Dec. 15, 1887] 



NATURE 



159 



and here a north-west line was struck, and for two days the 

 upper edge of the forest was skirted. On the second day 

 Johnston's old camp was reached, where in the water-courses an 

 abundance of large Ericaceous plants was found growing. Here 

 the two beautiful psaks were seen for the first time, and thence- 

 forth only partial glimpses wereobtaine:! through the prevailing 

 clouds. Only eight men would go further than this, and when 

 the snow-line was reached five of then refused to go further. 

 On the third day a northerly route was taken over grass-covered 

 lava-fields, with snow-streams sometimej cutting their channels 

 50 metres deep into the lava. Dr. Meyer made for the saddle 

 which joins the two peaks of Kibo on the west and Kimawenzi 

 on the east. After 6000 paces a level spur of the saddle was 

 reached, where between the great blocks of lava the green 

 meadows marked the upper course of the snow-streams. Here 

 the last traces were seen of Senecio Johnstoni in the bed of a brook 

 about 4000 metres high. About 2000 paces further up great cliffs 

 of lava were met with, and here at the snow-line the tent was 

 pitched. Thence, with his companion and three natives, photo- 

 graphic apparatus, and provisions for three days. Dr. Meyer 

 proceeded to ascend to the Kibo crater. After 3000 paces a 

 wild and shatterei hill of lava, whence the lava-stream proceeded, 

 was met with ; this was the first of a series of such hills, between 

 which the snow lay thick. Turning to the north-west the party 

 made direct for Kibo over the old lava-streams, and at about 

 5000 metres reached the last cone of ashes before the ascent 

 to the summit itself Here the two white men encamped (the 

 natives going back), with a night temperature of - 11° C. 

 Early next morning they made directly for the east side of the 

 mountain over debris-covered lava, and came on great snow- 

 fields in the spaces between the lava-hills. After a time shet 

 came on, and, as the sun got liigher, clouds covered the moun- 

 tain, and the temperature fell froji -f- 8^ C. to - 3°. Dr. 

 Meyer's companion became so exhausted he had to drop behind, 

 and he himself suffered greatly. Proceeding onwards, he met 

 with more extensive snow-fields, and higher still with great ice- 

 blocks, and a less steep stretch covered with ice-debris. Some 

 20 metres beyond this point he saw a great blue wall of ice rise 

 before him to about 34 or 40 metres high, and evidently stretch- 

 ing all round the crater. In Dr. Meyer's exhausted condition, 

 and without ice-axes, to ascend this wall, which evidently sur- 

 rounded the crater, was impossible. So, after taking some hasty 

 observations and notes, he began his descent, which was accom- 

 plished safely. As the wall seems to extend round the east, 

 south, and west sides of the crater. Dr. Meyer concludes that 

 probably the crater itself is fiHed with ice. It is remarkable that 

 no snow seems to exist at all on the north side. Dr. Meyer 

 promises to give full details on his return home to Leipzig, and 

 these may render his account more intelligible to Alpinists. 



Other articles in the new number are on " Temperature 

 Abnormalities on the Earth's Surface," by Herr Rudolf Spitaler, 

 accompanied by a map illustrative of the paper ; and " Produc- 

 tion of Tin in the Riouw-Tongga Archipelago, "^by Dr. Posewitz. 



Lieut. Wissmann, whose heal.h is not good, has given a 

 preliminary account of his journey across Africa to the Berlin 

 Geographical Society. He began with a very brief sketch of 

 the first part of his jo.i;neyings, which conjiUel of his first 

 voyage up the Kassai. By his last journey up the Kassai he has 

 determined that its largest tributary is the Kwango. The 

 Sankuru has only half the volume of water possessed by the 

 Kassai above the confiuence of the two rivers. From Lulua- 

 burg, Wissmann began his great forward march to the north of 

 the Sankuru and Lomami. A lengthened stay was made on the 

 Lubi, and after crossing the Sankuru the party entered the 

 region of virgin forests. These were found partially peopled by 

 the savage Batetela and the Batua, the latter being the pygmies 

 described in a previous number. Turning south, Wissmann 

 passed through the territory of the marauding Ben Mona, 

 and where on a former journey he found gigantic villages he 

 now found the place depopulated by war and small -pox. From 

 Nyangwe, Wissmann reached the East Coast by Lakes Tangan- 

 yika and Nyassa, and the Zambesi. The latter part of the route 

 was through hitherto unexplored territory. Lieut. Wissmann 

 has been compelled to go to Madeira on account of his health, 

 but we believe there is some likelihood of his appearing at 

 the Royal Geographical Society some time next spring. 



