6cx) 



NATURE 



{Oct. 3, 1878 



having a strip of Singfoo country lying between us and our 

 colony of Kamp Thi. The Singfoos, again, lie between our 

 Shan country and China. This Hobong route is better than the 

 Hukong route, which leads to Burmah, as the Noa Dehing is 

 not navigable now." As it was impossible to prosecute his pro- 

 jected journey without Chow Mang Ti's assistance, Mr. Lepper 

 deemed it prudent to acknowledge the weight of the arguments 

 which he advanced against making the attempt at that season, 

 the more so as he was aware that the Government of India 

 objected to Europeans crossing into the territories of the hill- 

 tribes, and he had only obtained permission to cross the " inner 

 line " on the ground that he desired to visit the Brahma Khund 

 or Sacred Pool of Brahma. He accordingly descended the 

 Tenga Pani River, and then proceeding up the Brahmapootra, 

 visited the Sacred Pool, a spot which few living Europeans have 

 ■ever reached. 



From time to time we have given various examples of the 

 progressive tendencies of the Japanese in many directions, and 

 we are glad to be able to supplement them with the information 

 that they are turning their attention to the dredging of their 

 harbours. We learn from a Japanese contemporary that the 

 ports of Niigata, Ishinomaki, and others are to be dredged and 

 improved in such a way as to be most convenient for shipping. 

 The Bay of Hachiro, in the province of Ugo, is to be dredged, 

 at the estimated cost of a million yen. Mr. John Perry, en- 

 gineer in the employ of the Public Works Department, and a 

 number of students of the Survey Department were sent there in 

 April in order to survey the bay, and their inspection will 

 probably be completed in October. This work is the more im- 

 portant as there is no safe shelter for vessels in stormy weather 

 between Hakodate and Tsuruga. 



Mr. Edward Stanford has the following books and maps 

 preparing for publication : — A fifth edition, greatly enlarged, of 

 ■"The Physical Geology and Geography of Great Britain," by 

 Alexander C. Ramsay, LL.D., F.R.S., Director- General of the 

 Geological Surveys of the United Kingdom, with Geological 

 Map printed in Colours, and numerous Illustrations ; " Notes 

 of a Tour in America from August 7 to November 17, 1877," 

 by H. Hussey Vivian, M.P., F.G.S,, with Map; "The Fairy- 

 land of Science : Chapters for Children," by Arabella B. 

 Buckley, Illustrated ; " Karamania ; or. Life in Asiatic 

 Turkey : a Journal of Travel in Cilicia (Pedias and Trachoea), 

 Isauria, and Parts of Lycaonia and Cappadocia," by the 

 Rev. E. J. Davis, M.A., English Episcopal Chaplain, Alexan- 

 dria, Illustrated; "Manual of Physical, Historical, and Poli- 

 tical Geography for Schools," by Keith Johnston, F.R.G.S., 

 with numerous Maps and Illustrations; "Stanford's Com- 

 pendium of Geography and Travel — Europe," Edited and 

 Extended by Prof. A. Ramsay, F.R.S. ; "Australasia," 

 Edited and Extended by A. R. Wallace, F.R.G.S.; also 

 in preparation, uniform with the last, "Asia," Edited and 

 Extended by Col. Henry Yule, C.B., F.R.G.S., "North 

 America," Edited and Extended by Prof. F. V. Hayden, 

 of the United States Geological Survey ; " Elementary 

 Physics for Middle-Class Schools, with Experiments and 

 Illustrations, to which are added Examination Questions on 

 •each Section," by John A. Bower, Science Master, Middle 

 Class School, Cowper Street, London. Among Maps Mr. 

