282 



NA TURE 



[Jan. 22, 1885 



I believe them to belong to the upper beds of the Siwalik series. 

 In connection with the notes which I was enabled to make 

 during the very hasty examination of the ground travelled over, 

 two facts seem to me to be of considerable importance. The 

 first is the reappearance of older strata than Cretaceous, and 

 strata of distinctly a Himalayan type. One of the great problems 

 of Asiatic stratigraphy is the exact connection of the sedimentary 

 rocks of the North-West Himalayas with the system of the Cau- 

 casus, which is again only a continuation of the Alpine system ; 

 whether or not the Hindoo Koosh may be looked upon as a con- 

 tinuation of our North-West Himalayas can only be decided 

 after an examination of its geotectonjc features. The connecting 

 link, so to speak, has yet to be found. But the finding of true 

 Carboniferous ma>ine b.e.ls containing Productus semireticulatus 

 in a range which belongs to the Hindoo Koosh system is a dis- 

 tinct step towards the solving of the great stratigraphical problem 

 of Central Asia. The second fact is of rather an economic than 

 purely scientific interest. I found at more than one place along 

 the route an altered rock near the contact of the hippuritic lime- 

 stone and the igneous rocks, which in character resembles exactly 

 Lgue in which at Candahar the gold and other minerals 

 occur. So 1 believe that .1 careful search would certainly reveal 

 similar ore-deposits in the Sabzawar and Herat districts. I may 

 here mention again that the contact rocks in the Candahar dis- 

 trict contain exactly the same minerals as do the altered hip- 

 puritic limestone beds of the Banat in Hungary, which also have 

 been dis nvng granitic rocks." 



The same Correspondent, in a previous letter, describes the 

 journey across Seistan from Khwaja Ali to Lash Jowan. The 

 geological features of this part of Seistan are, accordiiig to Mr. 

 Griesbach, extremely simple. Only post-tertiary and recent 

 deposits were met with ; the former are fluviatile beds, 

 mostly clays, soft sandstones, and gravels, in character much 

 the same as those forming the tableland of Handesin Tibet, 

 and probably belonging to the same age. The drainage 

 of the area during post-tertiary times seems to have been 

 generally identical with the present one, though, perhaps, 

 of a more extended nature. The recent gravel beds and con- 

 glomerates containing worn material from the neighbouring hill 

 ranges are found in the Farah Rud and the Kash Rudak in 

 considerable thickness, capping the underlying clays and sand- 

 stones of post-tertiary age. Locally, the conglomerate is replaced 

 by a hard limestone breccia, as for instance at Galichah and also 

 the Helmund. But the general character of this deposit is that 

 of the Indus valley gravels, which are seen to overlie unconform- 

 ably the younger Siwaliks along the Marri and Bugti hills and 

 the Suliman range. They arc found of course within the area 

 of the present drainage. Of useful minerals, only gypsum exists, 

 which is found in the post-tertiary clays, fills fissures and joints, 

 and may perhaps also be found in larger masses. Apparently it 

 is made use of for the manufacture of Gutch or plaster; traces 

 of diggings for it are found near Lash. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE 



Oxford. — The following scheme of lectures and classes in 

 Natural Science has been issued by the Faculty for Lent Term, 

 1885 :- 



In the Physical Department of the Museum Prof. Clifton 

 continues his course on the Galvanometer and Ohm's Law. 

 Practical instruction in Phjsicsis given by the Professor and by 

 Messrs. Walker and Selby. Mr. Walker lectures on the Theory 

 of Errors, and Mr. Selby, on Elementary Mechanics. At Christ- 

 church Mr. Baynes lectures on Electrodynamics, and has a class 

 for practical instruction in Electrical Measurements. At Balliol 

 Mr. Dixon lectures on Elementary Magnetism and Electricity. 



In the Chemical Department of the Museum Dr. Odling con- 

 tinues his course on the Adipic Compounds. Mr. Fisher lectures 

 on Inorganic, and Dr. Watts on Organic, Chemistry. At 

 Christchurch Mr. Harcourt lectures on the Non-Metallic 

 Elements, and at University Mr. Veley lectures on Physical 

 Chemistry. 



In the Morphological Department of the Museum Frof. 

 Moseley continues his course on the Comparative Anatomy of 

 the Invertebrata. After each lecture special instruction is given 

 inillustration.il" 1I1. 1. . hn c I'i. Dickson lectures on Animal 

 Morphology, Mr. Barclay-Thompson on the Anatomy of Mam- 

 malia, Mr. Hatchett Jackson on the Principles of Comparative 

 Embryology and Development, and Mr. Poulton on the Distribu- 

 tion of Animals. 



In the Physiological Department of the Museum Prof. 

 Burdon-Sanderson lectures on the Nervous System, and prac- 

 tical instruction is given by the Professor and Messrs. Dixey and 

 Gotch. 



In the Botanic Garden Prof. Bayley Balfour lectures on 

 Elementary Morphology and Physiology, and on the Morpho- 

 logy of the Vascular Cryptogams. Prof. Gilbert lectures on the 

 Result of Field Experiments. 