From the full report of recent explorations in Tierra del 

 Fuego, to which we have recently referred in these notes, we 

 have some further information as to the real character of the 



region. The reports refer chiefly to the main island, which, 

 , instead of being a mountainous region of eternal snow, pre- 

 ' sents great diversity of surface — high mountains, deep valleys, 

 ' rolling table lands, fertile plain:, numerous lakes, and frequent 

 water-courses. Occupying a large portion of the extreme north, 

 I and extending from one extremity to the other of the straits, 

 \ are continuous chains of mountains, running into peaks several 

 I thousand feet high. Adjacent to these mountains on the south 

 is a wide belt of high and rather barren plain, running the entire 

 I width of the island. Then succeed lofty table-lands quite 

 ; covered with forests. South of this is another chain of sierras, 

 ' and still further south the country opens into an extensive plain, 

 j which occupies all the central portion of the island, and is quite 

 j desolate of trees except small patches here and there of hard- 

 • wood and shrubs. The plain is covered in some parts with an 

 abundance of rich grasses. The extreme south is also moun- 

 tainous, some of the peaks being volcanic, with numerous glaciers 

 and dense forests. The geological formation of Tierra del Fuego 

 exactly corresponds 10 that of Patagonia. The broken and 

 disjointed mountains, with wide seas running where they have 

 been depressed, are but the continuation of the Andes; while 

 the plains and uplands partake of the sane geological charac- 

 teristics as the Patagonian steppes. 



At Monday's meeting of the Royal Geographical Society the 

 paper read was by Mr. D. D. Daly on his explorations in British 

 North Borneo, in 1883-87. Mr. Daly's paper consisted mainly 

 of an itinerary with minute details of the economic character 

 of the country through which he travelled, and of the people. 

 He gives some interesting information about the numerous bird- 

 nest caves which he met with, and on the methods of collecting 

 the nests. Most of the people are eager head-hunters, but Mr. 

 Daly made treaties with several of the tribes in which they 

 undertook to give over the practice. Mr. Daly went in both 

 from the east and the west side. In the former journey he went 

 up the River Kinabatangan to the cen'.re of North Borneo ; in 

 the latter he went a long distance up the Padas River. 



ON THE METEORIC IRON IVHfCH FELL 

 NEAR CABIN CREEK, JOHNSON COUNTY, 

 ARKANSAS, MARCH 27, iSSS.i 



HE Johnson County meteoric iron, the tenth whose fall has 

 been observed, is of more than ordinary interest, because 

 its fall is so well substantiated, because it is the second largest 

 mass ever seen to fall, and, again, because it fell within five 

 months of the date of the ninth recorded fall, that of the 

 Mazapil. It is almost an exact counterpart of the Hraschina 

 (Agram, Croatia) iron, the first of the recorded falls. The 

 Agram iron fell in two fragments, one weighing about 40 kg.n. , 

 and the other about 9 kgm., the co.mbined weight being about 

 equal to that of the Johnson County iron. 



This mass fell about 6 miles east of Cabin Creek, Johnson 

 County, Arkansas, in longitude 93" 17' W. of Greenwich, lati- 

 tude 35^ 24' N., within 75 yards of the house of Christopher C. 

 Shandy. Mrs. Shandy states that about 3 o'clock on the after- 

 noon of March 27, 1886, while in her house, she heard a very 

 loud report, which caused the dishes in the closet to rattle, and 

 which she described as louder thai any thunder she had ever 

 heard. At first she thought it was caused by a bombshell, and 

 ran out of the house in time to see the limbs fall from the top 

 of a tall pine-tree, which, she says, stands about 75 yards from 

 her dwelling. She did not investigate the matter until her hus- 

 band came home, about 6 o'clock in the evening, when, in com- 

 pany with John R. Norton, their hired man, they went out to 

 find the cause of the noise that had so startled Mrs. Shandy. 

 They discovered that a large hole had lieen made in the ground 

 by some falling object. The iron ha I buried itself in the groand 

 to the depth of 3 feet, and the earth around it to the thickness 

 of I inch seemed to be burned. The ground was still warm 

 when the iron was taken out, and the iron itself was as hot as 

 the men could well handle. 



The noise was heard 75 miles away, and was likened to a 

 loud report, followed by a hissing sound, as if hot metal had 

 come in contact with water. It caused a general alarm among 

 the people, and teams of horses 25 miles distant, becoming 

 frightened, broke loose and ran away ; and in Webb_ City, 

 Franklin County, on the south side of the Arkansas River, a 

 number of bells kept on sale in a store are said to have been 



T 



' Fron the American Jour al of Scimce, vo'. xxxii'., Jun- 1887. 



