Fune 18, 1885 | 
NATURE 
163 
At Greenwich on June 21 
Sun rises, 3h. 45m. ; souths, 12h. Im. 30'§s.; sets, 20h. 1Sm. ; 
decl. on meridian, 23° 27’ N.: Sidereal Time at Sunset, 
14h. 19m. 
Moon (Full on June 27, rh.) rises, 14h. 14m.;souths, 19h. 44m. ; 
sets, th. 5m.*; decl. on meridian, 8° 24’ S. 
Planet Rises Souths Sets Decl. on meridian 
h. m. h. m. h. m, a a 
Merciitys<s 3.02) |<... Dl 20) <-. 19/40) :.. © 23) 33)N: 
Wendswere) Agss0 nce I2 59 ne 20 1S cs 23 5D IN. 
Mars Reroie Aw .s  TO Os Mil7 EGO cr 20120) Ni 
Jupiter Quon a 1ONnS 3 PI) eee Nie GINS 
Saturn BeAge ee Utah oie 20 mee, 22 30N. 
* Indicates that the setting is that of the followingiday. 
Phenomena of Fupiter’s Satellites 
June h. m. June h. m. 
22 sO we occ, disapeli25 |... 22 30 111. cl reap. 
220e ZOLA wile tregn: 27 zOy29)) oLautresag. 
The Phenomena of Jupiter's Satellites are such as are visible at Greenwich 
June h. 
mp2Th ss.) — Sun at greatest declination north ; longest 
day in northern latitude. 
24... 8 ... Mercury at least distance from the Sun. 
ZO mien 20) Venus at least distance from the Sun. 
2c B15 Mercury in superior conjunction with the 
Sun. 
GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES 
THE last issue of the /2ves/za of the Russian Geographical 
Society (xx., 6) contains an interesting paper, by M. Kosyakoff, 
topographer, who accompanied, in 1882, Dr. Regel during his 
journey through Karategin and Darvaz. The paper deals almost 
exclusively with the topography of the explored region, and 
thus gives a plain description of the explored routes, containing 
the necessary topographical data for forming an opinion on the 
much-debated questions as to the orography of that part of the 
Pamir region. A route-map, on the scale of ten miles to an 
inch, accompanies the paper. Starting from Penjkent, M. 
Kosyakoff soon reached the 9800 feet high lake, Kouli-kalam. 
Then he crossed the 12,000 feet high and snow-covered Bad- 
khana Mountains which separate the Zarafshan from the upper 
Surkhab, tributary of the Fan, and continuing to make his way 
amidst deep and rocky mountain-gorges, he soon reached the 
lake, Iskander-kul, 7120 feet above the sea-level. Thence, 
crossing the Mura Pass, richly clothed with vegetation on its 
northern slope, the expedition descended to Karatag and Hissar, 
and, by a route quite suitable for carriages, they proceeded 
further to Kabadian. A good route along the Waksh River 
brought Dr. Regel and his travelling companions to Kurgan- 
tube ; but, to reach Koulab, they had to cross the Tash-robat 
Pass, all covered from top to foot with pistach trees. From 
Kulab, which is more animated than Kabadian, the expedition 
went tothe rich Mumin-abad Valley, peopled with Tadjiks agri- 
culturists ; thence to the twenty-five villages of the Dara district, 
and, continuing their journey north-east on the right bank of the 
Pendj, they soon reached Kala-i-khumb. The Pendj River 
being there but thirty-five miles distant from Tavil-dara on the 
Waksh, the expedition went there before proceeding further up 
the Pendj, and followed the upper Waksh in a north-east direc- 
tion for some fifty-five miles. From Kala-i-khumb, M. Kosya- 
koff made a further very interesting excursion up the Pendj and 
its tributary, the Vantch, up to its source, whence he was com- 
pelled by a fever to return to Kala-i-khumb and thence to 
Samarcand. The map published by the /zzes¢ia contains, more- 
over, the very interesting route from Tavil-dara to Bal-juan, and 
thence to Hissar, and further west to Baisoun, Anar-bulak, and 
Yar-tube. 
® AMONG the works announced for this year by the Russ’an 
Geographical Society we see the last fascicule of the valuable 
** Geographical and Statistical Dictionary of Russia ;” the atlas 
of maps to accompany Baron Kaulbars’ work on the delta of the 
Amu-Daria ; a geoznostic map of the shores of Lake Baikal, by 
M. Chersky ; the work of Dr. Sperck on the Amur region ; anda 
work by M. de Vollan on the songs of Ugrian Rus-ians. There 
is promised, also, the long-expected results of the great survey 
of Siberia, from the Ural Mountains to Lake Baikal, accom- 
plished in 1874. The commander of the expedition having died 
since, the work had to be given for calculations to other persons ; 
but now the name of M. Tillo, who has undertaken its publica- 
tion, is a guarantee that this capital work will not be lost to 
science. 
