ist 7, 1884] 



NA TURE 



543 



Thus we have sometimes two or three tolerably 

 itive Spanish sentences with due observ- 

 ance of its grammatical forms, as, for instance, Pues, 

 I no, dos, tres, quatro. Ha! mi plata, muchachos ! 

 Cuatro cientos y tantos pesos le he dado a mi amigo 

 Cap" Alguacil. But beyond abrupt exclamations such as 

 " Mascamayagna, Gueguence" = "at your service, Giie- 

 giience," complete grammatical Aztec sentences never 

 occur, and the composition may on the whole be regarded 

 Spanish copiously interlarded with native 

 id phrases. Hence it is rather a medley than a 

 'tea, or a jargon, such as " Pigeon-English;' 

 and the Chinook of the Columbia river, which involve a 

 - ruction of the relational forms of all the consti- 

 tuent elements, thus preparing the way for a fresh gram- 

 matical departure. Thus only is it conceivable that true 

 mixed languages can be developed, and the conditions 

 favourable for such combinations are necessarily so excep- 

 tional that they must in any case always remain the rarest 

 ttistic phenomena. 

 Little space is left to speak of the last " Reports of the 

 Museum," which are more than usually rich in 

 original ethnological materials. Conspicuous amongst 

 these are the graphic descriptions at first hand of the 

 ■'White Buffalo Festival of the Unepapas," the "Elk 

 ival of the Ogallala Sioux." the " Religious 

 1 iserved by the Santee 

 Sioux," tin >st Lodge : a Ceremony of the 



Wa Wan or Pipe Dance of 

 Alice C. Fletcher, who has 

 able time in the midst 

 of these ' By taking up her resi- 



dence amongsl , in their domestic joys and 



self one of them, this enterprising 

 and benevolent lady has enjoyed rare opportunities of 

 the inner life of the aborigines. Hence 

 if value of her remarks, especially on their re- 

 t appreciation of which can only be 

 ed subject of nature 

 >me current misconceptions are combated 

 and fresh light thrown on the attitude of the native mind 

 towards the outward and invisible world. "Careful in- 

 quiry and observation," she writes, " fail to show that the 

 Indian actually worships the objects which are set up or 

 mentioned by him in his ceremonies. The earth, the 

 four winds, the sun, moon, and stars, the stones, the water, 

 the various animals, are all exponents of a mysterious 

 life and power encompassing the Indian, and filling him 

 Mih vague apprehension and desire to propitiate and 

 induce to friendly relations. This is attempted not so 

 much through the ideas of sacrifice as through more or 

 less ceremonial appeals. More faith is put in ritual and 

 a careful observance of forms than in any act of self- 

 denial in its moral sense as we understand it. . . . To 

 the Indian mind the life of the universe has not been 

 analysed, classified, and a great synthesis formed of 

 the parts. To him the varied forms are all equally im- 

 portant and noble. A devout old Indian said : " The tree 

 is like a human being', for it has life and grows ; so we 

 pray to it and put our offerings on it that the god may 

 help us." Here we have placed in a vivid light the very 

 essence of Anthropomorphism — ultimate base and starting- 

 point of all primitive religions. 



In the Curator's Report reference is made to the im- 

 prints of human feet discovered by Dr. Flint on Decem- 

 ber 24, 1883, in the volcanic rock some fourteen feet 

 below the surface soil in Nicaragua. The tracks are in 

 several series running nearly parallel with the banks of 

 Lake Managua, within 300 feet of the present margin. 

 bed of clay and volcanic material 

 containing fossil leaves, and over this four distinct beds 

 of more recent volcanic matter. Blocks of rock contain- 

 ing the prints have been cut away and forwarded to the 

 Museum. ' : That they were made by the feet of men 



while the material of which the rock is formed was in a 

 plastic condition there is not the least doubt. The im- 

 prints are from nine to ten inches long and about four 

 wide across the ball of the foot . . . with heel-ball and 

 toes perfectly distinct. Dr. Flint states that the stride 

 was only from eleven to eighteen inches, which indicates 

 slow walking over the plastic substance." It is hoped 

 that a clue to the geological age of the deposit may be 

 obtained from the fossil leaves, a report on which is 

 expected from Prof. Lesquereux. A. H. Keane 



NOTES 

 The International Conference on Education was opened at 

 the Health Exhibition on Monday by the address of Lord 

 Carlingford, and has been continued during the week. There is 

 a very large attendance both of English and foreign educationists, 

 while the papers and discussions have been of much interest and 

 importance. We hope to speak in detail of the Conference in 

 our next number. 



The summer meeting of the Institution of Mechanical Engi- 

 neers began at Cardiff on Tuesday with the address of the pre- 

 sident, I. Lowthian Bell, F.R.S. The papers to be read are all 

 of a technical nature. The meeting will be continued during 

 ek, and many excursions have been organised, and visits 

 to engineering and other works. 



THE Frencl I 11 the Advancement of Science will 



hold its next meeting at Blois from September 4 to 11 next. 



The lecturer, and subjects of lectures have not yet been decided 



Dr. Schweinfurth will return lo Africa in a few week-, on 



a commission from the Berlin Academy of Sciences; but the 



ory labours has not yet been finally selected. 



THE Government having decided to appoint a Royal Com- 



i idia and the Colonies, which is 



to be held in London in 1SS6, the Prince of Wales has issued a 



certain number ofinvita ;e persons whom it is desired 



should serve on this Commission. 



The death is announced of Mr. Charles Manby, F.R.S. , 

 M.Inst.C.E., for forty-five years identified with the Institution of 

 Civil Engineers, for seventeen as the paid secretary, and for 

 twenty 1 : the honorary secretary. He was born on 



February 4, 1.S04, and was the eldest son of Aaron Manby, the 

 founder of the Horseley Iron Works in Staffordshire, and later 

 of the Paris Gas Works, and of ironworks at Charenton, near 

 Paris, and who re-organised the now famous ironworks at 

 Creuzot. For his father he was also engaged on the design and 

 construction of the first pair of marine engines with oscillating 

 cylinders, upon the building of the Aaron Manby, the first iron 

 steamship that ever made a sea voyage, and upon the several 

 works in France before enumerated. In 1839 he was appointed 

 secretary of the Institution of Civil Engineers, and soon after- 

 wards threw himself, heart and soul, into a movement which 

 revolutionised the Society. As evidence of the appreciation in 

 which he was held it may be mentioned that when, in 1856, he 

 relinquished the position — which has since been filled by his 

 pupil, Tames Forrest — he was presented with a service of plate 

 and a -urn of two thousand guineas "as a token of personal 

 esteem, and in recognition of -the valuable services he had 

 rendered to the members individually and collectively." Again, 

 in 1876, Charles Manby received from the members of the 

 Institute of Civil Engineers a silver salver and a purse of up- 

 wards of 4000/. "in friendly remembrance of many' years 

 valuable sei 



On Monday, August 4, taking advantage of Bank Holiday, 

 the Essex Field Club held a meeting at Colchester. The party, 



