342 



NATURE 



\Aug. 27, 1874 



the exploration of Phcenicia. Tlie Rev. Dr. Porter, from whose 

 labours in Palestine everyone wlio has visited or takes an interest 

 in the country has derived so much profit and pleasure, will read 

 a paper on the lesser known parts of Eastern Palestine, which 

 he has recently visited ; and a paper on the progress of the survey 

 has been prepared by Lieut. Conder, R. E., the officer in charge. 

 Our own survey is, I regret to say, languishing for want of funds, 

 whilst that of the Americans is receiving that support from the 

 people which it deserves ; tlie serious loss which tlie fund has 

 experienced in the death of Mr. Drake, who recently succumbed 

 to an attack of fever at Jerusalem, and who had previously 

 devoted his best energies to the work, must be still fresh in your 

 memories. Lieut. Gill, R.E., who accompanied Col. V. Baker 

 last year on a tour to Meshed, and the head waters of the Atrek, 

 has prepared an account of tlieir journey. Some most interest- 

 ing particulars of the visit of a portion of Mr. Forsyth's mission 

 to the Great Pamir and Wakham have been kindly supplied by 

 Col. Biddulph, R.A., from letters received from his brother, 

 Capt. Biddulph. The success of the party has, liowever, been 

 purchased by the loss of Dr. Stoliczka, who died from the effects 

 of fatigue and exposure within a few marches of Leh. Mr. 

 Delmar Morgan lias prepared a very valuable paper on Russian 

 travels in Central Asia in the 15th century. Mr. MacGahari, 

 the correspondent of the Neiu York Hci-ald, whose remarkable 

 journey across the Desert to join General Kaufmann's column 

 when marching on Khiva astonished the Russians, has for- 

 warded some interesting notes on the Russian expedition 

 against Khiva. 



In Australia the great geographical event of the year has been 

 Col. Warburton's journey from Alice Springs, near Mount 

 Stuart, on the line of overland telegraph, to Roebourne, in Nichol 

 Bay, for which he was awarded the Patron's gold medal of the 

 Royal Geographical Society. Such particulars of the journey as 

 have been forwarded to me through the courtesy of the Colonial 

 Office and of Mr. Dutton, the Agent-General for South Australia, 

 will be communicated to you. 



In America, whilst the coast and inland surveys have been 

 progressing. Dr. Ilaydon, who was the first to disclose to us the 

 strange beauties of the Yellowstone region, has been engaged in 

 exploring a country equally wild and picturesque, the eastern 

 half of Colorado. Other exhibitions have been doing good ser- 

 vice in the Yellowstone country, Arizona, Oregon, and the 

 Aleutian Islands, amongst them one sent out by Yale College, 

 which, besides exploring new countiy, brought back five tons of 

 specimens from the great fossil beds of Oregon and other places 

 for the college museum. I cannot help thinking that in sending 

 out these expeditions — for this is only one of a series — for the 

 examination of the geography, geology, botany, zoology, &c., of 

 some special district, Yale College has set an example which 

 might well be followed by our own uni\'ersities, and that Dublin, 

 Oxford, and Cambridge might take more part than they have 

 hitherto done in what may be called scientific exploration in the 

 field. My old friend and fellow-traveller, Capt. Anderson, K.E., 

 has been engaged as chief astronomer of the International 

 Boundary Commission in nmning the 49th parallel through the 

 unknown country between the Missouri and Saskatchewan, and 

 a short account of the demarcation of the iiar.iUel and the country 

 it passes through will be read to you. In the south. Commanders 

 Lull and Selfridge have found practicable routes for ship canals 

 from Grey;own, by Lake Nicaragua, to Brito, on the Pacific, 

 and by way of the Atrato, from the Gulf of Darien, to a point 

 near Cupica, on the Pacific ; the cost of the latter is estimated at 

 twelve million pounds. In .South America Prof. Orton has 

 been extending our knowledge of the Amazon country ; and I 

 may mention the activity which the Peruvian Government is 

 showing in promoting the exploration of the little-known dis- 

 tricts of Peru. Mr. Hutchinson, late her Majesty's Consul at 

 Callao, has forwarded a paper on the commercial, industrial, and 

 natural resources of Peru, which will be found to give much in- 

 teresting information on that country. 



Dr. Carpenter will, I hope, give us some account of the cruise 

 of her Majesty's ship Chalkiigci; which cannot fail to interest 

 the people of this town, from Prof. Wyville Thomson's former 

 connection with it. Capt. Warren, R.E. , whose name is so 

 well known from his work at Jerusalem, has forwarded a valu- 

 able paper on reconnaissance in unknown countries ; and Capt. 