Dr. Fiscuer, of the University of Marburg, the author of a 
monograph on the climate of Mediterranean countries, read a 
paper before a recent meeting of the Verein fiir Erdkunde at 
Halle on the morphology of the coasts of the Mediterranean, 
which is reprinted in the Hadlische Zeitung. ‘‘The Mediter- 
ranean,” he said, ‘‘ was specially important for some investiga- 
tions into physical geography, for it has been the theatre of a 
long history, and we have therefore information about its coasts 
extending over many centuries. Although it washes the shores 
of three continents, this sea exhibits a striking similarity in its 
fauna and flora everywhere. It must, therefore, in its present 
form, belong to one of the most recent geological periods, even 
though particular basins may be much older. It owes its origin 
to great movements in the crust of the earth, and the form of its 
coasts is attributable to the same cause, modified by more recent 
influences. In the present coast formation in the north-western 
basin, two different types are perceptible, which may most con- 
veniently be designated as the North Sicilian and the Languedoc 
types. If we follow the coast of Italy from Naples, then the 
Sicilian and North African coasts around to the Straits of 
Gibraltar, we meet with twenty-two smaller bays having the 
form of a semicircle. Their sizes do not vary greatly, the chord 
of the smallest being 15 km., that of the largest 65, and that 
of the great majority between 30 and 35 kms. Over this extent 
the coasts are almost everywhere precipitous, and a short 
distance from the shore the sea deepens rapidly. How has this 
formation arisen?” Quoting Suess’s ‘‘Das Antlitz der Erde,” 
Dr. Fischer said, ‘‘ there appeared to be all along this coast a 
great fissure in the crust of the earth, The formation of the 
Appennines, the Atlas and the occurrence of volcanic phenomena 
along the whole line would point to this. But this would not 
account for the bays here mentioned; many of these are 
probably due to the sea washing away the softer from amongst 
the harder rocks. The projecting headlands are hard, old, 
crystalline rocks, while inside are the newer and softer kinds. 
These inlets, too, are not found everywhere along the coast, but 
only where the harder rocks are present. That the coasts here 
are greatly exposed to denudation by the action of the waves is 
shown by the numerous caves and cliffs, and the violent surge 
which beats against the vast harbour-works of the French on 
the coast of Algeria. The prevailing winds there are north and 
north-east, and thus assist the waves. Another factor is the 
current, which flows eastwards along the north coast of Africa 
from the Straits of Gibraltar. This meets the projecting capes 
and headlands, which deflect part of it into the bays, creating in 
the latter a counter-current which acts as a scour, keeping the 
bottom free from alluvium, and also exercising its influence on 
the semi-circular formation of the inlets. The Bay of Tunis is 
an exception. This is much deeper than the others, and the 
currents cannot therefore exercise the same influence over it. The 
alluvium is deposited, the River Medjerda brings down its con- 
tribution, and the result is a constant formation of land there. 
This bay belongs rather, on this account, to the second type, 
existing on the Mediterranean coasts of Northern Italy and 
Languedoc. The Tuscan coast was originally similar to that of 
Lower Italy, but it has now been altered beyond recognition. 
Here, to the west of the Appennines there is a wide district with 
easily-denuded rocks. The rivers, especially since man uas so 
disafforested the region, bring down vast quantities of alluvium. 
The current which flows into the Tyrrhenian Sea is deflected 
northward along the coast, and causes the deposit of the allu- 
vium inshore, so that the ancient bays are gradually silting up. 
In ancient times the shores of this now harbourles sea had 
numerous bays, and Tyrrhenians were skilful navigators. At 
the mouth of the Arno the operation is best seen. Pisa, which 
was founded as the port on the sea at the moutk of the river, 
was no longer on the coast in Strabo’s time, and is now some 
distance inland. The land-formation on the coasts of Languedoc 
is even more striking. In former times there were steep shores, 
protected by a row of islands, behind which lay a calm inland 
sea, on which the city of Narbonne was built. The sea silted 
up from inside and out—from inside by the rivers, from outside 
by the currents created by the frequent south-east winds which 
conveyed the alluvium of the eastern rivers, especially the 
Rhone, and deposited it there. The islands became joined to 
the land, and the inland sea disappeared. Thus arose on these 
coasts the flat plains, behind which are small lakes and marshes. 
