6 NATURE 
[Wov. 2, 1882 
fictitious.” That may be, but if he was not tattooed in Gren 
Asia, it is difficult to say where it could have been done. I may 
also mention that the ‘‘ nobleman” did not understand a single 
word of Burmese, and did not recognise a Burman, which 
could hardly have been the case if he had suffered his ‘* punish- 
ment” in Burma, ‘The pain, by the way, is not nearly so great 
as it is represented to be, and even when a man is tattooed all 
over the head, I cannot understand his dying or going mad, as 
Konstantinos’s companions are said to have done. When I was 
tattooed, I had nearly twenty figures done at a sitting, and felt 
no particular inconvenience, though the actual operation is no 
doubt “ unpleasant.” Suway Yor 
THE opinion that the ‘‘tattooed man” was decorated in 
Burma has been generally received by anthropologists, and so 
far as I know, not hitherto contradicted. In addition to Mr. 
Franks’ paper I may now refer to the Zvansactions of the 
Berlin Anthropological Society, in the Z:z¢schrift fiir Ethnologie, 
vol .iv. 1872 p. 201, for an account of an examination of him 
by Prof. Bastian, who, as an authority on Burmese matters, has 
been already mentioned in connection with ‘*Shway Yoe’s”’ 
book. Prof. Bistian says, ‘‘as to the Burmese character of the 
tattooing there can beno doubt. ‘The letters rather point to the 
Shans, to whose district many treasure-diggers resorted,” &c. 
It appears, also, that Konstantinos, when questioned as to the 
mode in which he was operated on, described the instrument as 
a split point carried in a heavy metal handle, which agrees with 
the Burmese method. 
As the “‘tattooed man” is in’part inscribed with actual letters, 
a copy of these would probably settle the question at once. It 
is a pity that for some reason photographs of him, which one | 
would think were profitable articles from the exhibitor’s point of | 
view, are not (or lately were not) to be had. E. B. TyLor 
River Thames—Abnormal High Tides 
THE normal high water in the Pool, or the average of all the 
tides of the year, is a constant quantity, and is the same now as 
half a century back, the mean level being 12 inches below the 
Metropolitan datum of high water of spring tides called 
“*Trinity standard.” High water of spring tides averages 12 
inches above, and high water of neaps 3 feet 6 inches below 
that datum. Whilst, however, the ordinary high water is a 
constant quantity, exceptional tides rise now very much higher 
than they did a quarter of a century back ; on October 18, 1841, 
a tide occurred which rose 3 feet 6 inches above Trinity, and it 
was the highest recorded for half a century ; eleven years after- 
wards, on November 12, 1852, 3 feet 7 inches were marked. 
The land flood of that year is popularly known as the Duke of 
Wellington’s flood, from the demise of the great captain having 
occurred at that period; no such tide recurred for seventeen 
years nearly, until March 28, 1869, when 3 feet 7 inches was 
again reached. Five years afterwards the tide rose, on March 
20, 1874, higher than ever before recorded, reaching an excess 
of 4 feet 4 inches. 
These exceptional metropolitan tides arise from the rare 
concurrence of three causes, viz. an exceptionally heavy land 
flood meeting an equinoctial spring tide, and these accom- 
panied by a great westerly gale heaping up the Channel sea, 
suddenly veering to north-west, and driving the tidal wave before 
it from the North Sea up the Thames estuary, Four reasons 
may be specified for these results. The first is the greatly in- 
creased rate of discharge of floods from the catchment basin. 
This, however, is questioned by many; but we find Stevenson 
giving the ordinary discharge as 102,000 cubic feet per minute ; 
Beardmore 100,coo as the annual mean at Staines, and 400,000 
as the maximum, whilst O’Connel, in the ‘‘ Encyclopedia 
Metropolitana,” states it at from 475,000 to 600,000 and Prof. 
Unwin, of Cooper’s Hill College, obtained results during the 
winter of 1875, at the Albert Bridge, Windsor Home Park, 
equivalent to from 701,280 to 845,640, or one-third more than 
any previous estimate, 
Secondly, the low-water rég?me of the river has been greatly 
developed by increased scour and removal of shoals by dredging, 
so that the head of the low-water prism ascending from seaward, 
with 20 feet minimum depth, which a quarter of a century back 
was below the Arsenalat Woolwich, is now above the Dock Yard, 
two miles higher. Thirdly, the removal of old London, Blackfriars, 
and Westminster bridges, by raising high water above-bridge 6 to 
12 inches, and lowering low water 3 to 4 feet, brings up about 33 
per cent. m retidal water above-bridge than half a century back. 
