238 



♦ KNOWLEDGE 



[Oct. 19, 1883. 



With the black-bulb thermometer more than 13deg. above 

 the local boiling-point, the wet-bulb was below the freezing- 

 point. At Arequipa (7,500 ft.), the relative humidity of 

 the air was as low as 20 per cent., and not much higher at 

 other stations. The author believed that an observatory 

 might be maintained with great facility at a height of 

 between 9,000 ft. and 12,000 ft., the night temperature 

 being little below the freezing-point at any season. Beyond 

 that height an increased elevation of 150 ft. roughly corre- 

 sponded to a fall of the thermometer of 1 deg. F., and a 

 depression of the barometer of 1-lOth in., so that at 

 15,000 ft. very arduous winter conditions were encountered. 



Mr. Codtts Trotter, F.E.G.S., sketched the physical 

 geography, natural resources, and character of the inhabi- 

 tants of New Guinea, in the belief that the interest at 

 present felt in that country is, partly at least, due to the 

 prospect of its becoming a field for European enterprise. 

 The author attributes the prevailing ignorance about Kew 

 Guinea to causes which have ceased to operate, as the 

 difficulties of the navigation, now minimised by steam, the 

 exclusive system of the Dutch in the Spice Islands, and 

 latterly the diversion of the stream of enterprise towards 

 Australia. After a short summary of discovery and 

 exploration, he traces the geological relations of New 

 Guinea and Australia, showing the date of their separation 

 to be recent, while the pah^^ozoic rocks of the inner ranges 

 are identical with those of the Australian gold-fields. 

 Densely - woodtd mountain ranges make the interior 

 difficult of access, though possibly some large rivers as yet 

 unexplored may lead thither. The forests contain magni- 

 ficent timber, fruits, barks, and gums. The sago palm 



Professor Janssen gave an account of his observations 

 on the solar corona, made at Caroline Island during the 

 recent solar eclipse. He stated that in 1870 he had seen, 

 for the first time, dark lines in the spectrum of the corona 

 — indicating, probably, the existence of matter capable of 

 reflecting the solar light. This observation had been con- 

 firmed by some observers, while others had failed to obtain 

 evidence of it. He thought that the failure was due to 

 the fact that the telescopes used by most observers had too 

 small an aperture compared with their focal length, so that 

 the amount of light received by the slit of the spectroscope 

 was very small ; the luminosity of the corona being very 

 feeble. Dr. Janssen used a lens of 50 centimetres aper- 

 ture, with a focal length of 150 centimetres to form the 

 image on the slit of the .'spectroscope, which was one which 

 admitted a large quantity of light. By means of an in- 

 genious arrangement, it was possible to observe with one 

 eye at the spectroscope, while the other noted through the 

 finder the part of the corona examined. Dr. Janssen 

 found a complicated spectrum with many dark lines. In 

 the course of his pap^r he referred to the measurement by 

 photographic means of the intensity of light, and stated 

 that the corona was about as bright as the full moon. Dr. 

 Schuster thought that the differences observed at different 

 eclipses, as to the existence of dark lines, might be real, 

 and not due to want of illumination. During the eclipse 

 in Egypt he had succeeded in photographing G as a dark 

 line. He agreed with Dr. Janssen in attributing the re- 

 flection of the solar light to meteoric matter, and pointed 

 out that near the sun there were no lines, so that there the 

 matter was self-luminous. Professor Stokes was inclined 

 to refer the reflection to the action of small particles of 

 matter shot out from the sun in the form of vapour, but 

 condensed at a distance from its surface, forming, as it 

 were, clouds of minute particles. 



(about which statistics are given) and sugar may become 

 great staples. There are tracts of land suited for cattle 

 raising and for tropical cultivation ; but it is a question 

 how far such lands are unoccupied. The natives have a 

 keen sense of rights in the soil, and probably would not 

 work regularly for Europeans. Perhaps confidence might 

 be created first by establishing trading depots. An active 

 trade is now carried on between the hill and coast villages, 

 but their requirements as yet are very few. Thus, though 

 the resources of the country are great, the chances of imme- 

 diate profit from their development are doubtful. The mass 

 of the people are Papuans, a negroid race which, variously 

 modified, extends throughout Melanesia. Their religion 

 consists mainly of reverence for ancestors, and a fear of 

 the spirits of the dead. They show marked artistic taste 

 in the decoration of their houses, weapons, ic. The eastern 

 peninsula of New Guinea is partly occupied by a wilder race, 

 with Polynesian affinities. Their relations with English 

 explorers have been exceptionally good, and it is hoped 

 that steps will be taken to regulate their intercourse with 

 the whites before serious collisions occur. ^Yith our great 

 experience much might be done in this respect, and the 

 protection thus afforded to the people would more than 

 compensate for interference with individual liberty. The 

 Dutch claims over Western New Guinea are vaguely based 

 on those of their dependent, the Malay Sultan of Tidore. 

 His rights have been enforced mainly by periodical raids 

 for tribute and slaves, and it would seem that civilisation 

 has thereby been not only checked, but has retrograded. 

 Disclaiming controversy, the author points out that with 

 the present tendency of matters in the Pacific, and the cer- 

 tainty that the development of New Guinea must be the 

 work of English hands and capital, its separation from the 

 Australian system, to which it naturally belongs, would be 

 a grave political inconvenience. Mr. Wilfred Powell 

 added a number of facts from his own experience. The 

 people were horribly frightened at looking-glasses, thought 

 them a sort of fetish, and threw them away. Sago grew 

 at all known parts of the island. It produced a vegetable 

 fibre which in this country he was offered £35 a ton for. It 

 grew upon a tree in shoots, which were cut when they 

 were about to touch the ground. The cotton of the island was 

 not of much iise, as the staple was short and it was filled 

 with small seeds. There were rice and great quantities of 

 rough cinnamon. Eventually there would be a large pearl- 

 fishery. There had been brought from the interior solid 

 blocks of copper ore, and there were precious stones, opals 

 being quite common. The natives were favourably im- 

 pressed by missionaries, particularly Mr. Charles and Mrs. 

 Laws, and, not knowing anything about convicts, accepted 

 with open arms the French convicts who escaped from New 

 Caledonia. The consequences might be imagined. Torres 

 Straits were almost of as much importance to Australia as 

 the Straits of Dover were to us, but they were filled with 

 islands which would be formidable in the hands of an oppo- 

 nent. It was extraordinary that we had as yet learnt so 

 little about New Guinea, and he hoped that an English 

 expedition would soon explore this terra incognita. Mr. 

 H. 0. Forbes said the natives were friendly if they were 

 well treated, as they had been by the Dutch, but not by 

 others who were not of that nationality. Mr. Sclater said 

 the island was the home of birds of paradise, of which 

 Count Salvadori had discovered 700 species. 



*^* The papers on " How to Get Strong," by Mr, 

 Thomas Foster, "Mathematics," and "Whist," will 

 shortly be resumed in these pages. 



