January 28, 1897 | 
NATURE 
307 
ice, except along the west shore of Wijde bay, where is a 
relatively fertile area. The middle of the island, west of the 
main watershed, is a region of boggy valleys, fertile slopes, and 
mountain ridges, or the remains of a high plateau. The nature 
and interest of this country can be shown by a few specimen 
areas. The east shore of Wijde bay is formed by a long and 
very uniform slope, about 1000 feet high. The ice-sheet almost 
reaches the edge of this slope, except at a few places where the 
plateau has been broken down into valleys, whereby tongues of 
ice reach or approach the sea. That is an example of a plateau 
protected from denudation by ice. Along the north-east side of 
the Sassendal there isa similar plateau, from which, however, the 
ice-sheet has been withdrawn in recent times. Denudation has 
begun, and the plateau is being cut down by narrow and 
precipitous caiions, from which it derives the name Colorado 
Berg. These cafions are not being gradually lowered, but they 
are gradually creeping back. However short, all are practically 
of the same depth. Itis at their heads that they are formed. 
Each is eating its way back with considerable rapidity, and the 
whole is the first stage of the formation of a mountain group. 
From the whole area west of the Sassendal, between it and 
Advent bay, bounded on the north by Ice fjord, and on the 
south by Advent dale, the ice that once covered it appears to 
have been gradually withdrawn, beginning from the west. As 
cne goes westward one comes to mountains ina more advanced 
stage of manufacture. The hills that look down upon the 
Sassendal are the bluff-fronted remains of a plateau, only a litule 
more cut down than the Colorado Berg. Except in two cases, 
the valleys that penetrate them from the Sassendal are short. 
Further west come rounded hills, such as Mount Lusitania. 
Beyond De Geer valley are maturer peaks. with clearly defined 
arétes and faces such as are familiar in ordinary mountain | 
regions. 
Where mountains are most developed valleys are oldest. 
Advent dale may be taken as type of these. As the ice re- 
treated eastwards, Advent dale widened and crept back, re- 
ceiving the drainage of a constantly developing valley-system, 
whose eastern watershed ran close behind the Sassendal bluffs. | 
Later on the Sassendal tributaries became more active, and 
ate their way back, stealing one after another of the headwaters | ] 
| Wertheimer, 
of Advent dale. The Esker valley is a good instance of this. 
It was formerly drained to Advent dale; now it drains in the 
opposite direction. Brent pass divides the drainages, but will 
not long continue so to do, for already a small stream, descend- 
ing almost on to the pass, is in process of being stolen by the 
Esker. It now divides its waters upon its fan when in flood, 
one stream going to Advent dale, the other to the Esker. Ful- 
nar valley, which formerly drained into Agardhs bay, has been 
similarly invaded by the Sassendal, and many more instances 
might be quoted, 
The great interest, therefore, of this peculiar island of tem- 
perate climate in the midst of Arctic ice-sheets, lies in the fact 
that there is one of the very best examples in the world of the 
processes of mountain and valley manufacture. This fact 
altered the plan of the expedition, and showed that it was a far 
more important matter to make a fairly detailed examination of 
one portion (in itself, however, not inconsiderable) of Spitz- 
bergen, than to scamper hurriedly across two or three separate 
belts. Sir Martin Conway and his companions crossed from 
sea to sea along three different lines ; but, instead of being as 
far as possible from one another, these lines were so arranged that 
each should display the flank of the next. The crossings were 
from Advent bay to Van Mijen bay, from Van Mijen bay to 
Sassen bay, and from Sassen bay to Agardhs bay and back, 
finally returning along the shore of Sassen bay to Hyperite Hat, 
and completing the work by expeditions into the heart of the 
important mountain region which has been already referred to. 
Sir Martin Conway proceeded to describe the incidents of the 
various journeys across the island, the journey being made both 
wearisome and dangerous by the constant rain, the boggy floors 
of the valley and the still more treacherous slopes of rotten 
snow. Thawing was going on very rapidly, and the rivers were 
so numerous, that fifty-two, which required to be forded, were 
counted in a single mile near the head of Advent dale. Some 
gleams of sunshine allowed of comprehensive views being 
obtained over the maze of valleys and broken plateau. The 
party carried on much of their work separately, thus being able 
not only to survey a large part of the island for the first time, 
but also to devote special attention to the geology and the con- 
ditions of the numerous large glaciers and innumerable moraines 
which were encountered. 
