'54 



NATURE 



[June i8, 1908 



sected the mound of burning cla}', and Mr. Cameron 

 states that the interior of the mound tlius disclosed 

 resembled an old brick-kiln, from the baked appear- 

 ance of the clays and shales. Falls from the cliffs 

 continued all the afternoon, and the whole range of 

 cliff is still in an unstable condition. 



With regard to the cause of the landslip, it is some- 

 what remarkable that the fall should have occurred 

 during a spell of dry weather, and not after heavy 

 rain. This fact points to some other cause than rain 

 or springs, and such a cause exists in the practice of 

 digging out and taking away the cement-stones and 

 layers of limestone which occur in the lower part of 

 the cliffs. The abstraction of these must have weak- 

 ened the cliff above, and have caused the cracks which 

 have long been apparent in it ; water issuing from 

 the base of the Greensand would find its way into 

 the cracks, and would still further loosen the cohesion 

 of the masses. Finally, the dry weather caused con- 

 traction and widening of the. cracks, with the result 

 above described. 



BRITISH COTTON CULTIVATION.' 



ABSTRACTS of a series of reports by Prof. \V. 

 Dunstan, F.R.S., Director of the Imperial In- 

 stitute, on the quality of cotton grown in British 

 possessions have been issued as a Parliamentary paper, 

 which gives details with regard to the progress made 

 in cotton cultivation in various parts of the Empire, 

 other than India and Egypt, during the past two 

 years. As instructive as the actual abstracts 

 are brief statements prefixed to each, wherein 

 the present position of cotton cultivation in the colony 

 or protectorate referred to is reviewed. 



It appears that the export of cotton from Cyprus, 

 the only European possession dealt with, was much 

 the same for 1905-6 and 1906-7, but that the figures 

 for these years were more than double the figures for 

 1904-5. 



As regards our East .•\frican possessions, the ex- 

 ports of cotton and cotton-seed from the Sudan during 

 j')o6 reached a total value of more than 45,000/., as 

 against some 23,000/. for 1905. From the East .Afri.can 

 Protectorate the exports during 1906-7 were valued at 

 1400/., as against 1273L for 1905-6 and 285L for 1904-5. 

 The increased export from Uganda was more marked, 

 the figures for 1906-7 being more than 390,000 lb., valued 

 at 11,400/., as against 96,000 lb., valued at 1089/., 

 for 1905-6, and 21,566 lb., valued at 236/., for 1905. 

 From Nyasaland the exports for 1906-7 \yere 

 526,119 lb., valued at 15,345/., a slight decrease on 

 the figures for 1905-6, which were 776,621 lb., valued 

 at 16,180/., but a marked increase on those for 1904-5, 

 when 285,185 lb., worth 5941/., were exported. 



.■\s regards West .'\frica, we learn that exports of 

 cotton from Gambia have ceased; the inhabitants 

 will not take up cotton cultivation, the ground-nut 

 industrv being more profitable. The exports from 

 Sierra Leone in 1906 were 87,800 lb., valued at 182Q/., 

 as against 68.S00 lb., worth 509/.. in 1905. A similar 

 increase is recorded from the Gold Coast, whence the 

 exports in 1906 were 92,886 lb., worth 1022/., as 

 against 29,200 lb., valued at 516/., in 1905; also 

 from Lagos, whence in 1906 the quantity exported 

 was about 2,440,000 lb., worth 40,000/., as against 

 1,281,000 lb., valued at 25,000/., in 1905. On the 

 other hand, the exports from southern Nigeria in 

 1905 only reached 85,000 lb., as against 285,000 lb. 

 in the preceding year. In Lagos it is stated there 



1 Colonial Reports — Miscellaneous. No. 50, British Cotton Cultivation. 

 Reports on the Quality of Cottons grown in British Possessions. Bv Prof. 

 Wyndham Dunstan, F.RS , Director of the Imperial Institute. (Cd. 3997.) 

 Price 2}</. 



NO. 2016, VOL. 78] 



are large areas suitable for cotton-growing, but the 

 transport difficulties are great. 



The reports dealing- with the South .\frican 

 colonies show that Rhodesia and the Transvaal are 

 capable of yielding cottons of excellent quality, and 

 that experimental cultivation in the Orange River 

 Colony, in Cape Colony, and in Natal has given 

 results sufficiently encouraging to warrant further 

 trial. Difficulties with regard to labour and to 

 transport will, however, have to be overcome before 

 an industry can be established. The reports regard- 

 ing Seychelles and iSIauritius indicate that much the 

 same conditions obtain there as prevail in South 

 .\frica. 



The reports from .Asia refer to the Straits Settle- 

 ments, where the climate is said to be not altogethe"- 

 favourable to the industry, and British North Borneo, 

 where the conditions are expected to be favourable, 

 and there is an ample supply of labour though the 

 exports are small. 



.As to the .'\ustralian colonies and New Guinea, we 

 learn that there are extensive districts in which the 

 soil and climate are suitable for cotton cultivation, 

 but that considerable difficulty is experienced with 

 regard to the supply of labour. 



The reports froiji our .'\merican possessions show 

 that in British Guiana the industry is insignificant, 

 and, small as it is, shows a steady falling off. In 

 British Honduras, though the conditions are otherwise, 

 favourable, there is a lack of efficient labour; and in 

 Bermuda, owing to the high price of land and labour, 

 it is unlikely that a profitable industry can be estab- 

 lished. But the exports from the West Indies show 

 that cotton-growing is there being rapidly extended 

 under the guidance of the Imperial Department of 

 .\griculture, directed by Sir Daniel Morris. The esti- 

 mated value of the exports of cotton and cotton-seed 

 for 1905 was more than 63,000/. ; for 1906, more than 

 90,000/. ; for the half-year ending June 30, 1907, more 

 than 167,000/. 



One of the general conclusions on which Prof. Dun- 

 stan insists is that in most cases, and especially in 

 West Africa, the best chances of success lie in the 

 improvement of native cottons rather than in the intro- 

 duction of foreign cottons ; another is that every 

 encouragement and facility should be given to the im- 

 provement of native cultivation. It is pointed out that 

 the extent to which cotton-growing will be resorted to 

 bv native cultivators must depend largely on the price 

 which can be offered by cotton-buyers, and on the com- 

 petition of other occupations and other agricultural 

 crops. 



NOTES. 



The council of the London Mathematical Society has 

 awarded the De Morgan medal for 1908 to Dr. J. W. L. 

 Glaisher, F.R.S., for his researches in pure mathematics. 



The Belgium Academy of Science, Literature, and the 

 Fine .Arts has elected Sir James Dewar an associate in 

 the section of mathematical and physical science. 



The inaugural meeting of the Research Defence Society 

 will be held at the house of the Royal Society of Medicine, 

 20 Hanover Square, W., to-morrow, June 19, at 5 o'clock. 

 The Earl of Croincr, president of the society, will occupy 

 the chair. 



The executive committee and science committee of the 

 Franco-British E.xhibltion are issuing invitations for a 

 reception to be held in the Science Court of the exhibition 

 on Tuesday, June 30. 



An exhibition will be held at Faenza from .August 15 

 to October 15 to commemorate the third centenary of the 