 Abney, R. E. , will read one on a subject which he has made 

 peculiarly his own — the application of photography to military 

 purposes. M. Mazznuir, the secretary of the French Geogra- 

 phical Society, has forwarded a paper on the objects sought to 



be obtained by the International Congress to be held at Paris in 

 the spring of next year. 



I regret that I am not able to give any definite information on 

 the probability of Government assistance to Arctic exploration, 

 but I understand that the impression produced on the members 

 of the deputation which recently had an interview with the Prime 

 Minister on the subject was that he was not unfavourable to such 

 assistance. Admiral Sherard Osborn has kindly forwarded a 

 paper on routes to the north pole, and Lieut. Cherniside, R.E., 

 who accompanied Mr. Leigh Smith on a very remarkable voyage 

 last year to Spitzbergen, will read an account of the discoveries 

 they were enabled to make. The reports of the officers of the 

 Polaris have been published, expressing contradictory opinions as 

 to the possibility of their having been able to reach a higher 

 latitude. As regards the general subject of Arctic exploration, 

 there can, I think, be no doubt that that by Smith's Sound would 

 yield the most important scientific results, and would offer great 

 facilities for reaching the Pole itself. It should not be forgotten 

 that all recent Polar expeditions sent out .from this country have 

 been despatched with the special object of ascertaining the fate 

 of Sir John Franklin, and that discovery was not a principal 

 object. When, too, we consider that in these expeditions Arctic 

 travel was freduced to a very perfect system, that theldistance 

 from the point reached by the /'<'/«?« to the Pole is less than 

 has already been performed in some of the sledge journeys, and 

 that no life has ever been lost on a sledge journey, it is impos- 

 sible to doubt that a well-organised expedition would be able to 

 reach the Polar area. In the words of a well-known Arctic 

 explorer, " What remains to be done is a mere fleabite to what 

 has already been accomplished." Morton, the second male of 

 the Polaris, says, as the result of his third voyage, that he is 

 more than ever convinced of the practicability and possibility of 

 reaching the Pole ; and if I may express my own opinion, it 

 would be in the words attached to a picture at the last exhibition 

 of the Academy in London, "It is ,to be done, and England 

 ought to do it." 



Reports. 

 Report oil tlie Rainfall of the Brilish hies for the years 1S73-74. 

 We extract from the report the part relating to the rainfall of 

 the British Isles during the years 1S72-73. The very exceptional 

 character of the rainfall of 1S72 was mentioned in our last report, 

 but in accordance with a custom wliich has now prevailed for 

 twelve years, it was only incidentally referred to, the details being 

 deferred until the two years 1S72 and 1873 could be published 

 together. This course, which was originally adopted with a view 

 to economy in printing, has in the present instance had the fortu- 

 nate result of bringing together two very remarkable features of 

 each, of which we must speak separately. 



Raitfall of i?>-]2. — Records of rainfall have been collected and 

 discussed in our previous reports, which enable us to compare 

 the total fall in any year from 1 726 to the present time with the 

 mean fall. One of these tables (that facing p. 286 |Brit. Ass. 

 Report 1S66) contains nine long registers, extending over 140 

 consecutive years, but the greatest excess even at a single station 

 was only 58 per cent, (at Oxford in 1S52). In 1872 this value 

 was largely exceeded at a number of stations, as is shown by 

 Tables I. and II., whence it appears that at fourteen stations out 

 of 115, or 12 per cent., it exceeded this previously unparalleled 

 value. At thirteen the excess was greater than 60 per cent., and 

 it reached or exceeded 70 per cent, at the following stations : — 

 Shropshire, ShilTnall . Rainfall 77 per cent, above average iS6ij-6g. 



,, Shrewsbury . ,, 75 ,, 



,, Hengoed, Oswestry ,, 70 ,, ,J 



Northumberland, BywcII . ,, 77 „ 



Haddingtonshire, East Linton „ 70 ,, ,. 



No similar falls have occurred since 1 726, and there is no evi- 

 dence of such a fall since rainfall observations were commenced, 

 nearly two centuries ago. Full detailsYespecting the monthly fall 

 of rain in this very remarkable year are given in the appendix to 

 this report, and we think it may be regarded as fortunate that so 

 remarkable a fall has occurred at a jjeriod when, owing largely 

 to the operation of this committee, the system of observation is 

 in a state unprecedentedly near perfection. ■; 



The Rainfall </ 1S73. — If this year had stood by itself it would 

 merely have been classed as a rather dry year, and would have 

 soon passed into obhvion. Coming, however, immediately after 

 such an exceptionally wet year, it has produced the unusual 

 result of giving two consecutive years, one with twice the rainfall 



