4SO 



NA TURE 



\jMarch 29, 1877 



presented by the President to Dr. Percy, who, in his reply, 

 hinted that he is at present engaged in a large new metallurgical 

 work. The Institute unanimously approved of the President's 

 proposal to endeavour to obtain for the applied science societies 

 a common permanent home. The Institute holds its autumnal 

 meeting in Newcastle in September next, Norway having been 

 abandoned, mainly, we believe, on account of the death of the 

 Foreign Secretary, Mr. David Forbes. The Institute of Naval 

 Architects, which also met [last week in London, intends, we 

 believe, to have for the first time an 'autumnal session, Glasgow 

 and the Clyde having been selected for a visit next August. 



The following are the probable arrangements after Easter at 

 the Royal Institution for the Friday evenings : — April 13, Dr. 

 William Spottiswoode, Treas. R.S., Experiments with a Great 

 Induction Coil; April 20, Mr. Frederick Pollock, M.A., 

 Spinoza ; April 27, Lieut-Gen. Richard Strachey, R.E., F.R.S., 

 The Physical Causes of Indian Famines ; May 4, Rev. W. H. 

 Dallinger, Researches on the Origin and Development of Minute 

 and Low Forms of Life ; May ri, Mr. D. Mackenzie Wallace, 

 M.A., The Intellectual Movements and Secret Societies in 

 Russia ; May 18 [blank] ; May 25, Mr. G. J. Romanes, The 

 Evolution of Nerves and Nervo-Systems ; June i, Mr. Oscar 

 Browning, The History of Education ; June 8, Prof. Tyndall, 

 F.R.S. The lecture arrangements are as follows: — Prof. 

 J. H. Gladstone, F.R.S,, Five Lectures on the Chemistry 

 of the Heavenly Bodies, on Tuesdays, April 10 to May 15 ; 

 Prof. Tyndall, F.R.S., Eight Lectures on Heat, on Thurs- 

 days, April 12 to May 31 ; Mr. Edward Dannreuther, Two 

 Lectures on Chopin and Liszt, on Saturday, April 14, and 

 Thursday, June 7 ; The Rev. A. H. Sayce, M.A., Three Lec- 

 tures on Babylonian Literature, on Saturdays, April 21, 28, and 

 May 5; Mr. Walter H. Pollock, M.A., Three Lectures on 

 Modern French Poetry, on Saturdays, May 12, 19, 26 ; Mr. 

 Charles T. Newton, C.B., Two Lectures on the Recent Dis- 

 coveries at Mycenae, on Saturdays, June 2 and 9. 



The first of the letters from Mr. Stanley, already referred to, 

 is published in Monday's Daily Telegraph. It is dated Ujiji, 

 August 7, 1876. Mr, Stanley" has succeeded in circumnavigating 

 Lake Tanganyika, exploring every indentation, and has made a 

 material addition to our knowledge of this interesting body of 

 water. As might have been expected, he has occasion to sup- 

 plement and correct the observations of his predecessors. On 

 the mistakes of the latter he dwells at quite unnecessary length, 

 and discusses them in an aggravatingly apologetic tone, which 

 becomes quite irritating, and does not in the least enhance the 

 value of his own discoveries, which require no contrast to bring 

 out their importance. The greater part of Mr. Stanley's letter 

 is occupied with an account of his exploration of the Lukuga, 

 Cameron's supposed outlet of the lake, but which Mr. Stanley 

 maintains, on what appear solid grounds, to be merely a creek, 

 the surface current of which is influenced by the wind. The 

 most extraordinary result, however, of his examination of the 

 lake and of the Lukuga, is that the former is rising with com- 

 parative rapidity — several feet since Cameron's visit — and that 

 in the course of a very few years the Lukuga will develop into 

 an eiHuent river, which will pass over the narrow mud-swamp 

 that separates it from the river Luindi, flowing westwards to the 

 Kamolondo River (it is not a lake), and thence to the Lualaba. 

