34§ 



NATURE 



\Fcb. 12. 1880 



the geology, but of the physical geography of India, in connec- 

 a map of its hill ranges, that has nothing geologii al 

 about it. It is in this expres-ly geographical part of the 

 manual that I find the greatest range of snowy peaks in the 

 world omitted from a geographical notice and delineation of the 

 Himalaya. I did not allude at all to geology. 



Mr. Medlicott contends that the omission was due to the 

 irrelevancy of the great range to the matter in hand. But how 

 can a gre t range of the Himalaya be irrelevant to a geographical 

 description of that mass, or to a special map of the hill ranges of 

 India? And why should a prominent and leading feature lie 

 treated as a mere incident? In fact the omission was plainly 

 due to the survival of an old error or "antiquated theoiy," 

 which confiised the snowy peaks seen from the Indian plains for 

 the mo.-t part with the water-parting of the Sanpu and Ganges 

 basins, although the latter really forms a distinct but parallel 

 range further Co the north. In these days a clear understanding 

 of the superficial or geographical aspects of the mountain- on 

 the frontier of India cannot be overrated. The statesman, the 

 warrior, and the trader alike stand in need of it ; and misleading 

 or confuted representations of the subject may become of serious 

 moment. The ignored range is indeed to a great extent the 

 limit of the Tibetan Plateau and of the Chinese Empire, 

 the relations of which with India are rapidly rising into 

 importance. 



Mr. Medlicott's appeal to " the great gneissic axis " is not less 

 unfortunal e I ban the argument which he derives from " irrelevancy. " 

 If " the great gneissic axis " 1 ivides on the west of the Sutlej, it 

 may be presumed to be intact on the east of that river, where in 

 e it would be the more entitled to delineation and 

 notice. But the only parts of the Southern Himalaya inserted 

 in Mr. Medlicott's map of the Hill Ranges, are the Pir Panjal 

 and Dhanladhar, on the west of the Sutlej. Is there any ground 

 for identifying "the great gneissic axis" with the Northern 

 Himalaya, which alone is delineated east of the Sutlej, in prefer- 

 ence to the S 'Uthern Himalaya which is omitted ? It is enough 

 to say that neither of those ranges has been sufficiently explored, 

 to admit of a general conclusion on the subject. Therefore it is I 

 fair to add that even geologists must refrain for the present from 

 accepting Mr. Medlicott's dictum in that re-pect. 



Mr. Medlicott's penultimate sentence baffles my best efforts to 

 understand it It seems to be meant to be applicable somehow 

 to the region between the Indus and Sutlej. 



In conclusion I can find no good ground for treating the views 

 of geographers and geologists as wide apart, merely because a 

 great geographical fact has been neglected in an important 

 geological work ; and I hope that the omission will be rectified 

 in future editions. Trelavvny Saunders 



On Halley's Mount 

 Permit me to mention two suggestions which have been made 

 with reference to the article " On Halley's Mount " in Nature, 

 vol. xxi. p. 303, viz. : — 



1. That some mention should have been made therein relative 

 to Dr. Halley's official investigations (vide- Phil. Trans., vol. 

 xvii. p. 960, 1693). 



2. That it was not at Dr. Halley's private expense ' that the 

 "Principia" was published, although it was in consequence of 

 his urgent persuasion that Newton produced his great work 

 (cf. Preface to the " Principia "). 



It may be remarked that there is a biographical sketch of 

 Edmund Halley in Mr. Crookes's Monthly Journal of Science 

 for February, and that the Astronomer-Royal has signified his 

 hearty approval of the idea of the proposed monument in St. 

 Helena. 



The writer of the Article "On Halley's Mount'" 



2, Eastern Villas, Auglesea, Gosport 



"A Speculation Regarding the Senses" 

 IN a letter bearing this title (Nature, vol. xxi. p. 323) your 

 correspondent, "M.," while indulging in a most extraordinary 

 "speculation," observes that it is " not without some encourage- 

 ment in actual fact." He then adds: " The ascertained facts 

 of clairvoyance and mesmerism are what I have more e-pecially 

 in view," ecc. Now, whatever may lie the case with clairvoyants, 

 I think, to quote from "M.," that it must certainly "require 

 some peculiar state of mental calm" to enable a man, when 

 writing in a journal professedly scientific, thus quietly to assume 

 ^As inferred from Whcwell's " History of Inductive Sciences." 



the truth of all the astounding class of phen imcna to which he 

 alludes as "ascertained facts." Clairvoyants, spiritualists, ct 

 hoc genus otnnt, often complain that scientific men are arrogant 

 in their treatment of, or allusions to, the alleged marvels of the 

 modern seance ; and if we have regard to the jaunty manner in 

 which Dr. Carpenter rides his favourite hobby along "the high 

 priori road," I do not deny that the spiritualists have sufficiently 

 good ground for complaint. But let them not meet arrogance 

 with arrogance, or speak about facts which, at the best, are 

 highly doubtful as facts which have been " ascertained." 



