Sept. 1 8, 1879] 



NATURE 



491 



1 Mr. V. Eall, M.A., of ihe Geological Survey of India, in 

 continuation of some remarks make on this subject at the last 

 neeting of the Association in Dublin, gave an account of 

 'he results at which he had since arrived from an examination 

 of all the available data. These were that the three classes into 

 nhich the stone implements might be grouped occupied indepen- 

 dent geographical tracts which overlapped one another towards 

 the centre of the peninsula. The geographical tracts charac- 

 terised by the prevalence of one or other of the particular forms 

 when laid down on a map showed a remarkable coincidence with 

 the limits of the areas of distribution of the non-Aryan races 

 belonging to the several families whose' waves of imigration 

 had contributed to form the lower strata of the population. 

 Thus the manufacturers of the polished Celts were identified 

 with the Kolarian races who entered India from the north-east 

 and Burmah. On the other hand, the manufacturers of the flakes 

 and cores of flint, &c., appeared to have entered the peninsula 

 from the north-west, and to have belonged to the Dravidian 

 family. The identity of the manufacturers of the chipped 

 quartzite implements which were found inj Southern India, 

 was less clear, but suggestions regarding it were also ofTered 

 by the author. 



SECTION E— Geography 



Mr. C. E. D. Black, read a paper On the Geography of the 

 Upper Course of the Brahmaputra. — With especial reference 

 to a recent important exploration of the easternmost portion of 

 its course, made by one of the native explorers attached to the 

 Indian Survey Department of this piece of work, though 

 executed in 1877, no description had reached Europe, and 

 its communication for the first time to the British Association 

 was therefore a geographical event of very great interest. Mr. 

 Black commenced by tracing the topography of the great 

 Sanpee river from its source 15,000 feet above sea level in 

 Western Tibet, over lofty plains, past the towns of Janglache, 

 Sbigatze, to the furthest eastern point to which it had been 

 traced by the famous Indian explorer. Pundit Nain Singh, 

 noticing en route the remarkable hot springs in the valley 

 of one of the northern tributaries, the Shiang-chu, and the 

 various rivers which join it on the left and right banks. The 

 plain and city of Lhasa, Ihe residence of the Dalai Lama and 

 of the Chinese governors or agents, was described, as well as 

 the amusing incidents accompanying the transit of the river on 

 the occasion of that eccentric traveller, Mr. Manning, proceeding 

 to Lhasa. From Chetang eastward commenced the new work 



of the explorer, N g, who had been commissioned by 



General Walker, the Surveyor-General of India, to explore 

 the course of the Sanpee for as great a distance as possible. 

 Crossing to the north bank of the river, he followed it for 

 a distance of 30 miles, nearly to the confluence of the Milk-chu, 

 a small stream. Here he diverged to the north-east, making a 

 detour of 50 miles, while the river wended its way for 20 miles 

 through impenetrable mountains. The most remarkable feature 

 of the exploration was the discovery that the river made a huge 

 bend northwards before commencing its southeastern course 

 into Assam. This bend was actually surveyed by the explorer. 

 From his furthest point to the highest known point of the 

 Dihong, an nnsurveyed gap of about only too miles now 

 remains. Mr. Black concluded by pointing out that this great 

 bend, which was previously unknown, now leaves room for a 

 northern feeder of the Subansiri, and thus accounts for the 

 large bulk of the latter river. Mr. Black also cited some 

 important corroboration of this new fact, afforded by the 

 Abbe Desgodins' researches, and by the recent measurement 

 of the discharges of the large rivers of Assam by Lieut. 

 Ilarman, R.E. 



Prof. P. J. Veth, president of the Dutch Geographical 

 Society, contributed a paper, giving interesting details of the 

 Dutch Expedition to Central Sumatra.— The most important 

 result of the expedition was the gain in knowledge of the great 

 extent and capabilities of the Batang-Ilari, which is found to 

 be about 210 miles in length in a straight line, and over 490 

 miles following its windings, being in fact larger than the 

 Musi or Palembang, hitherto considered the only large river 

 in Sumatra. It is practicable for small prahus, used in trans- 

 port of merchandise, for 480 miles ; and the steam launch 

 drawing 3^ feet could navigate it for 370 miles, both these 

 distances far exceeding the navigable portion of the Musi. 

