March 9, 1871] 

NATURE 
373 

huge continental mass, as has been supposed by most authors. 
One strong evidence of this he considers to be furnished by the 
deep inlet discovered by the expedition, previously unrecorded 
on any chart, and which received the name of Emperor Francis 
Joseph’s Fiord. This was found to extend deep into the interior 
of the land, continually opening into new arms, and widening in 
places until it was traced out for over one-third of the estimated 
breadth of Greenland, and without any indication of coming to 
an end. Indeed, in a south-westerly direction it opened out into 
what looked like a great basin into which the fiord itself emptied. 
The circumstance also that the saltness of the fiords is generally 
greatly diminished by the fresh-water streams pouring into them 
when they are simply cz/-de-sacs, and the fact that the great 
Greenland fiord, notwithstanding the enormous addition of fresh 
water, retained all its saltness, pointed to a maritime communi- 
cation with the opposite side of the country. Time was not 
allowed to the party to prosecute the exploration of this supposed 
strait; but it is believed, as stated, that it finds its opposite 
opening in Baffin’s Bay. Another still more potent argument in 
favour of the assumption that Greenland is a congeries of islands, 
and not acontinent, was found in the apparent absence of great 
longitudinal valleys, such as usually characterise continents, these 
being entirely wanting in the north-eastern part of Greenland. 
WE understand that the collection of books belonging to the 
late A. H. Haliday, A.M., has been left by his will, dated in 
1847, to the Royal Irish Academy, This collection is very rich 
in rare entomological tracts, and it is expected that a catalogue 
of it will be formed under the directions of the librarian of the 
Academy. Any duplicates of works at present in the library of 
the Academy are to go to the library of the Natural History 
Society of Belfast. The entomological collection of Mr. Haliday 
was bequeathed to the Museum of Trinity College, Dublin. This 
collection chiefly consists of British Diptera and Hymenoptera, 
and contains the type specimens of the many classical monographs 
and papers of Mr. Haliday. It also contains the results of some 
years’ collecting in Italy, and especially the insects, many of them 
of great interest, taken during a tour in Sicily in 1868 by Mr. 
Haliday and Professor E. P. Wright. Unfortunately the collec- 
tion is still in store or collecting boxes, and is for the most 
part unnamed, the localities of the European insects, which, 
however, form far the smallest portion of the collection, being 
indicated only by dates. We hope soon to be able to report 
what steps will be taken to have this collection named and 
arranged, knowing well that the authorities at Trinity College, 
Dublin, will not be slothful in this matter. 
A COMMITTEE has been raised for the purpose of collecting 
subscriptions to present Mr, John Banting Rogers with a testi- 
monial, as a mark of the high appreciation in which the shipping 
community of this country hold his untiring labours in the intro- 
duction of his valuable invention for life-saving purpose. 
A CORRESPONDENT calls our attention to a state of things in 
the village of Woking which appears to require the notice of the 
Government inspector. He states that the drainage from the 
convict prison at Woking and from the gas-works is allowed to 
flow into an open meadow, which has become perfectly saturated 
with it. Fever has been prevalent in the neighbourhood for the 
last two years, and small-pox is now added. At the neighbour- 
ing village of Horsell a school of 200 children has been closed 
in consequence. As usual, it seems impossible to fix on anyone 
the responsibility for abating the nuisance. 
Captain C. F. HALt is busily engaged in fitting out his 
vessel for his cruise next summer, and will be amply provided 
with everything necessary for his comfort and the success of his 
enterprise. It is understood that Dr. David Walker, the well- 
known companion of Sir Leopold M‘Clintock during his 
expedition in the “vx in search of Sir John Franklin, will ac- 
company Captain Hall in charge of the scientific department. 

Dr. A. W. EICHLER, the Editor of Martius’s ‘Flora Brasi- 
liensis,” has been appointed Professor of Botany and Director of 
the Botanic Garden at Graz in Austria. No change will be neces- 
sary in the editing of the magnificent work under Prof. Eichler’s 
charge. 
THE region bordering upon the Black Sea has long been 
known to be full of antiquarian treasures of the highest interest, 
as evinced by the superb reports published from time to time at 
the expense of the Russian Government. A late exploration of 
the peninsula of Toman, situated between the Black Sea and 
the Sea of Azoy, in continuation of previous researches, has 
brought to light many striking objects, particularly of those 
belonging to a past period of Greek art, and consisting of gold 
ornaments, sarcophagi, terra cotta statuettes, &c. 
In the Intercolonial Exhibition, held last year in Sydney, 
New South Wales, much interest and curiosity were felt in the 
specimens of wine exhibited. The report of the jury on the 
Victorian produce was highly satisfactory, more especially with 
regard to those wines retailed in Melbourne at 2d, and 4d. per 
tumbler. These wines are said to compare more than favourably 
with the cheap wines in general consumption in the wine 
countries of Europe, and promise ere long to supplant the use of 
beer and spirits in the classes most accustomed to use and abuse 
those beverages. For experience has long proved that men will 
drink wine in hot and dry climates in preference to all other 
beverages if they can get it abundantly, cheap, and good in its 
kind. The jury say that the cheap and wholesome wines sold in 
Melbourne at the above prices all over the city, and even a better 
class of wine retailed at 1s. per quart bottle, are the outward 
evidences of the hold which pure wine is taking on the masses in 
Victoria. 
Ir would appear from a communication in Ze Journal de 
Quebec that the sea is steadily swallowing up the land at St. 
Thomas, and possibly other points on the lower St. Lawrence, 
: a correspondent of the Zgzneer asserting that at low tide, some 
thirty years ago, he saw the ruins of the third church built in 
that locality within the space of two hundred years, and that since 
the battues, or banks covered by the tide, have advanced from 
one to two leagues into the interior. 
MEAT-PRESERVING appears to be getting a profitable branch 
of trade in all countries where stock abounds or pasture exists. 
A new company with a capital of 50,000/., under the title of the 
“‘Victoria Two-fold Bay, and London Meat-preserving Com- 
pany ” has been started in Melbourne. The meat is to be pre- 
served by a process of cooking zz vacuo by which air and mois- 
ture is drawn from the inside of the tins during the cooking. 
THE Monthly Notices of Papers and Proceedings of the Royal 
Society of Tasmania for March, April, and June, 1870, contain 
several valuable articles, including Contributions to the Phyto- 
graphy of Tasmania, by Dr. Ferd. von Miiller ; and some addi- 
tional Observations on more recent changes which have taken 
place in the star » Argus and its surrounding nebula (with 
diagrams), by Mr. F. Abbott. 
THE great booksellers like Hachette and Co, have been sur- 
prised to learn that their branch offices in occupied districts had 
transacted an immense amount of business. The reason is 
singular enough, and worthy to be noticed. The Prussian 
soldiers are learning the French language, and are purchasing an 
immense number of books. There is a new market opened for 
French authors, an unforeseen consequence of bloody defeats in 
the field. 
AT one of the sittings of the French Academy, Dr. Felix 
Rochard proposed to establish on the Seine floating ambulances for 
the wounded as being probably more free than common hospitals 
from miasmatic influence. The proposition was warmly sup- 
ported by Baron Larey, the great practising surgeon. 