My object, however, in writing this letter is not controversial. 

 I desire merely to represent to "M.," and any other of your 

 readers who may believe in the alleged phenomena of clairvoy- 

 ance, that it is their duty to have these " facts " properly sifted, 

 examined, and published. I have myself taken a good deal of 

 trouble to investigate the subject, and, while meeting with a 

 vat amount of hum ug, have also met with one or two things 

 that I am unable satisfactorily to explain. I therefore desire^to 

 prosecute my researches in this direction, without either bias or 

 prejudice, should I be able to meet with suitable material. If 

 " M." and his friends are right, and if I should satisfy myself 

 that they are so, I should give a wide publicity to my methods 

 and my results. If the phenomena should admit of repetition, 

 I should have them witnessed ami attested to by a selected num- 

 ber of the leading scientific men of the day. It would then be 

 time for "M." to speak about such "facts "as "ascertained." 



Here, then, is a fair offer by "a man of science " to investi- 

 gate any or ail of " the powers of darkness " without any feelings 

 of animosity against them. Will any clairvoyant or spiritualist 

 who really believes in his own belief supply me with an oppor- 

 tunity of so doing ? Any letters addressed to the care of the 

 Editor of Nature will be forwarded to me. F.R.S. 



Perforated Stones in River Beds 

 Travelling some months ago among the Cumberland lakes, 

 I was walling with a friend in advance of our conveyance 

 through a narrow road, when my attention was suddenly arrested 

 by the presence of some interesting shells and stones on the 

 window-sill of a peasant's cottage. Stopping to admire them, or 

 rather having taken some of them up in my hand, the woman of 

 the house — an intelligent person — came out, whereupon I apolo- 

 gised for my seeming rudeness, and asked where she got them. 

 She at once accepted my apology, and added that they, pointing 

 to the shells and stones, were often looked at by other travellers. 

 She further added that they were common enough in the Derwent 

 River hard by, and she made no difficulty at all about accepting 

 sixpence for the two of them I selected. 



Now as I have travelled a good deal in the public service and 

 otherwise, and seen many mountain and other streams in my day, 

 without ever meeting any of these perforated stone.--, I would like 

 to know if they occur elsewhere, and if so under w hat circum- 

 stances. The Derwent, a comparatively small and gentle stream, 

 flows, as we all know, through the beautiful valley of Borradale 

 into the pretty lake of the same name, near Keswick. I do not 

 know anything of the geology of the district, but there are slate 

 quarries and lead mines in the vicinity, and one of my stones 

 partakes indubitably of the former quality. The other is as clearly 

 a piece of granite, and if water be the sole tunnelling agent in 

 these substances, both well illustrate the truth of the old Latin 

 prase, "Gutta cavat lapidem, non vi, sed sa;pe cadendo." 



Another thing that struck me in connection with them was the 

 extraordinary likeness of one of them, at least, to the stone axes 

 or hatchets (I forget just now the technical name) figured by Sir 

 John Lubbock in his " Prehistoric Times." This was so striking 

 and obvious that, holding up the specimen, I said to my friend — 

 a gentleman connected with the Press — " Surely Lubbock must 

 have made a mistake, and taken one of these for a prehistoric 

 implement." Further observation only tends to confirm this first 

 impression, and I shall be glad to hear if any similar doubt has 

 occurred to others on sight of these objects. 1 will also be 

 anxious to hear if they are as common in the Derwent or other 

 rivers as this woman's language would imply, and 1 will other- 

 wise feel obliged for such information respecting them as the 

 courtesy or curiosity of your readers may enable them to supply. 



Warrington Wm. Curran 



Politics and Science 

 The Duke of Somerset, after "considering all the oppres- 

 sions that are done under the sun," writes about them all, 



