174 



NATURE 



[June 20, 1895 



Two small, nearly perfect, earthenware vessels were also 

 found, similar to those known to have been made by the Arawaks. 

 One of these sappoorm is oval in shape, 7 inches in length and 

 2 inches high, with a rude handle at each end : the other is 

 round, with a small ledge below the upper mai^n. Along with 

 these were fragments of pottery belonging to a much larger 

 sjiecimen. 



The cave was discovered by the Rev. \V. \V. Rumsey on the 

 Halberstadt estate belonging to Mr. Clossett. It is in a wild 

 rocky part of the Port Royal Mountains, at a height of about 2000 

 feet alx)ve the sea. The narrow entrance in the face of the hill- 

 side was blocked by Ixiulders of limestone. On removing these, 

 a cavern with waterworn sides, jiartially covered with stalactitic 

 deposits, was displayed, |)enetrating into the rock for a distance 

 of about 20 feet, and in some places two or three feet high. The 

 floor is covered with a dejxisit about 12 inches thick, of a fine, 

 light yclIowi.sh dust, but the remains were superficial. 



The size of the cave is not such as could possibly contain the 

 whole of the individuals when alive, so that it is probable that it 

 must have been u.sed at one time as a burial-place ; while the 

 presence of the canoe, mortar, earthenware, coney bones, marine 

 shells, and a flint implement, is suggestive that some of the 

 people may have lived or fled there for safety, and jwrhaps been 

 immured by their destroyers, the Spaniards. WTiatever may be 

 the explanation of their occurrence, the acquisition of the 

 remains, which have I)een presented to the .Museum, will bo a 

 great addition to the archa-olc^' of Jamaica. 



Museum, Jamaica, May 28. ' J. E. Duerde.n. 



It would seem then, from historj-, that the medical profession 

 is quite as old as either that of theology or law. 



Edinburgh, June 17. \V. C. Ki_\CK. 



The Antiquity of the Medical Profession. 



With reference lo .\lr. II. .Spencer's article on the evolution 

 of the medical profession, in the Contemporary Rcvictv for June, 

 it may Ik: inferred that his remarks should only apply to its 

 historical slate in Britain, and not to that in KuroiJcan countries. 



It may be pointed out that the profession had existed many 

 centuries before that ei>och in the Roman and Grecian nations, 

 as may Ik- seen by any one in looking over Lempriere's 

 Dictionaries. 



We have their medical works handed down to us in Celsus 

 (14 A.D.) and Hippocrates (422 B.C.) ; likewise the Greek army 

 at Troy (1184 B.C.) had military surgeons (Machaon) ; and 

 I'rof. Simps<jn had discoursed on those in the Roman armies — 

 papers indicated 1856. 



.See also Dr. Smith's Dictionar)', "Greek and Roman Anti- 

 quities," for articles on the subjects under : — Art. Medicus, art. 

 .Medicina, art. Chirurgia, art. I'hysiolc^ia. 



The art of medicine seems to have been ushered ofi' the stage 

 in the Dark j\ges, and lo have Ijeen consigned lo the care of the 

 monasteries and monks for a long pcrio<l. 



A History of British Earthquakes. 



On two or three occasions you have alloweil nie lo ask the 

 readers of N.-^tcke for aid in studying recent Brilish earth- 

 quakes, and I have gratefully to acknowledge the valuable 

 assistance which I have thus obtained. 



If I might trespass once more upon your siiace, 1 should be 

 glad to mention that I am now preparing a history <if British 

 earthquakes during the nineteenth century, and would ihank- 

 flilly receive notices of any shocks, either past or future, which 

 your readers may be able and willing to send me. Extracts 

 from provincial newspapers, from jirivate diaries, or from any 

 other trustworthy source, would be most useful. 



With a view to aiding in the more careful observation of 

 earthquakes in the future, I have drawn up a short jviper of 

 suggestions, and this I shall be happy to send to ;uiy one who 

 may wish for it on receipt of his name anil address. Those who 

 desire to examine accounts of recent earthquakes in thi . country, 

 I may refer to the Proceedings of the Royal Society for 1S94, 

 the Qiiarleriyjoiiniaioflht Geological Society for 1891, and the 

 Geo/ogiial Magazine iot li^l-l^^y. Cli.\Rl.ES Daviso.\. 



,;:,!, Gillott Road, Birmingham, June 17. _ 



r/iRMS OF IMPRISONMENT. 



T T H ould have been expected that the various terms of 

 •*■ imprisonment awarded by judj;cs should fall into a 

 continuous scries. .Such, however, is not the case, as is 

 shown by Table I., whicli is derived from a Parliamentary 

 Blue-book recently published under the title of " Part I. — 

 Criminal .Statistics," p. 215. The original has been con- 

 siderably reduced in size; first, by limiting the extracted 

 data to sentences passed on male prisoners without the 

 option of a fine, and, secondly, by entering the number 

 of sentences to the nearest tenth or hundietlth, as stated 

 in the headings to the columns. The material dealt with 

 is thereby more homogeneous than in the original, and its 

 significance is more easily seen. The number of cases is 

 amply sufficient to afford a solid base for broad con- 

 clusions, there being in round numbers S30 sentences for 

 various terms of years, 10,540 for various terms ot 

 months, and 43,300 for various terms of weeks. The 

 diagram drawn from Table I. gi\es a still clearer view 

 of the distribution of these sentences : — 



Table I. — Distribution 0/ Sentences. 



NOTK.— In readins the Inhle, " 16- " means " i6 and above 15"; "15— "mean* "tcand aliove 14 " ; &c. The number of ihcftc iiwermediatc caM« 

 arc presumably in«iKnincnni ; ilicy arc not noticed in the diagram, where all case* arc referred to the uf>peT of their limilin^^ vahies. 



NO. 1338, VOL. 52] 



