Feb. 2 2, 1877J 



NATURE 



365 



made by the Club during the year, was unanimously adopted. 

 The number of members, which is now over 600, is to be limited 

 for the present to 700. Committee-men and auditors for 1877 

 were elected, and cordial votes of thanks to the Chairman, 

 Committee, Auditors, and Secretary,, concluded the meeting. 



At the annual meeting of the shareholders of the Brighton 

 Aquarium, Mr. ArthurWm.Watersstatedhisbelief that if arrange- 

 ments were made so that a naturalist could go to Brighton and have 

 a table in a quiet room 'Aith the most necessary apparatus and che- 

 micals for his study, animals kept living, and fresh ones brought 

 him as required by the sailors under the instruction of the scientific 

 staff, there are many who would gladly avail themselves of the 

 opportunity. The difficulties of a naturalist at present who may 

 go down to the sea-side for a short time to undertake elaborate 

 physiological studies are very great, and he thinks that many, 

 including science students from the universities, would be willing 

 to pay for the advantages which might thus be afforded. Mr. 

 Francis Francis, who has just been appointed naturalist director^ 

 said that it was intended to do this ; and even to hear of the 

 intention will be a source of satisfaction to those who desire the 

 present aquaria to be made more useful. We hope that if the 

 directors have any suitable place they will not delay to utilise it, 

 and that it may turn out to be a source of permanent advantage, 

 for scientific research will continue when rlnking and other such 

 amusements have been replaced by more novel attractions. 



The most important paper in the February number of Peter- 

 mann's Mitthcilimgen is a detailed discussion of the projects for 

 a railway lo Central Africa from the Mediterranean Coast, by 

 Dr. G. Rohlfs. Dr. Rohlfs discusses the various schemes which 

 have been proposed, speaks very unfavourably of that which 

 would carry a line from Algeria southwards, and advocates 

 strongly a line from the coast of Tripoli, especially from Braiga 

 at the head of the Gulf of Sidra, to Lake Chad. He analyses 

 all the difficulties and advantages of this route, and thus intro- 

 duces much ill formation on the region between these two points, 

 as well as on the whole Saharan region. He proposes, as the 

 only feasible plan, that the undertaking should be an inter- 

 national one. 



In the same number Dr. Behm continues his monthly 

 summary of geographical news. He refers to a work by A. 

 Kirchenbauf.r, " Die Irrfahrt des Odysseus als eine Umscliiffung 

 Afrika's erklart " (Berlin, Calvary), in which the author, by the 

 application of astronomy and mathematical geography, endea- 

 vours to show that the Kernel of the Odyssey is a tradition be- 

 longing to the fifteenth century B.C., of a circumnavigation of 

 Africa from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean. The Lotophagi 

 were South Arabians, Polyphemus was a Galla, whose cave was 

 at Cape Guardafui, Circe ruled in Rodriguez, the Cimmerians 

 dwelt in some South Polar Innd, and the Straits of Gibraltar 

 were Scylla and Charybdis. Tnus Ulysses was both the first 

 African and first Polar explorer of whom we have any record. 

 Dr. Behm states that the author discusses the subject with the 

 greatest seriousness and acuteness. 



The December Bulletin of the French Geographical Society 

 contains papers by Mr. J. B. Paquier, " On Russian and Eng- 

 lish Explorations in Central Asia ; " by M. A. V. Parisot, " On 

 the Region between Ouargla and El Golea ; " by Abbe Durand 

 "On Portuguese India;" and by Abbe Desgodins, " On the 

 Territory of Batang." A letter from Dr. Emil Bessels, of the 

 Polaris Expedition, accompanies a map exhibiting approximately 

 the lines of equal tides in the North Atlantic, North Pacific, and 

 Arctic Oceans, for the purpose of showing from what direction 

 the tidal wave is propagated towards Polaris Bay. 



V Exploration for February 7 contains an interesting paper 

 by M. Henry Bionne on the Colonial regime of France. 



Capt. Howgate's scheme of Polar exploration by mears of 

 a colony placed at Discovery Bay, to which we referred in a 

 recent number, has been referred by the United States Con- 

 gress to the Committee on Naval Affiirs. It has received the 

 support of the principal United States scientific societies, and 

 already there have been many suitable volunteers. We should 

 not be surprised, therefore, to hear that the grant has been made, 

 and if men can be found suitable and willing to form such a 

 colony, the experiment seems worth trying. 



A SENSATION has been created in the geographical circles of 

 Paris by the opinion expressed by Dr. Pogge at the Geographical 

 Society of Berlin, that the Lualaba was flowing in the Ogovai. 

 The Ogovai delta is part of the French Gaboon settlement. 

 MM. Brazza, Marche, and others are engaged in exploring the 

 river, which they have heard from natives flows out of a large 

 lacustrine basin. It is feared the explorers cannot reach the 

 end of their journey without receiving fresh reinforcements 

 from home. 



The Geographical Society of Geneva voted at its last meeting 

 its adhesion to the resolutions of the conference, for the explora- 

 tion of Central Africa. A special Swiss committee, to form part 

 of the Association, is to be appointed before long at Geneva. 



M. BoNNAT, the French African explorer, who has been up 

 the Volta (Ashanti) as far as Salaga, states that from that pbce 

 much-frequented routes strike off to Timbuctoo in the we- 1, and 

 Lake Tchad in the east, and that from these places trade cara- 

 vans are constantly passing to and from Mexico and Tripoli. 

 He bought European goods at Salaga, which entered Africa by 

 the Mediterranean. M. Bonnat is organising a large expedition 

 for the thorough exploration of the r^^cgion from which he has 

 just returned. 



We are glad to notice that science was well represented at the 

 preliminary meeting last Saturday to mnke arrangements for the 

 celebration of the 400th anniversary of the introduction of printing 

 into England by Caxton. Science owes much to this art, and in 

 recent years has to some extent repaid her debt by the va^t im- 

 provements which have been introduced, based on the principles 

 she has discovered. 



Father Secchi has compiled a very useful list of 444 

 coloured stars, which is published in the Memorie dtila Societh 

 degli Spettroscopisti Ilaliani. Many of them appear to be taken 

 from Schiellerup's catalogues, from Lalandeand Sir J. Herschel ; 

 to these have been added Mr. Birmingham's newly-discuvered 

 coloured stars. A note is added to each star, showing the 

 colour and type of spectrum. The number of the star in Cham- 

 bers's catalogue is given, when mentioned there, and the R. A. 

 and Declination is given for the year 1870. We note that by 

 far the greater number of stars are red, and the spectra of the 

 third and fourth types prevail. This catalogue will prove use- 

 ful, fir^t, in detecting the variability of the stars, and secondly, 

 the change of spectrum when variable. The following are 

 representative stars of the types to which they belong: — i. 

 Sirius, a Lyra, white stars ; 2. Capella, Pollux, yellow stars; 

 3. o Orionis, /8 Pegasi, a Herculis, red- yellow stars; 4. Small 

 blood- red stars. 



We notice in the fifteenth volume of the Globe, published by 

 the Geographical Society of Geneva, a very interesting report by 

 M. H. D. Saussure on the present state of cartography in 

 Switzerland. The author not only gives a detailed report on 

 the numerous Swiss cartographical works which were so much 

 praised at the Paris Geographical Exhibition, but also sketches 

 the history of cartography in his country, and skilfully discusses 

 the relative values of different modes of representing on a map 

 the various characters of land, and of dressing maps for various 

 special purposes. 