 Stanford will publish an " Orographical Map of Asia," 

 for Use in Schools and Colleges," Edited by Prof. Alexander 

 C. Ramsay, F.R.S. ; "Library Map of Japan," Compiled by 

 E. Knipping ; size, 4 feet 6 inches by 5 feet 6 inches ; scale 17 

 miles to an inch ; this is an entirely new and original map, 

 compiled from the various large divisional Maps prepared by 

 the Japanese, and corrected and extended from journeys made 

 for the purpose by the author ; Supplementary maps show 



the railways, chief roads, telegraphs, and lighthouses, and 

 the new administrative divisions introduced in 1876 ; " Library 

 Map of Africa," new edition, with the Results of all Recent 

 Explorations carefully laid down; "School Map of Africa;" 

 new edition; size, 50 inches by 58; scale 118 miles to an 

 inch; "Library Map of South America;" new edition; 

 " Library Map of Australia," in nine sheets ; constructed from 

 the most recent Official Documents furnished by the Surveyoi-s- 

 General, showing the Details of Recent Explorations, and 

 including a supplementary Map of Tasmania ; on the same scale ; 

 "General Map of Australia," with all the recent explorations, 

 the roads, railways ; and a " School Map of New Zealand." 



Messrs. E. and F. N. Spon will pubhsh during the 

 forthcoming season : — "The Chemist's Pocket-Book,"by Thos. 

 Bayley ; "The Power and Speed of Steam Vessels Calculated 

 by Rules adapted for Vessels of all Types," by W. Bury> 

 Mem. Inst. M.E. ; " A Treatise on Bridge and Roof Construc- 

 tion," by Karl von Ritter, translated from the German by Lieut. 

 Sankey, R.E. ; "Applied Mechanics," by Prof. Calcott Reilly, 

 M. Inst. C.E. ; "Graphic Arithmetic," by G. S. Clarke, In- 

 structor in Geometrical Drawing, Royal Indian Engineering 

 College, Cooper's Hill ; and a " Supplement to Spon's Dic- 

 tionary of Engineering." M. Ch. du Moncel has published in 

 the " Bibliothique des Merveilles" a volume on "The Tele- 

 phone, Microphone, and Phonograph," in which he describes in 

 a popular form all the discoveries which for the last two years 

 have astonished the world. 



Messrs. Williams and Norgate have sent us "Karl 

 Ernst von Baer; eine biographische Skizze," by Dr. Ludwig 

 Stieda, and "Karl Freidrich Gauss, Zwblf Kapitel aus 

 seinem Leben," by Ludwig Hanselmann. Messrs. Long- 

 mans and Co. have published a fourth edition of Prof. 

 Fleeming Jenkin's text -book on "Electricity and Magnetism.' 



From America we have received the "Bibliography of North 

 American Palaeontology," by Dr. White and Prof. AUeyne 

 Nicholson (Washington Government Printing Office), and 

 "Annals of the Astronomical Observatory of Plarvard Col- 

 lege," vol. iv. part 2 (Cambridge, U.S. : Wilson and Son). 

 From Australia we have Decade 5 of the " Prodromus of the 

 Palaeontology of Victoria," by Mr. F. McCoy, of the Victoria 

 Geological Survey; "Meteorological Observations made at 

 Adelaide Observatoiy during 1878," by Mr. Charles Todd; 

 " Mineral Statistics of Victoria for 1877," and "Report of the 

 Mining Surveyors for Victoria for Quarter ended March 31, 

 1878." • 



The Chilian government has now established a meteorological 

 ser^'ice in all the ports that are connected by telegraph, and the 

 daily observations are published in the government gazette at 

 Santiago. 



An earthquake was felt at Pic-du-Midi Observatory on 

 Wednesday, September 25, at 8h. 53m. in the morning. The 

 snow was falling heavily. Heavy falls of snow have also been 

 recorded in the Oberland, and communications with St. Gothard 

 have been interrupted. Shortly after midnight on Friday the 

 shock of an earthquake was felt at Osterath, in Germany. 



From the i6th to the l8th of August the city of Cartago iQ. 

 Costa Rica, in Central America, was visited by five distinct 

 shocks of earthquake. No particular damage was caused. What 

 is to be noticed is the meteorological result : that the weather 

 was changed, being attended by heavy showers that flooded the" 

 rivers. In all earthquake countries it is believed the weather is 

 affected by such phenomena, and it is desirable that observations 

 should be recorded, showing the influence of earthquakes on 

 weather. It has been alleged that the Comi-ie earthquakes in 

 Perthshire came on after rains and floods of the river. 