Fourthly, the Thames Embankments have added a few inches 
to the range, by narrowing, straightening, and regulating the 
channel by which the tidal momentum has been increased. 
Now, assuming that the high water of a spring tide is raised 
from 4 to 6 inches, this, from London Bridge to Twickenham, 
would amount to 700,000 tons of water, but the additional 
quantity, due to the removal of the old bridges within the same 
limits, would amount to six times that quantity, or to 4,200,000 
tons, 
In an essay by me, recently published by the Institution of 
Civil Engineers, the proportion of land water as compared with 
tidal water was estimated at 1-18th of the Jatter, and that of the 
14 inches excess of range over any previously recorded tide in 
November, 1875, only from 3 to 34 inches might be due to land 
water. The Embankment Commissioners of 1861 took the 
hitherto standard maximum height for quays of 4 feet above 
Trinity, and this proved a safe elevation until March, 1874 ; but 
the tide on November 15, 1875, was 6 inches higher, and 
forcibly directed public attention to the question, and again on 
January 2, 1877, the tide rose as high as in March, 1874, and in 
January, 1881, reached a height of 4 feet $ inches at the London 
Docks, and 5 feet here in Westminster, the maximum yet 
experienced. 
The Admiralty Tide Tables of the last twenty years show that 
2 feet and 2 feet 1 inch are the maxima to be expected during the 
equinoxes, but the computors direct attention to the fact that 
gales of wind will add at times materially to the estimated 
heights ; indeed north-north-west gales will add 1 yard vertically 
to the computed heights in the Port of London, as the surface of 
the water at high water will be at times 5 feet higher than at 
sea with a good spring tide, the tidal column rising upwards at 
a tolerably uniform rate of 14 inch per mile in the forty-eight 
miles from Sheerness to London. 
From 1860 to 1863, 6 inches was the calculated maximum 
above Trinity standard and that observed 3 feet and 6 inches in 
December 1863. 
From 1864 to 1866, 6 inches was again the estimated excess, 
and 3 feet and 6 inches again the actual result in November 1866. 
For 1867-1868 they were relatively 4 inches and 3 feet, the 
last in February 1868. 
After this due to the altered condition of the river brought 
about by the causes just referred to, we have the following results 
as regards maxima, viz. :— 
Estimated height Observed height 
above Trinity. above Trinity. 
‘ “ ‘ “ 
1869—Marech’ “09 2 9 ees ess, UT, 
Octoberiey eek eto) eee ee 
1870—February Gotu Wis otha, ras aishy 49) 
March ":.0)---, 2) 70 = 
1871—April ee ALS ee ee 
1S72—A pr eae ee — ere a 
September’ ... 1 7 © — 
1873—February — = Baus 
Octoberee-y =. 2) 10 _ 
1874—March ... ... 2 I -.. 4 4 Westminster, 
1875—April a etero) = 
November... — 4 9 “5 
1876— september!) ehh 5) ee 
Jude Decree ee eee keene 
1877—Januarysc. ee eee ee “4 
Merch—Septness el cULan.. es) 
1978 —March ss ees Zen ee ee 
INovember™ =.5) =) ee an 
T879O—Marche sec) een el LO) eet ecu e—— 
April ee rear ees LO. 
1880—March 2. 5. 1 6) w. 
November: “S050 Gea ec ey 4A 
1881—January ... ... — .. .«. 5 O oH 
September. =. i 1 — 
1882—February a te. © ea nO on 
JAMES» cg, ede 1h Bees — 
During the recent springs we have the following results (at 
Westminster) :— 
Estimated Actual 
1882. Sane Sas Excess. Wind. 
Tuesday, Sept. 26, p.m. 0 tO 12% 10 07 ce BeGeEs 
Wednesdays 78 27,7) s: ot to oun) sh nce 
Thursday, 5p 28) s)) Oh UL nese. (Oe. (On aarcmy oN Rig 
Friday, Pe ho ee Oe LO as OP aN 