Dr. Tylor lectures on the Early History of Arts and Sciences ; 

 Prof. Maskelyne on the Rectangular-axed Crystal Systems ; 

 Prof. Prestwich on the Palaeozoic and Mesozoic Series. 



It is rumoured that the grant to carry on the new physiological 

 laboratory under Prof. Burdon-Sanderson will be opposed in 

 Convocation by the anti-vivisectionists. If this should turn out 

 to be true, it behoves all members of Convocation who side 

 with the advancement of science to come up and record their 

 votes. 



Cambridge. — The Board for Physics and Chemistry an- 

 nounces the following lectures for this term : — 



Chemistry : Prof. Liveing, General Course ; Prof. Dewar, 

 Organic Chemistry ; Mr. Main, St. John's, General Course ; 

 Mr. Pattison Muir, Caius, General Principles, advanced, espe- 

 cially Physical Chemistry ; and Elementary Course for isl M.B. ; 

 Mr. Scott (Prof. Dewar's assistant) Elem-mta.'y Organic Che- 

 mistry ; Mr. Heycock, King's, Chemical Philosophy for Tripos, 

 Part I. ; Practical Chemistry, Mr. Sell and Mr. Fenton, three 

 courses of demonstrations, for medical students, Tripos Part I. 

 and Tripos Part II. ; Mr. Robinson, Chemistry as applied to 

 Agriculture ; Sidney College Laboratory, Demonstrations for 

 1st M.B., with explanatory lectures. 



Physics : Prof. Stokes, Hydrodynamics ; Prof. Thomson, 

 Magnetism ; Mr. Atkinson, Trinity Hall, Heat and Hydrostatics; 

 Mr. Glazebrook and Mr. Shaw, Elementary and Advanced 

 Physics ; Mr. Hart, St. John's, Light and Electricity, elementary 

 and advanced ; Practical Physics, Demonstrations in Cavendish 

 Laboratory, three courses. 



Mineralogy : Prof. Lewis, Lectures and Demonstrations. 



Mechanism : Prof. Stuart, Mechanism and Applied Mechanics, 

 and Theory of Structures ; Mr. Lyon, Elementary Mathematics, 

 and Statics and Dynamics. 



The Board for Biology and Geology publish the following list 

 of lectures : — 



Geology: Prof. Hughes, Pleistocene, with special reference 

 to Prehistoric Archaeology ; Dr. R. D. Roberts, Physiography, 

 and Class Work ; Mr. Marr, Ge ilogical Evolution ; Mr. T. 

 Roberts, Palaeontology ; Mr. Teall, Advanced F'etrology ; Mr. 

 Harker, Elementary Petrology and Class Work ; Prof. Hughes, 

 Field Lectures. 



Botany : Dr. Vines, General Elementary Course, with prac- 

 tical work ; Mr. Gardiner, Anatomy of Plants, advanced, with 

 practical work ; Dr. F. Darwin, General Biology of Plants ; Mr. 

 J. W. Hicks Sidney, Elementary Course ; Mr. Potter, Classi- 

 fication of Gymnosperms and Monocotyledons. 



Elementary Biology : Dr. Vines and Mr. Sedgwick. 



Zoology : Prof. Newton, Geographical Distribution of Verte- 

 brata ; Mr. Weldon, Practical Morphology, Invertebrata; Mr. 

 Sedgwick, Anatomy and Embryology of Vertebrata, elementary ; 

 Mr. Harmer, Osteology of Vertebrata, and advanced course on 

 Arthropoda, Mr. Gadon, Paljeontology and Affinities of 

 Groups of Mammalia. 



Physiology: Prof. Foster, Elemenlary Course; Mr. Lea, 

 Chemical Physiology; Mr. Langley, Advanced Com 1 ; Di 

 Gaskell, Circulation and Respiration, advanced ; Mr. Hill, 

 Class for 2nd M.B. 



Human Anatomy : Prof. Macalister, Organs of Circulation 

 and Respiration ; Demonstrations in Osteology. 



The Board for Mathematics announces the following lectures 

 on higher mathematics this term : — Prof. Stokes, Hydrody- 

 namics ; Prof. Adams, Lunar Theory ; Prof. Thomson, Trinity 

 College, Electromagnetism ; Mr. Hobson, Christ's, Planetary 

 Theory ; Mr. Glazebrook, Theory of Light ; Mr. Forsyth, 

 Functions of Complex Variables ; Dr. Pesant, Analysis, Definite 

 Integrals, Calculus of Variations and Differential Equations ; 

 Mr. "Mollison, Fourier's Series and Conduction of Heat ; Mr. 

 Pendlebury, Analytical Optics ; Dr. Routh, Attractions and the 

 Figure of the Earth ; Mr. Stearn, Electrostatics. 



Mr. G. J. Romanes, LL.D., F.R.S., has been appointed to 

 deliver the Rede Lecture this year. 



R. E. Fry, Clifton College, has been elected to a Natural 

 Science Open Exhibition at King's ; W. J. Elliott, Newcastle 



