114 REPOET — 1867. 



On the Coasts of Vancouver's Island, British Columbia, and Russian America. 



By P. N. CoMPTON. 

 The author described the physical outlines of the coast-region of these countries, 

 visited by him during eight years' service in the Hudson's Bay Company, at Van- 

 couver's Island. The most marked featiu-e, between the straits of De Fuca and the 

 fifty-ninth parallel of latitude, is the numerous long inlets in the rocky precipitous 

 coasts. They run generally in a north-easterly direction, and vaiy in length from 

 thirty to seventy miles. The sceneiy in most of these inlets is grand in the ex- 

 treme : evei-y few miles cascades of water leap down the lofty, rocky sides, pro- 

 ceeding from the melting snows of the peaks that tower up a short distance in the 

 interior. An enumeration of these inlets was given, together with a more detailed 

 description of several of them. It is a cm-ious feature that none of the large 

 rivers of these countries discharge themselves into these deep inlets. Lynn's 

 canal, in Russian America, has large glaciers in its valleys, extending to the sea- 

 shore, from which they are separated sometimes only by a belt of trees. The 

 climate here is very severe ; and the author has seen, in the month of May, 4 feet 

 of snow close to the sea-level. This inlet is one of the longest on the coast, ex- 

 tending inland about seventy miles ; but it averages only about two miles in width. 

 The cl.mate of Russian America is extremely severe ; it is doubtful if any crop 

 but potatoes could be raised on its poor soil, and the amoimt of available land is 

 very limited. ______^^ 



On the Antiquit)/ of Man. By John Ckawfuhd, F.R.S. 

 Considerations were adduced by the author of this paper in support of the view 

 hat the period embraced by architectural and other records of the most ancient 

 nations forms but a small portion of the time that has elapsed since man's lirst 

 appearance on the earth. From the time in which he acquired the skill to frame 

 such records, we have to trace him back, over the manj' stages he had to pass 

 through, up to the discovery of his remains in caves, and even of those of his 

 handiwork in the most recent geological formation, the " drift." The localities, 

 moreover, wliich were favourable to the development of a people sufficiently ad- 

 vanced to produce enduring records of their existence are few in number. To trace 

 man's existence up to its earliest date, according to the author's view, we must go 

 beyond this, to the time wlien he was without speech, ignorant of every art, and, 

 like the lower animals, chiefly guided by instinct. 



On the History and Mir/ration of Sacchiferous or Suyar-yielding plants in 

 reference to Ethnology. By John Crawfued, F.R.S. 



On the Animal and Vegetable Food of the Ahoiigines of Australia. 

 By John Crawfued, F.R.S. 



On the supposed Plurality of the Races of Man. By John Ceawfttrd, F.R.S. 



On the s^ipposed Aborigines of India, as distinguished from its Civilized 

 Inhahitants. By John Ceawftjed, F.R.S. 



On the Complexion, Hair, and Eyes as Tests of the Races of Man. 

 By John Crawfued, F.R.S. 



On the Dissemination of the Arabian Race and Language. 

 By John Ceawfued, F.R.S. 

 Arabia, from one extremity to another, is inhabited by a single race of man, 

 apparently its aborigines. The physical geogi-aphy of their country must have eaily 

 divided the Arabs into two usually distinct classes — the nomadic shepherds fori he 

 desert, and the fixed agriculturists for the less sterile part of the country. Had the 

 people of Arabia been African negroes, or Malays, or even Hindoos, we may safely 