NO. 1422, VOL. 55] 
UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 
INTELLIGENCE. 
CAMBRIDGE,—Mr, W. N. Shaw, F.R.S., has been appointed 
a member of the General Board of Studies. Mr. Middleton- 
Wake, the Sandar’s Reader in Bibliography, will this term give 
a course of four lectures on the invention of printing, with 
special reference to book-illustration. Mr. C. H. Robinson, 
who has been elected University Lecturer in the Hausa language, 
will give an inaugural lecture on the Hausa people on February 
2. Mr, E. J. Stone, F.R.S., and Prof. J. J. Thomson, F.R.S., 
have been nominated as examiners for fhe Adams prize to be 
awarded in 1899. Dr. Somerville is this term lecturing on 
agriculture and forestry at the University Chemical Laboratory. 
Se announces also a special lecture on the “finger and toe” 
disease of turnips on February 6. 
\ SPECIAL educational supplement is published with the 
Academy of January 23. In it will be found some suggestive 
notes on the use of illustrations and models in teaching, and 
records of scholastic events in the principal public schools during 
the third term of 1896. 
THE annual general meeting of the Association of Technical 
Institutions was held in the Clothworkers’ Hall, London, on 
Friday, January 22, when the Right Hon. A. J. Mundella, 
M.P. (the retiring President), presided over a large attendance 
of members. Mr. Henry Hobhouse, M.P., was elected Presi- 
dent for the year 1897, and delivered his inaugural address. It 
was resolved to request the Council to take into consideration 
and to report to the next general meeting as to the best means 
of promoting full recognition of the attainments of technological 
students, and also as to the best method of securing a closer co- 
operation with the Examination Board of the City and Guilds 
of London Institute ; in considering this important matter the 
Council is to have power to co-opt such persons as it may deem 
desirable. The Council for the year was elected as follows :— 
President: Mr. Henry Hobhouse, M.P. Vice-Presidents: The 
Right Hon, A. J. Mundella, M.P., Mr. W. Mather. Treasurer = 
Councillor R. F. Martineau. Hon. Secretary: Prof. }. 
A NOTEWORTHY event in the annals of technical education 
in the United States will be the forthcoming celebration of the 
twenty-fifth anniversary of the Stevens Institute of Technology, 
on February 18 and 19. From the Journal of the Franklin 
Institute we learn that the institute was founded by the late 
Edwin A. Stevens, of Hoboken, N.J., and in 1870 the erec- 
tion of a building was commenced. Dr. Henry Morton, at 
that time secretary of the Franklin Institute, was tendered the 
presidency of the institute, and gathered a faculty of eight 
members about him. To this number others have, from time 
to time, been added as the work of the institute increased, 
until at the present time the faculty includes twenty-two pro- 
fessors and instructors. The total number of student graduates 
is 675, and the number in attendance during recent years has 
been about 260 each year. The Stevens Institute has always. 
taken high rank among the institutions devoted to technical 
education in the United States, and its twenty-five years of 
successful effort is amply exemplified in the work accomplished 
by its graduates in all departments of mechanical and electrical 
engineering. 
From the Berlin correspondent of the Lancet we understand 
that there is some uneasiness in German University circles. In 
Germany a university student has to pay a fee each half-year 
for every lecture he attends, and this money becomes the property 
of the individual teacher. In addition to the students’ fees, 
the professors receive a fixed salary from the Treasury; but the 
great majority of associate professors and przvat-docents do not 
get any remuneration from the Government. In order to redress 
this inequality, the Government proposes to introduce a Bill pro- 
viding that lecture fees exceeding 4000 marks (200/.) in Berlin 
University and 2000 marks (100/.) in the provincial universities 
shal be divided between the lecturer and the Treasury. The 
fund thus obtained will be used to increase the remuneration 
of the teaching staff of the university. The announcement of 
this contemplated innovation has caused a sensation among the 
members of the universities. They point out that the new 
measures will induce the members to raise the fees, and that 
the expense of university education will thereby be increased. 
The Bill would also restrict the liberty and freedom of action 
