* 
144 Miscellaneous Intelligence. 
the sweet oil of commerce by being pounded and thrown into boiling 
water. When roasted, and when not quite ripe, it far exceeds almonds — 
or walnuts. 
» We hope to reach the coast in a month or two. It is an entirely new 
path ; no European ever crossed the continent before. Arabs, however, 
have done it frequently, and it was accomplished by two native Portu- 
ese. This fact was deemed of so much importance, it was noticed in 
the history of Angola. There never was any chain of stations across the 
continent, as mentioned by some Portuguese. Pereira’s journey to Ca- 
zembe is known; he was heard of only here. Indeed the use they apply 
the ivory to shows they had none. The chief’s grave at Kalai had sev- 
enty large tusks placed around its edges, the points looking inwards, the 
bodies sunk half way in the ground; there were thirty on other graves, 
all rotten from exposure to the weather. This was the common applica- 
tion among all these tribes. _ 
. On Isothermal Lines ; by Prof. Hennessy, (Proc. Brit. Assoc., Aug. 
1856, Ath. No. 1503.)—After some preliminary remarks as to the general 
influence of the distribution of land and water on the forms of isothermal 
lines, the author sa 
ties in the surface of the island, as well as the modifying action of gen- 
eral winds, and the resulting changes in the shapes of the isothermal, = | 
were explained. By the introduction of solar radiation it now follows 
from the mathematical theory of heat that the entire quantity of heat re- 
ceived by a unit of surface of the island will depend on two principal — 
terms: one, a function of the distance of the point from the coast, and 
capable of being expressed in some cases as a function of the difference of 
latitude of that point and the nearest point on the coast,—and, secondly, 
a term depending on the latitude and on an elliptic function of the secom 
order, having for its modulus the sine of the inclination of the equator to 
the ecliptic. It hence follows that the effect of solar radiation will be to 
transport the centres of all the closed isothermals towards the pole of the 
hemisphere in which the island is situated. Some of the lines may thus 
ultimately terminate at the coast.with their convex sides turned towards 
the equator, while others may still continue as closed curves in the inte 
rior. the influence of. difference of latitude and direct solar radiation 
were greatly predominant compared to other causes affecting the temper 
ature of the island, the isothermals might all terminate on the coast. If 
the continents may be considered as immense islands so circumstanced, 
they become subjects for the application of these views. Prof. Hennessy =| 
then proceeded to show that the isothermals of Ireland strictly conformed = 
to his theory. On discussing the observations collected and arranged by _ 
Dr. Lloyd, in his “Memoir on the Meteorology of Ireland,” it appeats 
some of its isethermals are actually closed curves, while others t a 
at points on the coast, the shortest being close to the equator. 
ical structure of Ireland, and the difference of nearly 4 
t tween 
