POMPEIAX DRAWING -K003I. 



important point among scientific 

 men. The deepest spot reached .as 

 yet, is off the west coast of the 

 'Cape of Good Hope. Capt. Ross, 

 of the British navy, found the depth 

 a little more than five miles. At 

 other places no bottom has been 

 touched at that depth. The line 

 now in construction will probably 

 be too short 5 miles and 120 yards. 

 The highest mountains reach up- 

 wards of five miles, and thus we 

 know the inequality of the surface 

 of the earth the distance between 

 its depths and loftiest heights to 

 be ten miles. Geologists are trying 

 to learn what has caused these ele- 

 vations and depressions. 



A ridge in the bottom of the 

 Atlantic extends eastward ly from 

 the island of Newfoundland, form- 

 ing the great fishing banks. It is 

 thought to reach all the way across 

 to Ireland, which is in its due direc- 

 tion, for the Gulf Stream is there 

 deflected to the east and south. 

 If such a range exists, it may be 

 available for laying telegraph wires 

 upon it. Behring's Straits are quite 

 shallow, and so are the Straits of 

 Gibraltai*. Between Pernambuco, 

 in South America, and Liberia, in 

 Africa, is the narrowest part of the 

 Atlantic south of Greenland. At 

 the rate of the fastest steamers it 

 may be crossed in about three days; 

 and probably it is also shoal for 

 forming future telegraph lines. 



BRITISH PLANTS. 



The observations of Watson and 

 Forbes lead to the conclusion, that 

 with the exception of Eriocaidon 

 teptangvlare (Jointed Pipewort), 

 the British islands do not contain 

 a single plant which is not found 

 on the continent of Europe. These 

 islands, therefore, cannot be consi- 

 dered as a centre of vegetation, but 

 as Laving been colonized by succes- 

 sive vegetable migrations. Their 

 opinion as to the origin of British 

 plants is, that these islands have 



been peopled by many colonies suc- 

 cessively leaving the continent of 

 Europe, from the epoch of the mid- 

 dle tertiary formation up to our 

 own. When a vast continent ex- 

 tended from the Mediterranean re- 

 gions to the British islands, the 

 plants of the Asturias, and those of 

 Armorica, peopled the south of 

 England and Ireland. To this period 

 succeeded the glacial epoch, during 

 which the lands were immerged to 

 the depth of about thirteen hundred 

 or fourteen hundred feet. This is 

 the period of the migration of the 

 Arctic plants, which still inhabit 

 the tops of the Scottish mountains. 

 When these lands emerged anew, 

 England was united to France, the 

 temperature being such as it is at 

 present. At this time, the great 

 German floral invasion took place, 

 absorbing, so to speak, all the rest, 

 and leaving very slight remains of 

 them. Thus, while the Asturiau 

 plants, those of the south, are re- 

 duced to a small number of species 

 confined tfc the south westof Ireland, 

 the hardy vegetables of the north 

 completed their conquest. The co- 

 lonization being completed,En gland 

 became separated from the Conti- 

 nent. (Professor Balfour's Manual 

 of Botany.) 



BULWER'S POMPEIAN DRAWING-ROOM. 



In 1841, the author of 

 lived in Charles Street, Berkeley 

 Square, in a small house, which ho 

 fitted up after his own tast. 

 an odd melee of the classic ami the 

 baronial certain of the rooms pre- 

 sented. One of the drKwin^room^ 

 we remember, was in the Klixa- 

 betlian style, with an ituilatr 

 ceiling, bristled with pendants; 

 and this room opened into another 

 apartment, a faosimile of a cham- 

 l>er which Bulwer had visited at 

 Pompeii, with vases, candelabra, 

 anil other furniture to correspond. 



James Smith has left a few notes 

 of his visit here : " Our host," ho 



