August 30, 1894] 



NA TURE 



437 



Mr. Osbert H. Howarth p;ave a magnificent series of new 

 views of the Cordillera of North America, in illustration of a 

 paper on the Sierra Madre of Mexico, from which he had 

 just returned. Mr. D. G. Hogarth sumnirised the result of 

 his recent journey in the valley of the Euphrates. The river 

 was found to be so difficult of passage as to fo-m a natural 

 frontier of the most elTective kind. Very fine remains of Romai 

 bridges, aqueducts, and forts were found and photographed. 

 Mr. Weld Blundell, just returned from an even more adven- 

 turous journey in the Libyan Desert, gave a paper full of interest 

 describing his observations and photographs. Dr. A. MarkolT 

 gave a comprehensive general description of Russian Armenia. 

 Travel papers of minor importance, but no less popular on that 

 account, were read by Mr. \V. H. Cozens-Hardy on Monte- 

 negro, and by Miss Baildoa on a visit to New Guinea. 



An animated discussion was also called forth in connection 

 with a valuable paper by Mr. Somers Clarke, on the geography 

 of Lower Nubia. He vividly described the scenery audj. resent 

 economic state of the site of the proposed great Nile reservoir. 

 He said that the Wadi Kenus, the abode of the Beni Kensi 

 tribe, is nearly coincident with the projected Nile reservoir, and 

 if the proposed scheme is carried out the population to be dis- 

 placed numbers about 30,000, inhabiting a cultivated area of 

 some 10,000 acres. Population in the I'tolemaic times must 

 have been greater, as there are tracks about Korti and Dakkeh, 

 once under cultivation, now abandoned. In the Dodeka- 

 Schoenus there is a number of temples and remains of 

 antiquity, a further proof of considerable population ; 

 and the district is protected by a line of forts, some of 

 very high antiquity, others of later date. The existence of 

 Egyptian civilisation side by side with the ruder customs of the 

 natives, is especially to be observed in the method of burial. 

 The present inhabitants on the course of the Nile valley from 

 Assuan to Wadi Haifa exhibit very slight variations in modes 

 of dress, particularly among the women. Men go to Cairo, 

 women stop in the villages, so that the men adopt the ordinary 

 dress of fellahin in Egypt. The manner of building houses 

 from lumps of earth, crude brick, with flat wooden or vaulted 

 brick roofs, constructed in the same way as those used by the 

 ancient Egyptians, was noticed. Reed shelters are also in use. 

 Not only the unique antiquities but the present people, with all 

 life, animal and vegetable alike, are affected by the projected 

 reservoir. In view of the contemplated destruction it is of the 

 utmost importance to make an exhaustive scieniific investigation 

 of the valley before it is submerged. 



Mr. Norman Lockyer, in commencing the discussion on this 

 paper, said that if the dam were constructed it might afier all, 

 if preceded by an exact scientific survey, prove to be a blessing 

 in disguise even to Egyptologists, and that the advancement of 

 science and the advancement of Egypt might proceed hand in 

 hand. 



Papers of more technical interest were contributed by several 

 authors. Mr. A. Montefiore sent a detailed account of the 

 equipments of the Jackson- Harmsworth Arctic expedition ; 

 Mr. John Thomson gave an account of the methods of photo- 

 graphy best adapted for the use of travellers ; and Mr. B. V. 

 Darbishire showed a new method of representing the surface 

 configuration of the British Islands. Mr. G. G. Chisholm 

 initiated a valuable discussion on the spelling of geographical 

 names, the purpose of which was to show that the indispensable 

 preliminary requirement, with a view to the end stated, is to have 

 an ade<iuale scheme of orthography, making up for the deficiency 

 of such signs by clear rules to be followed with respect to the 

 sounds for which signs are lacking. To leave it to the indi- 

 vidual judgment to decide what is the nearest sound represented 

 in the scheme to one for which no express provision is made, is 

 bound to lead to confusion. The inadequacy of the latest 

 version of the Royal Geographical Society's scheme from this 

 point of view was pointed out, and suggestions of remedies 

 made. The addition of some subordinate rules likely to pro- 

 mote the efficiency with which the scheme is carried out was 

 recommended. Attention was drawn to special difficulties in 

 connection with Russian and Greek names, and reasons given 

 for entertaining the hope that, with the aid of Oriental scholars, 

 special rules might usefully be framed with regard to the spell- 

 ing of Chinese and Indo-Chinese names. Finally, it was urged 

 that, once an adequate scheme clearly expounded is 

 adopted, it would be of great importance to make special 

 arrangements to secure the co-operation of all contributors to 

 the Geographical Jjurnal and other geographical periodicals. 



