114 



NATURE 



\yune 



same time it is vastly different from the great depth given to the 

 lake by old travellers, whose mistake has been perpetuated. 



In his anniversary address to the Geographical Society last 

 week Lord Aberdare paid a just tribute to the services rendered 

 to geography in the region west of Lake Nyassa by Mr. F. C. 

 Selous, who has hitherto been best known as a mighty luinter of 

 large game. This gentleman, we learn, in 1878 penetrated for 

 150 miles the unknown country north of the Zambesi, in the 

 direction of Lake Bangweolo. He has since crossed in \arious 

 directions the Matabele country south of the Zambesi, discover- 

 ing two new rivers and defining the courses of others which had 

 previously been laid down from vague information. His notes 

 on the River Chobe have already been published by the Geo- 

 graphical Society. We understand that the fine trophies of the 

 chase which Mr. Selous brought back from South Central Africa 

 have been placed in the hands of Messrs. Rowland Ward and 

 Co. for preparation. 



From the report of the progress of the Ordnance Survey 

 which has just been issued, accompanied by useful diagrams, we 

 learn that it is expected that the whole survey will be completed 

 by 1890, as the staff is to be augmented in consequence of 

 increased funds being placed at the disposal of the Director- 

 General. 



The programme of the first German " GeographenI ag " a' 

 Berlin, on June 7 and S, contains the following addresses : — 

 Prof. Zoppritz (Konigsberg), on the condition of the earth's 

 interior ; Prof. Neumayer (Hamburg), on the importance of 

 magnetic researches from a geographical point of view ; Prof. 

 Rein (Marburg), on the Bermuda Islands and their coral reefs ; 

 Prof. Bastian ^Berlin), on the problems of ethnology ; Prof. 

 Kirchhoff (Halle), on the methods of teaching geography in 

 schools. Professors Wagner, Meitzen, and Ascherson will speak 

 on similar subjects. 



Dr. Crevaux has completed his third South American jour. 

 ney. He descended the Guayabero River (a tributary of the 

 Orinocco) on rafts, and made an exact survey of this river. The 

 survey comprises 1275 miles, of which 375 are a complete desert. 

 By the assistance of natives Dr. Crevaux and his companions 

 reached Ciudad- Bolivar, whence they embarked for Trinidad on 

 board a steamer. Shortly before the end of the journey one of 

 the travellers, a sailor of the name of Burban, was killed by a 

 %\:mg-xa.y {Trygon pasliitaca). Later on Dr. Crevaux visited the 

 villages of natives in the Orinocco delta, collecting Interesting 

 anthropological data. 



The Central Union for Commercial Geography at Berlin 

 intends to erect a Commercial Geographical Museum in that city. 

 The preliminaries are so far completed that a hall for exhibiting 

 the objects has been hired, a provisional committee formed, and 

 the bye-laws printed. The Union is rapidly extending its 

 branches all over Germany. Among the latest foundations are 

 those at Cassel, Marburg, Hanau, Frankfurt, and Wiesbaden, 

 i.e. no less than five in the province of Hessen-Nassau. 



At the May meeting of the Berlin Geographical Society the 

 latest news of the German explorers in Africa were communicated 

 to the members. A letter from Dr. Rohlfs was dated from 

 Gondar. The traveller knew nothing of tlie death of the King 

 of Abyssinia. The disposition of the king for the further 

 journey of Dr. Sleeker was very favourable, and the latter was 

 to leave at once for Shoa-Iand with a guide. Dr. Pogge and 

 Lieut. WisMiiann had arrived at Malange on January 25. Here 

 they intended to st.ay a while before leaving for the interior. 

 Dr. Buchner ai rived at Malange on March 8 on his return 

 journey, and met Major von Mecho. Buchner's misfortune of 

 being obliged to turn back after three unsuccessful attempts to 

 penetrate further is already known to our readers. From Mada- 

 gascar a letter was received from Dr. Hildebrandt. He left 

 Tananarive on February 17, and travelled southwards with great 

 hopes of a speedy success. 



A LETTER from Dr. Junker to tlie Austrian Consul at Chartum 

 dispels all the rumours afloat regarding his supposed assassination. 

 He only returned to his station in December Ia~t from the journey 

 he had taken. He first crossed the Welle River and travelled in 

 a westerly direction to the Mangbattu tribe. Then he proceeded 

 to some Government stations in Eastern Mangbattu land, getting 

 a little beyond Munsa's former residence, in the vicinity of which 

 is Miam's tomb (not in the Niam Niam land, as indicated by the 

 Italian map). The traveller crossed the Gadde and Bibali rivers 

 at their confluence, and then returned to his station. 



