576 
NATURE 
(Oct. 15, 1885 
SUBMARINE DISTURBANCE 
HE following is an extract from the Meteorological 
fs log kept by Capt. R. J. Balderston on board the 
ship Belfast :-— 
‘.“ On December 22, 1884, at about ten minutes to 3 a.m., 
local ship’s time, or 21d. 19h. 6m. Greenwich mean time, 
the ship Belfast, of Liverpool, was shaken by an earth- 
quake which lasted from about 75 to 90 seconds. The 
vessel at the time was in latitude 34° 34’ north and longi- 
tude 19° 19’ west, the island of Madeira bearing true S.E., 
distant 145 miles. 
“The shaking of the ship was accompanied by a loud 
rumbling noise, which, as heard from the cabin, resembled 
the sound which would be made by the rolling of large, 
empty, iron tanks about the decks, but which, as heard 
from the upper deck and in the open air, was as that of 
not very distant thunder, and it appeared to fill the whole 
of the air. 
“T did not hear the commencement of the thunderous 
sound, and cannot say on what compass-bearing of the 
visible sky it commenced, but it travelled rapidly through 
the air and towards the S.W. 
“ The vibration of the vessel and the noise were greatest 
during the first 50 or 60 seconds; the former then died 
gradually away and ended in the very faintest tremor, 
while the latter, as it travelled south-westward through the 
atmosphere, died out with a low roar as it appeared to 
sink beyond the horizon. 
“The helmsman found the steering- wheel much shaken 
as he held it, and in the cabins and cook-house, tin ware, 
crockery ware, and other light articles were rattled about. 
“This little earthquake occurred three days prior to the 
commencement of the earthquake which caused so much 
loss of life and property in Spain. 
“ Meteorological Office, October 9” 
THE BOTANICAL GARDENS IN JAVA 
URING the last few years so many useful and im- 
portant improvements have been made in the 
botanical gardens at Buitenzorg and Tsi-Bodas that it 
might not be amiss if the attention of the readers of 
NATURE were again drawn to these valuable seats of 
systematic and philosophical research. 
On entering the gardens at Buitenzorg the stranger is 
at once struck with the wealth and luxuriance of the 
vegetation he sees, the great height of the trees whose 
trunks and branches are in many cases covered with 
heavy creepers, the dense copses of the different species 
of bamboo, the eccentric-looking screw-pines and the 
handsome palm trees ; but the scientific observer is also 
struck with the care that has been taken to arrange all 
these many varieties of tropical plant life in, as far as 
possible, their systematic order, and that each specimen 
has its scientific, and in many cases its Malay name also, 
clearly and distinctly printed on a little board by its side. 
It is not difficult for any one to find his way about the 
garden, and in a very short time he can discover the par- 
ticular family or group of plants which he may desire to 
study. Many families have probably more representa- 
tives in these gardens than in any in the world. The 
Sapatacez, for instance, so rarely seen in Europe, are 
here represented by a great variety of genera and species, 
and the Palmacez, the Rubiacez, the Burseracez, the 
Orchidacez, and other families have now a large number 
of rare and interesting representatives. 
The herbarium which is attached to the garden con- 
tains a large collection of dried plants and seeds collected 
together from the many expeditions into the little or 
unknown parts of the archipelago and from other sources. 
Attached to the herbarium there is a comfortable and 
convenient little library which contains most of the 
mportant botanical books and journals. 
The laboratory, which, thanks to the energy of Dr. 
Treub, the director, is now completed, is a large, lofty and, 
for these climes, particularly cool room, and is well fitted 
out with reagents and apparatus for carrying on botanical 
research. The generous invitation which Dr. Treub has 
issued to naturalists and to which the attention of the 
readers of NATURE has already been directed has at- 
tracted several scientific men of different nationalities, 
and some excellent research has already been made in 
this laboratory. 
When I arrived in Buitenzorg Dr. Treub was at Tsi- 
Bodas; so, after spending a few days in study in the 
gardens, I made the journey across the mountains to pay 
him a visit. The road from Buitenzorg to Tsi-Bodas 
crosses the Poenchuk Pass and is full of interest and 
beauty. On the way the traveller passes quite close to 
the Talaga Werner, the crater of an extinct volcano which 
is now filled with water, and forms a most beautiful little 
lake hidden in the dense foliage of the mountain slopes. 
The path from the road to the lake is through a dense 
wood of fine forest trees, and amongst the undergrowth 
is found many fine shrubs and plants which are not found 
in the low-lying country beneath. 
The gardens at Tsi-Bodas are situated on the slopes of 
the Gedeh Mountains, at an altitude of 5000 feet, and 
here I found Dr. Treub at work in the comfortable little 
house which is attached to the gardens. 
From this spot a very wide range of vegetation may be 
studied, from the rich and varied vegetation of the plains 
to the interesting vegetation of the Gedeh and Pan- 
geranso peaks, at an elevation of 10,000 feet. In the 
gardens themselves a very fine collection of Coniferz 
from America, China, Australia, and other parts of the 
world has been got together, and spaces have been cleared 
for the growth of the various species of Eucalyptus, 
Cinchona, and other plants. Year by year the surround- 
ing forest is being encroached upon by these gardens to 
make room for new importations. I was extremely sorry 
that I could not prolong my stay at Tsi Bodas, but I had 
to return to Batavia to catch the Molucca boat. I saw, 
however, enough to convince me of the great importance 
of these gardens for the advancement of our botanical 
knowledge and the great opportunities they afford for 
research into all branches of the science. 
I need hardly say that the climate in this region is ex- 
tremely pleasant and invigorating, and the neighbouring 
village of Sindanlaya is much resorted to by Europeans 
and others whose health has suffered on the coasts or 
low-lying districts of the Archipelago. At Buitenzorg 
the climate is by no means unpleasant or unhealthy, but 
as it lies a few thousand feet lower than Tsi-Bodas, it is 
naturally a good deal warmer; but I am assured that 
several Europeans have worked there for several years 
without feeling their health the least bit affected. 
It is hardly necessary to add that every one who has 
come over to Java to work in these gardens has been 
amply repaid for the time spent in the long journey over 
the sea, for the insight which can be gained here into 
what tropical botany really is is one which can be gained 
nowhere else in the world so well, and leaves an impres- 
sion which is not likely to be forgotten in a lifetime. 
Batavia, July SYDNEY J. HICKSON 
ON CERTAIN NEW TERMS OR TERMS USED 
IN A NEW OR UNUSUAL SENSE IN 
ELEMENTARY UNIVERSAL GEOMETRY. 
Point, Line, Plane, Space, Extension 
LINE may as usual be understood to mean a right 
line unless the contrary is stated. 
Representable extension will comprise the concepts 
corresponding to the first four terms above written. So 
