424 



NA TURE 



{April 2, 1874 



as regards his facts. He appears to have overlooked 

 the observations proving the lower salinity of 

 inter-tropical water, which I had cited as furnishing an 

 additional indication that Polar water is constantly rising 

 from the bottom towards the surface in tlie equatorial 

 area. These observations have been most remarkably 

 confirmed by those taken by the physicists of the 

 Challenger. For, whilst in the extra-tropical area the sp. 

 gr. of surface-water was in excess of that of bottom-water, 

 in the equatorial area it was reduced to an almost precise 

 correspondence with it, due allowance for temperature 

 being of course made. 



According to Mr. CroU's doctrine, the whole of that 

 vast mass of water in the North Atlantic, averaging, say, 

 1,500 fathoms in thickness, and 3,600 miles in breadth, 

 the temperature of whicli (from 40° downwards) as ascer- 

 tained by the Challenger soundings, clearly shows it to be 

 mainly derived from a Polar source, is nothing else than 

 the reflux of the Gulf Stream. Now, even if we suppose 

 that the whole of this stream, as it passes Sandy Hook, 

 were to go on into the closed Arctic Basin, it would only 

 force out an equivalent body of water. And as, on com- 

 paring the sectional areas of the two, I find that 

 of the Gulf Stream to be about i-gooth that of 

 the North Atlantic underflow ; and as it is admitted that 

 a large part of the Gulf Stream returns into the Mid- 

 Atlantic circulation, only a branch of it going on to the 

 north-east ; the extreme improbability (may 1 not say im- 

 possibility ?) that so vast a mass of water can be put in 

 motion by what is by comparison such a mere rivulet — the 

 north-east motion of which, as a distinct current, has not 

 been traced eastward of 30" W. long. — seems still more 

 obvious. 



Lastly, the Challenger observations in the South 

 Atlantic have proved exactly what I had anticipated, viz., 

 that the bottom-temperature is lower, and that the Polar 

 underflow lies much nearer the surface in this ocean 

 than in the North Atlantic. Now this case appears 

 to me to afford the experimentum crucis between 

 Mr. CroU's doctrine and my own. For my prediction of 

 this result was based on the fact, that, as there is here a 

 perfectly open communication between the Polar and 

 equatorial areas, the vertical circulation would take place 

 more freely. On the other hand, according to Mr. CroU's 

 doctrine, it would have been expected that there should 

 be a far smaller reflux, or no reflux at all. For, though a 

 portion of the equatorial current passes southwards when 

 it meets the coast of South America, there is no ground 

 whatever for believing that it ever goes near the Antarctic 

 circle ; and if it did find its way thither, there is no 

 " closed basin " from which it can drive back a return 

 current. 



As it is usually considered in scientific inquiry that the 

 verification of a prediction affords cogent evidence of the 

 validity of the hypothesis on which it is based, I venture 

 to submit that so far my case has been made good. 



William B. Carpenter 



THE DEATH OF DR. LIVINGSTONE 



THE daUy papers have obtained from the London 

 office of the New York Herala the following tele- 

 gram, containing details of the death of Dr. Living- 

 stone, dated Suez, Sunday, March 29 : — 



" The Malwa arrived off Suez at eleven on Saturday 

 night, having Mr. Arthur Laing and Jacob Wainwright 

 on board, with the body of Livingstone. He had been 

 ill with chronic dysentery for several months past. 

 Although well supplied with stores and medicine, he 

 seems to have had a presentiment that the attack would 

 prove fatal. He rode a donkey, but was subsequently 

 carried, and thus arrived at Muilala, beyond Lake 

 Bemba, in Bisa country, when he said, ' BuUd me a hut 



to die in.' The hut was built by his followers, who first 

 made him a bed. He suffered greatly, groaning night 

 and day. On the third day he said, ' I am very cold ; 

 put more grass over the hut.' His followers did not 

 speak or go near him. Kitumbo, Chief of Bisa, sent 

 flour and beans, and behaved well to the party. On the 

 fourth day Livingstone became insensible, and died about 

 midnight. Majuahra, his servant, was present. His last 

 entry in diary was on April 27. He spoke much and 

 sadly of home and famUy. When first seized he told his 

 followers he intended to change everything for ivory, to 

 give to them, and to push on to Ujiji and Zanzibar, and 

 try to reach England. On the day of his death the fol- 

 lowers consulted what to do. The Nassick boys deter- 

 mined to preserve the remains. They were afraid to 

 inform the Chief of Livingstone's death. The secretary 

 removed the body to another hut, around which he built 

 a high fence to ensure privacy. They opened the body and 

 removed the internals, which were placed in a tin box and 

 burned inside the fence under a large tree. Jacob Wain- 

 wright cut an inscription on the tree as follows : — ' Dr. 

 Livingstone died on May 4, 1873,' and superscribed the 

 name of the head man Susa. The body was preserved in 

 salt, and dried in the sun for twelve days. Kitumbo was 

 then informed of the death, and beat drums and fired 

 guns as a token of respect, and allowed the followers to 

 remove the body, which was placed in a coffin formed of 

 bark, then journeyed to Unyanyembe about six months, 

 sending an advanced party with information addressed 

 to Livingstone's son, which met Cameron. The latter 

 sent back a bale of cloth and powder. The body arrived 

 at Unyanyernbe ten days after advanced party, and 

 rested there a fortnight. Cameron, Murphy, and Dillon 

 together there. Latter very ill, blind, and mind aft'ected. 

 Committed suicide at Kasakera ; buried there. Here 

 Livingstone's remains were put in another bark case, 

 smaller, done up as a bale to deceive natives who objected 

 to the passage of the corpse, which was thus carried to 

 Zanzibar. Livingstone's clothing, papers, and instruments 

 accompany the body. When ill Livingstone prayed much. 

 At Muihil.ihe said, ' I am going home.' Chumah remains 

 at Zanzibar. Vv'ebb, American consul at Zanzibar, is on 

 his way home, and has letters handed to him by Murphy 

 from Livingstone for Stanley, which he will deliver per- 

 sonally only. Geographical news follows. After Stanley's 

 departure the Doctor left Unyanyembe, rounded the 

 south end of Lake Tanganyika, and travelled south of 

 Lake Bemba, or Bangneoleo, crossed it south to north, 

 then along east side, returning north through marshes to 

 Muilala. All papers sealed. Address Secretary of State, 

 in charge of Arthur Laing, a British merchant from 

 Zanzibar. Murphy and Cameron remain behind." 



These details are few but intensely touching. We 

 believe that the Peninsular and Oriental Company's 

 Bombay steamer Malwa, with Dr. Livingstone's body on 

 board, is due on April 13 at Southampton. The body 

 will be landed at that port and conveyed to London, by 

 railway, for interment in Westminster Ab'oey ; it is to be 

 regretted that the faithful Chumah does not accompany 

 his master's remains. It is impossible that Government 

 will fail in doing what the whole civilised world takes 

 for granted it will do— pay all possible honour to the 

 remains of H. M. Consul, and of probably the greatest 

 traveller that this or any other country ever produced. 



REPORT OF PROF. PARKER'S HUNTERIAN 

 LECTURES "ON THE STRUCTURE AND 

 DEVELOPMENT OF THE VERTEBRATE 

 SKULL" 



THE new Hunterian Professor, Mr. W. Kitchen Parker, 

 has just completed his course of eighteen lectures 

 at the College of Surgeons, embodying in them the results ' 

 of his researches on that most difficult problem, the deve- 