The new number of Lc Globe opens with a continuation of 

 M. de Morsier's papers on the plains and deserts of the two 

 continents, and also contains a sketch of the geographical work 

 of last year by M. Bouthillier de Beaumont, as well as notices 

 of the Arctic campaign of 18S0 and the Jeainiette expedition. 



Some long letters have recently been received from Pere 

 Livinhac, the head of the Algerian Missionary Expedition in 

 Uganda. In referring to the organisation of the country he says 

 that nnder the Kabaka, or absolute monarch, are the chiefs of the 

 great families, called Mohamis, of whom three specimens came 

 to England last year with Messrs. Wilson and Felkin. After 

 these come chiefs of inferior rank, who own allegiance to the 

 Kabaka through the Mohamis. Last of all is the class of slaves 

 or IVadu. Mtesa, Pere Livinhac says, is regarded by his sub- 

 jects as a species of divinity, and they attach a supernatural 

 virtue to objects which he has touched. He however appears 

 to be very much under the influence of a clique of Mohamis, 

 who threaten to dethrone him if he encourages foreigners. 



The Queensland Government have lately issued a large scale 

 map of part of the Colony, on which is laid down the proposed 

 route of the transcontinental railway to Point Parker, on the 

 Gulf of Carpentaria. This, we observe, crosses the lower course 

 of the Gregory, where, according to a recent ofiicial report, that 

 river overflows and covers most of the plains for a considerable 

 distance on either bank. It is difficult to reconcile this uncom- 

 fortable fact with the report of Mr. Watson's expedition, to 

 which we lately referred, that high ground ran right down to 

 Point Parker. If this be really the case, the surveying expedi- 

 tion must have followed a different course to the westward of 

 that laid down for it, possibly crossing the Gregory at a much 

 higher point in a comparatively unknown part of the country. 



We regret to learn that Pere Law, whose unfortunate expedi- 

 tion from Gubuluwayo to Umzila's country was referred to in 

 Nature of May 5, died of fever and general exhaustion at that 

 chief's kraal last November. During his comparatively short 

 stay in Africa he had rendered conspicuous service to geography 

 by the determination of numerous heights and positions. 



A VERY interesting experiment is to be tried in West Central 

 Africa by the members of the Living- tone (Congo) Inland 

 Mission. We understand that seeds of the different species of 

 Chinchona, wliich have been obtained from the Government 

 plantations in India, are to be sent out to them » ith a view to 

 ascertaining whether it could be successfully cultivated in the 

 mountain valleys of the Congo. 



It is probable that the successor of Admiral La Ronciere le 

 Noury, late President of the French Geographical Society, will 

 be M. Ferdinand de Lesjeps. 



S0L.4R PHYSICS— SC7N-SP0TS ' 



'"PO the student of science who contemplates the sun by day or 

 the stars by night two questions will inevitably occur. The 

 first will have reference to the source from which tliose vast orbs 

 have derived their stupendous store of high-class energy; the 

 second to the astonishing regularity with which they are able to give 

 it out. It is not impossible to measure in a rough way the amount 

 of heat which our own sun must have possessed. For in the first 

 place we are forced to allow that our luminary must have shone 

 as it does now for millions of years. In the next place [the 

 amount of solar heat received by the earth in one year will about 

 liquefy a layer of ice 100 feet thick covering the whole surface 

 of the earth ; and lastly, the sun gives out 2,300,000,000 times 

 as much heat as the earth receives. 



These considerations viewed together will perhaps enable us 

 to form a faint conception of the amount of light and heat 

 which our luminary must have given out during its prolonged 

 existence. And yet the sun is by no means one of the most 

 powerful stars, being only about the average in brightness. 



We ask then, in the first place, from what source has this 

 inconceivably vast store of energy been derived ? If science be 

 not able with absolute certainty to reply to this question, it is 

 yet able to indicate the most probable origin of the supply. 



The only hypothesis yet thought of that can account for it is 

 that which first occurred to Mayer and Waterston, and which 

 has been worked out by Helmholtz and Thomson in such a way 



' Lecture in the Course on Solar Physics at South Kensingtin : delivered 

 by Prof. Balfour Stewart, F.R.S., April 27. 



