made about the equinoxes, 

 clearly belonging to a diflferent body. 



GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES 



Some of our contemporaries have been a little pre- 

 mature in appointing the Earl of Northbrook to the 

 presidency of the Royal Geographical Society, for at 

 the time when the announcement was first made his lord- 

 ship was not even a fellow of the Society. The fact, we 

 beUeve, is that Lord Northbrook has expressed his 

 willingness to accept his nomination by the Council, but 

 there is no hkelihood of any election taking place till the 

 anniversary meeting on May 26th. 



At the meeting of the Geographical Society on Monday 

 evening Dr. James Stewart, of the Livingstonia Mission, 

 East Africa, read a paper on the " Second Circumnaviga- 

 tion of Lake Nyassa." The voyage was undertaken in the 

 little steamer Jlala in the latter part of 1877. It was 

 found that Lake Nyassa has hitherto been laid down on 

 our maps too far to the east, and that its position ought 

 to be shifted at the north end as much as thirty miles to 

 the westward. Dr. James Stewart was also fortunate in 

 discovering two harbours such as were needed for the 

 safe navigation of the lake ; the one Rombashi inlet or 

 river on the northern coast, and the other the Kambwe 

 lagoon a little to the south of it on the west coast. Mr. 

 James Stevenson afterwards gave a few particulars 

 respecting the explorations now being carried on by Dr. 

 Laws and Mr. James Stewart, of the Bengal Civil Service, 

 in the country on the western side of Lake Nyassa, 



The Abb^ Debaize, the leader of the French expedi- 

 tion to Central Africa, sends to M. Richard Cortambert a 

 letter, rejoicing at the success of his expedition so far. 

 He writes from Taboro, in UnyaniM-ezi, and states that 

 litherto he has been completely successful ; there have 

 been no desertions, little expenditure, and no misfortunes 

 of any kind. This good fortune he ascribes to his own 

 excellent health, to his firm discipline, and his personal 

 superintendence of all arrangements. He has a very 

 poor opinion of Miramboa, and thinks the English are 

 striving hard to become masters in Central Africa ; 

 indeed he hints that "annexation" is not far off. At 

 Mpwapwa, where the sole white population are an English 

 "reverend, a mason, and a carpenter," there are already 

 four stone houses, *vhile there are English stations in 

 Ukerewe, Uganda, and at Ujiji. 



The Daily News Lisbon correspondent states that the 

 Portuguese Minister of Marine has informed the Cortes 

 that he has received a telegram stating that the Portu- 

 guese African explorer Pinto, who was separated from 

 his companions at Bihe, has succeeded in traversing 

 Africa from west to east, having reached the Transvaal. 



France and the United States will soon establish a 

 comparison of the longitude of Paris and Washington by 

 cable. As is known, these operations lead to a deter- 

 mination of the velocity of propagation of electric waves. 

 Commander Perrier and M. Lcewy have recently pub- 

 lished a volume giving the details of the comparison 

 between Paris, Marseilles, and Algiers. 



Mr. Stanford has just published a very fine stereo- 

 graphical map of Zululand, with portions of the adjoining 

 territories. On the bases of what observations there are 

 as to the physical conformation of the countiy, together 

 with the pretty fair notions we have of the courses of the 

 rivers, a good general notion is conveyed of the character 

 of the surface and its various levels. The map conveys, 

 moreover, a great amount of information in a clear and 

 •striking manner, that will be extremely useful to those 



who wish to understand the history and bearings of the 

 Zulu difficulty. 



Under the title of "Le Maroc" the current number 

 of the Tour du Monde contains the commencement of a 

 translation of M. Edmondo de Amicis' account of his 

 experiences in Morocco in 1875. The present instalment 

 deals with Tangier, and is accompanied by several illus- 

 trations. 



We understand that Prof. Geikie, of Edinburgh, >yill 

 probably deliver a lecture on Geographical Evolution 

 before the Royal Geographical Society on Monday, 

 March 24. 



The Emperor of Austria has presented Captain von 

 Oestreicher with the medal for letters and arts {Uteris^ et 

 artibus) in recognition of his recent highly interesting 

 geographical work, " Aus femem Osten und Westen." 



During last year the following journeys were made by 

 Russian explorers in Central Asia : — Generals Stolyetofit 

 and Razgonoff were accompanied during their mission to 

 Kaboul by several topographers and explorers ; M. 

 Oshanin has made explorations in Karategin and 

 Hissar ; M. Matsdefif in Badakshan and Eastern Afghan- 

 istan ; M. Grod^koff in Western Afghanistan and Herat; 

 M. Bykoff has explored the Amu darya River from 

 Kobadian to Khiva ; M. Yavarsky has traversed for the 

 fourth time the region between Tashkend and Kaboul ; 

 M. MayefF has visited for the second time the hilly track 

 between Karshi, Keliff (on Amu darya), Kobadian, and 

 Hissar ; and, finally, the steamer Samarkand has navi- 

 gated the Amu, from Petro-Alexandrovsk to Khodja- 

 Sale. 



Under the title of Socidte de Gdographie de I'F.st, 

 there has been_ founded at Nancy a new geographical- 

 society. 



I 



A STUDY IN LOCOMOTION '>^ 

 F the interest of a scientific expositor ought to be 

 measured by the importance of the subject, I shall 

 be applauded for my choice. In fact, there are few 

 questions which touch more closely the very existence ot 

 man than that of animated motors — those docile helps 

 whose power or speed he uses at his pleasure, which 

 enjoy to some extent his intimacy, and accompany him 

 in his labours and his pleasures. The species of animal 

 whose co-operation we borrow are numerous, and vary 

 according to latitude and climate. But whether we 

 employ the horse, the ass, the camel, or the reindeer, 

 the, same problem is always presented : to get fromjthe 

 animal as much work as possible, sparing him, as far as 

 we can, fatigue and suffering. This identity of stand- 

 point will much simplify my task, as it will enable me to 

 confine the study of animated motors to a single species ; 

 I have chosen the horse as the most interesting type. 

 Even with this restriction the subject is still very vast, 

 as all know who are occupied with the different questions 

 connected therewith. In studying the force of traction 

 of the horse, and the best methods of utilising it, we 

 encounter all the problems connected with teams and 

 the construction of vehicles. But on a subject which 

 has engaged the attention of humanity for thousands of 

 years, it seems difficult to find anything new to say. 



If in the employment of the horse we consider its speed 

 and the means of increasing it, the subject does not 

 appear less exhausted. Since the chariot races, of which 

 Greek and Roman antiquity were passionately fond, to 

 our modern horse-races, men hare never ceased to pursue 

 with a lively interest the problem of rapid locomotion. 

 What tests and comparisons have not been made to dis- 

 cover what race has most speed, what other most bottom, 



' " Moteurs animus ; Experiences de Physiologie graphique." lLectu:e 

 by Prof. Marey at the Paris meeting of the French Association, August 29 



