--. 
270 
NATURE 
Sir BARTLE FReERE and suite arrived at Zanzibar Jan 12. 
' Nort Africa is at present overrun by exploring expeditions, 
The latest news from Sir Samuel Baker is contained in a tele- 
gram dated Khartoum, Nov. 7, 1872. According to this he left 
Gondokoro in 1871 for Kimrasi, but from the hostility of the 
natives was compelled to return some distance. In consequence 
of the prolonged absence of Sir Samuel, we learn from Ocean 
Highways, the Viceroy of Egypt decided upon sending a 
relief expedition of sixty-five men under the command of Colonel 
Purdy, an American officer in the Egyptian service. The plan 
is to start from Mombas and to make a journey to the supposed 
position of Baker, above Gondokoro, If the expedition is 
successful, very important geographical results may be expected 
from the route to be taken by Colonel Purdy, which will lead 
him across the Victoria Nyanza region. 
Ocean Highways for February contains the first part of 
an article by Dr. Beke, entitled, ‘‘ Position of the Sources of 
the Nile,” his object being to show the influence which Ptolemy’s 
determination of these sources has had on later geographers, 
down even to Livingstone, who adheres essentially to Ptolemy’s 
opinion. The almost unanimous conclusion, however, come to 
by geographers of the present day, Dr. Beke tells us, is that the 
rivers described by Livingstone are tributaries of the Congo, and 
that the numerous sources described by him as the great water- 
parting of Southern Africa, are those of that river, and not of 
the Nile. 
CoMANDATORE NEGRI is making satisfactory progress in his 
endeayour to enlist Italian public opinion in favour of an Italian 
Arctic expedition. 
TuHE first number of Xosmos, an Italian geographical bi- 
monthly journal, edited by Guido Cora, has just appeared. 
In NATURE for Jan. 23, we noted the supposed discovery of 
a great Arctic Continent by M. Pavy. The story appeared many 
weeks ago in the Scotsman, which took it from ‘the American 
papers.” We, however, took no “note” of it till a similar 
account appeared in the 7imes a week or two ago, when we 
noted it with some expressed distrust. According to Ocean 
Highways, the story, as we feared, turns out to be, in all likeli- 
hood, a hoax. The French Geographical Society have received 
no such report as the American papers say has been transmitted 
to them. Far from M. Pavy having reached Wrangell Land, 
there are now doubts whether the expedition will start at all. 
WE learn from the Atheneum that Sir John Lubbock is pre- 
paring a Bill, to be brought forward early this session, having 
for its object the preservation of the megalithic monuments to 
the United Kingdom. 
WE have received the first number of the Journal of the 
Women’s Educational Union, the main purpose of which is to 
promote the very commendable objects of that Union. 
From pamphlets and periodicals before us we cull the fol- 
lowing notes:—Dr. Hollis’s Astronomical Almanack for 1873 
contains a large quantity of very valuable and well-arranged 
information, which will be found useful to the rapidly increasing 
number of amateur astronomers, and to those who do not possess 
or who shrink from consulting the ‘‘ Nautical Almanack,”— 
The Garden learns that the celebrated Jardin Fleuriste of the 
city of Paris, which since the war has been in a ruinous condi- 
tion, is at last to be entirely abolished, and the ground whereon 
it stood let for building purposes. A few years ago it was one 
of the most interesting and instructive gardens in existence.— 
The principal articles in the Yournal de Physique for January 
are a review of the fundamental theories relative to electro- 
dynamics and induction, by M. A. Potter: one by M. Berthelot 
on Calorimetric thermometers, in which he expounds the results 
of his studies on the subject fora number of years past : and a 
1 
short one by M. C, Decharme, giving the results of a number of 
experiments to show the rate at which different liquids ascend a 
capillary tube.—A French newspaper, the A/onde, contains a 
justly laudatory article on the Abbé Moigno'’s Salles du Progrés, 
which it seems are being more and more taken advantage of by 
the Parisian middle classes.—The ,{‘ Annuaire de ]’Academie 
Royale de Belgique,” besides a mass of valuable information 
concerning the Academy, contains memoirs of a number of 
deceased Academicians, including one of the late Mr. Babbage, 
who was an associate of the Academy.—The Penn Monthly 
(Philadelphia) for May, July, August, and September, contains 
a series of articles by Mr. Edward D, Cope, on ‘“‘ Evolution 
and its consequences,” 
evolution so far as it concerns animals and plants.—We 
have received a reprint from the Quarterly Fournal of thr 
Geological Society of the admirable paper ‘‘ On the Evidence for 
the Ice-sheet in North Lancashire and adjacent parts of York- 
shire and Westmoreland,” by Mr. R. H. Tiddeman, M.A., 
F.G.S., of the Geological Survey. It is accompanied by a 
well constructed map.—An address delivered before the Chemical 
Society of the Lehigh University, by_Dr. B. Silliman, on ‘‘ De- 
ductive and Inductive Training,” contains a very interesting 
history of the two systems from the earliest times to the present 
day.—A translation of Prof. Donati’s oration at the inauguration 
of the new observatory at Florence, October 27, 1872, appears 
in the Astronomical Register for February. 
ON THE COAL QUESTION * 
THE North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical 
Engineers was, in its origin, a society limited in its scope 
to the discussion of subjects belonging to the practice of mining, 
and especially of coal mining. At that period the working of 
coal and other minerals was carried on with less aid from machi- 
nery than at present, and the district in which the society is 
located was not so distinguished as it now is for the practice of 
mechanical engineering in all its branches. Hence, the society, 
inits growth, has gradually assumed more and more of an engi- 
neering character ; and my recent election, as your president, 
indicates that mechanical science is no longer regarded by the 
members as secondary, or merely subsidiary, to the practice of 
mining. But we must guard against this tendency of the engi- 
neering element to outgrow the mining element of this insti- 
tute. We must not forget that we are situated in the very heart 
of the coalfield which, more than any other, has rendered Eng- 
land pre-eminent as a producing nation, and that, notwithstand- 
ing the increasing magnitude and importance of the engineering 
works of this district, the raising of coal is still foremost amongst 
the industries of the North, both as regards the extent of the in- 
terests involved, and its importance to the general prosperity of the 
nation, 3 
For these reasons, although I come before you as the first pre- 
sident of thissociety elected from theranks of mechanical engineers, 
I shall, in this address, make coal the principal topic of my 
remarks, including, however, mechanical applications associated 
with its use or involved in its production. As I shall speak of 
coal in an economic as well as ina technical point of view, I 
cannot well avoid making some reference to its present excessive 
cost, because coal, like everything else, must be governed in 
the extent of its application by its price in the market. In 
addressing an institution, so largely composed as this is of col- 
liery proprietors, it is not an agreeable task to dwell on the evil 
of dear coal ; but our institution is not a commercial one, and 
I must speak of this subject, not as affecting individual interests, 
but as bearing upon mechanical art and national prosperity. 
For many years past the consumption of coal has been increas- 
ing at the rate of about 4 per cent. per annum, computed in the 
manner of compound interest. We are all familiar with the 
cumulative effects of compound rates of increase ; and it is easy 
to see that if the consumption of coal continued to advance at 
this rate, we should speedily arrive at impossible quantities. Thus 
in 18 years our present enormous consumption would be 
* Inaugural Address by Sir William Armstrong, C.B., President of the 
North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers, delivered 
at Newcastle, February 1. 
[ fed. 6 1873 
in which is expounded the theory of — 