NO. 1296, VOL. 50] 



of publishers and authors, and, above all, of the newspaper 

 press towards getting the scheme carried out. 



Mr. H. Yale Oldham attracted much attention to his state- 

 ment of evidence, from a MS. map at .Milan, of date 1448, of 

 the discovery of Brazil before that date. In the long discussion 

 which followed, the evidence was criticised by several speakers 

 who were reluctant to accept it without more ample proof. 



Colonel Feilden read a brilliant paper on current polar ex- 

 ploration, in which he explained the position of the various 

 expeditions now in the field, and expressed a strong opinion as 

 to the folly of inexperienced travellers adventuring themselves 

 lightly into regions so fraught with danger. 



Mr. E. G. Ravenstein presented a discussion of the climato- 

 logy of tropical Africa, resulting from the observations collected 

 by the Committee on African Climate appointed some years 

 ago. The results present the first satisfactory generalisations 

 on the tropical climates of Africa, but its scope cannot be 

 conveniently summarised. Mr. Theodore Bent gave an ad- 

 mirably illustrated account of his recent visit to the Hadramat 

 in Southern Arabia. The proceedings of the Section were 

 assisted by several eminent foreign geographers, amongst whom 

 Prof. Vambery, of Budapest, and Prof. Guido Cora, of Turin, 

 took a leading place. 



MECHANICS AT THE BRITISH 

 ASSOCIA TION. 



THE sittings of Section G, at the recent meeting of the 

 British Association at Oxford, were held in the Common 

 Hall of Keble College, which afforded more than ample accom- 

 modation for the purpose. 



We have already printed the presidential address of this 

 Section. Prof. Kennedy, who some time ago resigned his chair, 

 was one of the pioneers of the modern movement towards 

 technical education in mechanical engineering, and it was 

 natural, therefore, that he should largely deal with the training 

 of engineering students in his address. 



There was a very long list of papers down for discussion at 

 the meeting. The first sitting was held, according to custom, 

 on the Thursday, and the .Section met on the Friday, .Saturday, 

 Monday, and Tuesday following, that is to say, from .-August 9 

 until August 14. With so long a list of papers to deal with, 

 we can do no more in the space at our command than simply 

 refer to some of them by name, and we therefore give the follow- 

 ing, which is a complete list of the papers read : — 



Thursday. — (l) Some reminiscences of sieam locomotion on 

 common roads, by Sir 1'". J. Bramwell, F. R. S. ; (2) bore-hole 

 wells for town-water supply, by H. Davey. 



Friday. — (l) Joint meeting with .Section A : — [a) On inte- 

 grators, harmonic analysers and integraphs, and their application 

 to physical and engineering problems, by Prof. O. Henrici, 

 F. R.S. ; (/') note on the behaviour of a rotating cylinder in a 

 steady current, by Arnulph Mallock ; (<r) on the resistance ex- 

 perienced by solids moving through fluids, by Lord Kelvin, 

 P. R.S. ; \d) discussion on flight, in which Lord Rayleigh, 

 Mr. Langley, Mr. Maxim, and others took part ; (2) the 

 strength and plastic extensibility of iron and steel, by 

 Prof. T. Claxton Fidler ; (3) tunnel construction by means 

 of shield and compressed air, with special reference to the 

 tunnel under the Thames at Blackwall, liy M. Fitzmaurice. 



Saturday. — (i) On methods that have been adopted for 

 measuring pressures in the bores of guns, by Sir Andrew Noble, 

 K.C.B., F. R.S. ; (2) the most economical temperature for 

 steam-engine cylinders, by B. Donkin. 



Monday. — (i) Signalling through space, by W. H. Preece, 

 F.R.S. ; (2) some advantages of alternate currents, by Prof. 

 S. P. Thompson, F.R.S. ; (3) continuous current distribution 

 of electricity at high voltage, being a description of the lighting 

 of the city of Oxford, by T. Parker ; (4) a special chronograph, 

 by H. Lea; (5) a direct-reading platinum pyrometer, by G. M. 

 Claik. 



Tuesday. — (i) Report of committee on dryness of steam, by 

 Prof. W. C. Unwin, F.R.S. ; (2) the temperature entropy 

 di.igram, by H. F. Burslall ; (3) the hunting of governed 

 engines, by J. Swinburne ; (4) engineering laboratory instru- 

 ments and their calibration, by Prof. D. .S. Capper ; (5) light- 

 house apparatus and lighthouse administration in 1S94, by J. 

 Kenward ; (6) on spring spokes for bicycles, by Prof. T. D. 

 Everett, F.R.S. 



