July 6, 1882] 



NATURE 



231 



From the Cape of Good Hope we receive the Report for 

 1SS1 of the South African Museum, which, under the superin- 

 tendence of Mr. Trinien, is prospering and increasing. The 

 following paragraph is of some interest : — " Upon trustworthy 

 information that in a part of the Beaufort West district some 

 unusually fine and perfect remains of extinct Saurians were 

 accessible, the Trustees in October last despatched the Acting 

 Curator lo make an examination on the spot. Mr. Oakley 

 reported that he had met with a large quantity of fragmentary 

 regains of the Dicynodon group (some of which he brought with 

 him), and that he had reason to believe, from the best local 

 information obtainable, that in the bed of the Klein Leeuw River 

 there existed an almost perfect fossil skeleton of a Saurian of 

 great size, which, though recently visible, had become hidden by 

 alluvial deposits. In transmitting this report to Government on 

 November 1, the Trustees strongly recommended that a sum of 

 200/. should be placed on the estimates for 1SS2-83, f° r 

 the purpose of defraying the cost of procuring for the Museum 

 the more perfect of these fossil remains, and of conducting 

 further investigations into South African palaeontology ; and they 

 were informed in reply that every consideration would be given 

 to their proposal when the time for framing the estimates should 

 arrive. In reference to their subsequent communication on the 

 subject, dated February 9, they now desire respectfully to renew 

 their recommendation, as it is most desirable that the extinct 

 Dieyuodontia and allied reptilian forms, so characteristic of the 

 past life of South Africa, should be as completely represented as 

 possible in the Colonial Museum." We trust the necessary 

 funds have been granted, and that theTrustees will see that it is 

 for the best interests of the Colony that such an institution as 

 this be maintained in complete efficiency. 



The surveyor to the Finnish Government, Herr Rodas, states 

 that on June 25 this year lie carefully measured the height of a 

 hole, bored according to authentic records 2 inche i above the 

 level of the sea on the coast of Osterbotten on June 25, 1755, 

 and discovered that that part of the coast had risen, in 127 years, 

 6 feet 4 inches, or more than half an inch per year. 



A second earthquake of a far more violent character than the 

 previous one, was felt at the town of Lulei in Sweden on June 23 

 at 7.30 a.m., the shock extending as far as the towns of llapa- 

 randa and Pitia. It lasted fully a minute, and went from south- 

 west to north-east. People awoke from their sleep, and those 

 about could only stand with difficulty, and that no accident oc- 

 curred is due to the circumstance that all houses are constructed 

 of wood. Whilst the tremor lasted subterranean noises could be 

 heard similar to the rapid movement of heavy artillery on a hard 

 road. There was no disturbance of the sea, the weather was 

 clear and no wind, the temperature being 20° C, barometer high. 



The Parkes Museum, which was first instituted in 1876 as a 

 memorial to the late Dr. Edmund Parkes, and in order to pro. 

 mote the health of the community for which Dr. Parkes so suc- 

 cessfully devoted the best years of his life, was incorporated on 

 June 28. The museum has been temporarily located in Uni- 

 versity College, Gower Street, since its establishment, and a 

 proposal for permanently keeping it in connection with the 

 College has been under consideration for some time, but the 

 probability is that those who de,ire to see the Parkes Museum 

 established as an independent institution in a building of its own 

 will have their wishes gratified. Negotiations are now being 

 made for acquiring such a building in a more central position 

 than University College. The Museum is not rich pecuniarily, 

 but its objects are of such growing importance that the necessary 

 funds will no doubt be forthcoming. The objects of the Museum 

 are "to aid, promote, and encourage the acquisition and diffusion 

 of knowledge of hygiene in all its branches, and of all matters 

 relating thereto, especially in connection with personal regime, 



food, domestic sanitation, means of safety and rescue, archi- 

 tecture, engineering, naval and military hygiene, and State 

 medicine. 



We regret to notice that the Austrian k PoIar Meteorological 

 Expedition has not been able, on account of the state of the ice, 

 to land on Jan Mayen Island. The Pola put back to Tromso, 

 and v as to make another attempt after fourteen days ; we hope 

 she will be successful. 



An International Geographical Exhibition is being held at 

 Copenhagen. 



The French expedition to Cape Horn will leave this week 

 without any further delay. 



Lieutenant Schwatka is organising an expedition for the 

 exploration of Northern Alaska. 



The Report of the Imperial Mint, Osaka, Japan, for the year 

 ending June 30, 1881, being the eleventh report of the Mint, shows 

 that during the financial year gold coins to the value of 490,585 

 yen (dollars) was struck, this being rather more than during the 

 previous year. In the silver coinage there has been great activity, 

 5,oS9, 113 one yen pieces having been struck, this being a larger 

 number than ever before finished in a year. Nearly 74 millions 

 of copper coins were struck during the year, their aggregate 

 nominal value being over one million yen. The total value 

 of coin issued by the Imperial Mint since its commencement in 

 1S71, to July, 1881, amounted to yen 97,596,529,79. The 

 reports of the Assayers to the Imperial Japanese Mint, of the 

 Royal Mint, and of the United States Mint, testify to the highly 

 satisfactory manner in which the standards of weight and fine- 

 ness are kept up. The soda-works within the Mint-ground are 

 now in operation, and small quantities of sulphate and carbonate 

 of soda have been turned out. The sulphuric acid-works did 

 not produce so large a quantity of acid as in former years, but 

 another works has been established in Osaka by a private com- 

 pany, showing that chemical industry in Japan is not standing 

 still. The work carried on at the Osaka Mint, both as regards 

 quantity and quality, is in the highest degree creditable to the 

 two foreign employes, Mr. Gowland, the chemist, assayer, and 

 technical adviser, and Mr. McLagan, the engineer, as well as to 

 the staff of native officials and workmen. 



Captain Conder and Lieutenant Mantell, R.E., have re- 

 turned from their first campaign in Eastern Palestine, bringing 

 with them the results of their work. These include the map 

 of a large district, covering 500 square miles of country, with a 

 very large quantity of notes, plans, drawings, and photographs 

 concerning the antiquities of Moab and Gilead. Captain Conder 

 will proced at once to arrange these materials for publication. 

 He has also brought with him a considerable quantity of notes, 

 and additional information made by himself and his party in 

 Western Palestine. These will be included in the next volume 

 of the Society's great work, which will be delayed a month or 

 two on their account. 



The Municipal Council of Paris has voted a sum of 40/. as a 

 subsidy to the Academy of Aerostation for the purpose of 

 trying to photograph Paris with the help of captive balloons. 



The July number of the Proceedings of the Royal Geographical 

 Society is of unusual interest. Along with excellent maps we 

 have Mr. D. D. Daly's account of the surveys and explorations 

 in the native States of the Malayan Peninsula, 1875-82 ; a trans- 

 lation of Dr. Albert Regel's account of his journey in Karateghin 

 and Darwaz ; and some interesting details as to Capt. P. de 

 Andrada's journeys to Masinga and the Mazoe on the Lower 

 Zambese. This number contains the report of the anniversary 

 meeting. 