 Its tributaries are also navigable for boats, and one of them 

 at least for the launch. The population of its district as a 



whole is scanty, yet there are numerous villages close to each 

 other ; cattle abound in the highlands, and coffee is lai^ely 

 cultivated in Karinchi. The importance of the river as a high- 

 way for the eastern parts of the West Coast Government and 

 the inland districts of Jambi and Karinchi does not therefore 

 merely depend upon its fitness for transport of coal from the 

 Ombilin Valley. 



A paper by Major Pinto was read On his Journey across 

 Africa, in which, though he did not tell much that was new 

 of his exploration, he referred to one or two points of some 

 scientific importance. He was desirous of calling the attention 

 of the Section to the manner of determining the longitudes by 

 the eclipses of the satellites of Jupiter, and he suggested a 

 means of overcoming an obvious difficulty. Let it be resolved, 

 he said, that in one of the many official observatories that had 

 the support of Europe the eclipses of the satellites of Jupiter 

 be studied without interruption, and the solitary explorer, lost, 

 so to speak, in the enormous solitudes of the dark continent, 

 when he in the obscurity of night saw the little brilliant speck 

 disappear, would know that in a position perfectly determined 

 some other person likewise at that same moment saw the small 

 satellite disappear, and he will have the consciousness that on his 

 return to Europe he will meet with the necessary elements to 

 determine as many strictly correct longitudes as were the 

 observations he might have made. When the planet was in 

 conjunction the telescope might be turned toward the star that 

 hid itself, or by making a series of apozenites of the moon they 

 would obtain their longitudes. Any explorer of tropical Africa 

 once provided with the aba and a telescope of 4 feet focal 

 distance would find 'himself in a position to determine two 

 of the coordinates and any variations of the compass. Major 

 Pinto further recommended the hypsometer and aneroids for 

 altitudes. Major Pinto gave a short resuml of the meteorolc^ical 

 conditions of the Zambesi. He explained that the banks of the 

 upper part of the river were of a fine and white sand of a 

 remarkable character ; when trod upon it produced a queer 

 sound resembling somewhat the crying of a young child. The 

 range of the Catongo mountains was well peopled on the west- 

 ward, and it was there the Barotzes made their plantations, which 

 consisted of maize, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, and mandisca. 

 The great plain was not availed of for agriculture. Around the 

 lakes and some other places a kind of grass grew, upon which 

 thousands of oxen might be seen grazing. The Luinas followed 

 the calling of shepherds. Horses could very easily be bred 

 there, and the Barotzes possessed a splendid specimen of hounds, 

 with which the natives hunted the antelope. The human race at 

 present populating the country was a true mixture of the Lobares, 

 Luinas, and Janguellis. The makalotus had now disappeared 

 completely. Polygamy prevailed, and, contrary to what occurred 

 in most other tribes, women who were held to be noble enjoyed 

 high consideration and were sometimes invested with the exercise 

 of public functions. The Barotzes possessed a tolerable quantity 

 of firearms, but their natural arm was the assegai. They were 

 rather industrious and good tanners, but did not use the knife, 

 doing all their work with the blade of the assegai. 



Several important papers on Afghanistan were read in thi» 

 section by officers and others who had been with the English 

 army in the recent Afghan war. 



Mr. William Simpson, the special artist of the Illustrated 

 London A'ews, read a paper, entitled Afghan War — the 

 Jellalabad Region. — The tendency of his explorations, beyond 

 his own proper sphere as an artist, was rather archaeological 

 than geographical. No account of the Jellalabad Valley would 

 be complete without some notice of the Buddhist remains to 

 be found there. He was aware previously of the existence of 

 these remains, but what astonished him was the vast quantity of 

 them still to be seen. On all sides are extensive mounds and 

 heaps, that being the condition in most cases of these remains. 

 Here and there structures may be found, which, although in 

 ruins, yet bear on them some traces of architecture. One point is 

 apparently clear, that in the Buddhist period the population of the 

 Jellalabad Valley must have been much more numerous than at 

 present, and that the area of cultivation must have been also 

 more extensive. Major Cavagnari supplied the author with a 

 working party to make excavations at the Ahin Posh Tope, about 

 a mile south from Jellalabad. The principal object was to ex- 

 plore the architectural details of the remains, bat while thus 

 engaged, the author penetrated, by means of a tunnel, 'cut for 

 about 45 feet through solid masonry, to the central shell of the 

 shrine, and found along with what were most probably the 

 ashes of some Buddhist saint of liigh repute, twenty gold coin.°. 



