TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION E. 735 



The voyage thence to Chainalpu, in Corea, and a description of that place, and 

 of Seul, the capital of the peninsula, next occupied his attention. The poverty of 

 the inhabitants of Corea, and their character, were then referred to, and a contrast 

 dravrn between the high standard of administration aimed at in China and the 

 absence of system that characterises the management of Corean affairs. The 

 curious dress of the people was considered by the author to be worthy of note and 

 of description. 



The probability of the country being practically annexed by some energetic 

 neighbour or foreigner was asserted, and the nature of the Chinese suzerainty 

 discussed. 



11. Universal Time : a System of Notation for the Ta-entieth Century. 

 Bij Sandford F. Fleming, C.M.G., LL.D. 



TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7. 



The following Papers were read : — 



1. A Journey in Western Algeria, May 1886. 

 By Colonel Sir Lambert Platfaie, K.C.M.G. 



The author started from Beni Saf, the newest and most westerly harbour in the 

 colony, which has lately been called into existence by the rich deposits of man- 

 ganetic iron ore in the district. Whole mountains are being blasted and carried 

 away ; during 1885 more than 300,000 tons were exported, chiefly in British 

 vessels ; and so perfect are the loading arrangements that 1,600 tons are usually put 

 on board daily. 



Proceeding westward in an open boat, he visited the island of Rachgoun, the 

 mouth of the Tafua, and the interesting Arab ruins of Hosn Ilonai. This city was 

 founded about the middle of the twelfth century by Abd el-Moumen, the first 

 sovereign of the Moahidin dynasty, whose government extended from Morocco to 

 Tunis, and embraced the south of Spain, Granada, Cordova, and Murcia. He him- 

 self was born in the neighbourhood, and, as an act of royal favour, he exempted 

 the city of his creation from imposts of every description. It became the port of 

 Tlem^en, and was frequented by galleys from every port of Barbary as well as 

 from Genoa and Venice. It was finally deserted on the occupation of Oran by the 

 Spaniards in 1509. 



The /;-we' walls are still standing, and enclose an area of 17 acres; now a 

 beautiful tangle of fig-trees and flowering shrubs, with abundance of clear running 

 water. 



The author drew particular attention to the extraordinary and hardly for- 

 tuitous occurrence of Jewish names in the district. Procopius mentions that in his 

 time two pillars existed at Tangier with the inscription, Wejiee from the robber 

 Joshua, the son of Nun. Here we have Cape Nun, a marabout dedicated to My 

 Lord Nun ; another to Our Lord Oucha, a village of Sidi Aissa, and a tribe called 

 Oxdad Ichou, the last tkree being different forms of the word Joshua. A little 

 further west is the tribe Oulad Haouren, or Children of Aaron, who are said to 

 possess a distinctly Jewish type. 



He landed at Nemours, the last town on the coast, and thence, proceedino- 

 south, he arrived at Leila Maghnia, an important frontier post. Close to Nemours 

 may be seen a rude but interesting monument covering the remains of the column 

 commanded by Colonel IMontagnac, which was exterminated by Abd el-Kadir in 

 1845. At 16 kilometres from the sea is the remarkable Berber city of Nedroma 

 surrounded with frise walls exactly like Honai. Until the last few years it was 

 inhabited exclusively by natives, but a few Europeans have lately settled there • 