 Thus, what Cameron discovered, is not the present, but the future 

 outlet of the Tanganyika, which hitherto Mr. Stanley maintains, 

 has had no outlet. It must not be forgotten that this outlet has 

 already been suggested by Livingstone ; writing on Octobtr 8, 

 1871, about three years before Cameron's visit, he says, " It 

 may be that the Loilgumba is the outlet of Tanganyika ; it 

 becomes the Luasse further down, and then the Luanio before 

 it joins the Lualaba ; the country slopes that way, but I was too 

 ill to examine its source." The interest of geologists will cer- 



tainly be excited, if not satisfied, by some references in Mr. 

 Stanley's letter. He speaks of basalt and trap-rocks as occurring 

 in the district, and of a large portion of the shores of the lake 

 being composed of calcareous tufa ; he also, somewhat more 

 obscurely, refers to what he thinks may be volcanic cones ; and 

 states that considerable quantities of asphalte have been found 

 floating on the waters of the lake. The theory which Mr. 

 Stanley suggests as explaining the origin of this vast lake is of a 

 sufficiently startling character. At no remote period, his hypo- 

 thesis is, this part of Africa was a level table-land, westwards 

 across which flowed the Malagarazi, aad other rivers along a 

 channel which is now occupied by the Lukuga and Luindi. But 

 a great volcanic convulsion disturbed the region, sinking a deep 

 hollow across the channel of the Malagarazi, which, with other 

 streams, has ever since been filling up the bed. Mr. Stanley 

 supposes he has come upon the lake when it has almost reached 

 its highest level and is about to form an outlet by the Lukuga* 

 Until more detailed and exact information reaches us conctrning 

 the structure of the country it would be premature to enter upon a 

 discussion of this theory. Possibly Mr. Stanley's other letter, 

 which will be published to-day, may enable geologists more fully to 

 understand the conclusions at which the traveller appears to have 

 arrived. In the north-west part of the lake, what Burton, Speke, 

 and Stanley himself had thought to be an island, Ubwari, is 

 really a peninsula. This is so indicated on Livingstone's map, 

 with the remark that " a sandy spit connects Mozima Island and 

 the shore." 



On Monday night Sir George Nares read a paper on some of 

 the results and observations of the late Arctic Expedition. He 

 discussed mainly the state of the ice and the limits of life in the 

 most northern channels, and concluded by stating his conviction 

 that unless the coast of Greenland extended beyond lat. 83° 20', 

 the Pole would not be accessible by the Smith Sound route. 

 In the discussion which followed it was evident that a marked 

 change of opinion has followed the results of the late expe- 

 dition as to the best route to the Pole, the general opinion being 

 that the Smith Sound route must be abandoned and that by 

 Spitzbergen tried. This must no doubt be gratifying to Dr. 

 Petermann, who has so long advocated the latter route, though 

 this change of opinion is not at all inconsistent with the idea that 

 much valuable scientific information is still to be obtained in the 

 Smith Sound region. Admiral Richards expressed his decided 

 conviction that sledge travelling is at an end, although he does 

 not venture on the opinion that ships would actually reach the 

 Pole by the Spitzbergen route. Now that the Presidential 

 excitement is over in America, we may hope to hear of pre- 

 parations being made for the establishment of the proposed 

 Polar Exploring Colony. 



The National French Committee for the Exploration and 

 Civilisation of Southern Africa has held its inaugural meeting. 

 M. De Lesseps was appointed president. Two delegates were 

 appointed to represent the French Section in the large Com- 

 mittee presided over by the King of the Belgians. They are 

 MM. D'Abbadie, Member of the Institute, and Grandidier, 

 the French explorer of Madagascar. 



A SECOND Italian expedition for the exploration of Africa, 

 has arrived at Suez. 



TiiF. Honolulu Gazette of February 28, reports an extraordinary 

 volcanic outbreak in Kealakeakana Bay, near the entrance to the 

 harbour. The eruption occurred at 3 A.i\i. on the 24th, appear- 

 ing like numerous red, green, and blue lights. In the afternoon 

 the water was in a state of peculiar activity, boiling and broken, 

 and heaving up blocks of red-hot lava. A severe shock of an 

 earthquake was felt by the residents of Kannakakiel during the 

 night of the eruption. 



