March 25, 1880] 



NATURE 



505 



Mr. Hutchinson also made some interesting remarks, partly of a 

 speculative nature, on the river systems of the Binue and the 

 Shari, and their possible connection near Lake Chad. 



Mr. T. W. Moir, of the Central Africa Trading Company, 

 has just sent home from Livingstonia some notes of an expedition 

 from the Mombera country, near the northern end of Lake 

 Nyassa, to the north-west portion of the great basin of the 

 Loangwa, which falls into the Zambesi at Zumbo, above the 

 Kebrabasa rapids. Crossing the Kasitu river he marched a little 

 north of west through an uninhabited, undulating forest-land, 

 scantily supplied with water. Xo game was seen, but the tsetse 

 fly was very abundant in several swampy valleys. Mr. Moir 

 then crossed the Kukuru river, and after a march of twenty 

 miles further west and north-west, passed over a low sand; 

 watershed into the Loangwa basin. The country was that of 

 the Basenga, whose chief village is in the bend of a very small 

 stream which flows at the bottom of a deep broad course, pro- 

 bably well filled in the rainy season by the neighbouring Patto- 

 senga hills. In this part water was very seldom to be had, 

 except by digging in the watercourses, but the soil appeared 

 fertile. Mr. Moir was able to get very little information about 

 the surrounding country, as the people professed that they had 

 never dared to leave their villages owing to their dread of the 

 Mangoni. On the return journey the party passed through an 

 uninhabited tract, chiefly covered with rather scrubby forest, to 

 the Mombero country. In the Basenga country the first chief 

 met with was Tembwe, who, it is interesting to note, saw 

 Livingstone, probably in 1863, in the Tumbuka country further 

 to the south ; he has a large village, and there are generally 

 some Arabs there. The principal chief of the Basenga, Kam- 

 bombo, lives at the first-mentioned village, which is strongly 

 stockaded. Here an Arab caravan had settled down for a time, 

 having come from Zanzibar vid Ujiji. 



We regret to learn that fears are entertained in St. Petersburg 

 of the safety of Col. Prejevalsky, who at the last news was 

 attempting to make his way into Thibet from China. It is stated 

 that the German embassy at Pekin has received a letter from 

 Count Szecheny, who was following the Russian expedition, 

 saying he intended to return, not wishing to share the same fate 

 as befel Col. Prejevalsky, whatever that may be. Disquieting 

 rumours also come from Russian Turkestan as to the traveller's 

 safety. One guide returning from Chardini reports that while 

 he was searching for a road that had been lost, Prejevalsky and 

 his comrades disappeared, and he was obliged to turn back. We 

 earnestly hope these rumours may turn out to be unfounded'; Col. 

 Prejevalsky's loss would be a severe one to scientific exploration. 



Two Austrian travellers, the Times Calcutta correspondent 

 telegraphs, March 21, have arrived at Rangoon from China by 

 the overland route through Yunnan and Bhamo. They attempted 

 to enter Thibet, but were prevented by Chinese officials. No 

 doubt this is the party of Count Szecheny referred to above. 



In its last summary of colonial intelligence the Colonies 

 ami India furnishes a curious piece of news from New South 

 Wales, which recalls to memory a sad incident in Austra- 

 lian exploration. A few years ago, we are told, a man named 

 Hume, who had penetrated very far into the interior, stated that 

 there was a white man living with the blacks in the far west, 

 who, he was confident, was a survivor of Leichhardt's expedi- 

 tion. This assertion was at the time mostly disbelieved, but 

 information has now been received which leads to the impression 

 that Hume's statement was true, and thdt the white man in 

 ied about November, 1876, when making an attempt 

 to leave the black tribe with which he had been living, and to 

 reach the camp of some white explorers. 



From the Hongkong papers we learn that Commander 

 Salmond, in tl.M.'s Gunboat Midge, has recently paid a visit to 

 Sandakan Bay, in Northern Borneo, where he found Mr. Pryor, 

 the agent of the English Association, holding, as we have before 

 recorded, a large concession from the Sultan, diligently prose- 

 cuting his work of inquiring into the resources of the country. 

 The natives are reported to be quite content with his system of 

 administration. 



The current number of Les missions Catholiques contains the 

 first instalment of Pere Janvier Martini's account of his journey 

 from Khartum to Gardaref, as well as much information 

 respecting the late Abbe Debaize, who died at Ujiji on 

 December 12. Under the title of " Captivite et Deliverance," 



Pere Deguette also commences the narrative of his misfortunes 

 in Corea. 



The Frcsse of Vienna announces that Capt. Weyprecht is 

 making, in conjunction with Count Wilczek, the final arrange- 

 ments for a new Polar expedition. Many Dalmatian sailors 

 have already offered to take part in the expedition. Count 

 Wilczek and Capt. Weyprecht will shortly visit Hamburg to 

 confer with repre-entatives of various European Societies. 



According to the Times Candahar correspondent Mr. 

 Giesbach, geologist, has, at the Sirdar's special reque.-t, been 

 appointed by the Indian Government to report on the mineral 

 capabilities of the Candahar district. Major Leach, R.Ii., has 

 also been specially deputed for survey purposes in that district 

 under Col. St. John's orders. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE 



Cambridge. — The number of failures to pass the Local Ex- 

 aminations continues very large ; possibly this may be traced to 

 defective teaching of science subjects, and the relation of the 

 elements of the theoretical to the concrete aspects of geometry 

 and physics. Four senior girls and twenty three senior boys 

 obtained a first class. None of the former are distinguished in 

 the physical science subjects. Thirty-six junior girls and 215 

 junior boys obtain a first class. More than one-third of these 

 junior girls have distinguished themselves in one or more subjects 

 of physical science. 



Professors Paget, Stokes, Liveing, C. C. Babington, and 

 Dewar will lecture in the coming term ; also Mr. W. J. Sell 

 (Chemistry), Mr. Sedgwick (Demonstrations in Mammalia). 



Some new cases for the Bird Room, and apparatus for the 

 Chemical Laboratories has been voted. 



The late Dr. Andrew Vans Dnnlop of Edinburgh has left 

 the University of that City the residue of his estate, amounting 

 to about 50,000/. Of this sum, 30,000/. will, it is under.-tood, 

 be paid to the University authorities ; while the remaining 

 20,000/. will ultimately accrue to the University. 3,000'. i- to 

 be added to the general fund of the University ; and the re- 

 mainder of the 50,000/. is to be employed in foundin 

 I Vans Dunlop Scholarships," of the annual value of 100/. each, 

 tenable for three years. It is also provided by the will that the 

 first six scholarships created shall be for students of medicine, 

 while the others are to be equally divided amongst students of 

 the classes of chemistry, English literature, classics, political 

 economy, logic and moral philosophy, natural philosophy, 

 mathematics, natural history and engineering. 



SCIENTIFIC SERIALS 

 The Proceedings of the Limuran Soeiity of Nine South Wales, 

 vol. iv., parts I and 3 (Sydney, 1879). — Part I. Rev. J. E. T. 

 Woods, on some tertiary fossils ; describes a large number of 

 fossil shells from the tertiary (probably miocene) beds of Muddy 

 Creek, Western Victoria ; figures of all the species are given. 

 On some new marine shells from Port Jackson (three new species 

 described and figured). On some freshwater shells from New 

 Guinea (three new species of Melania, with figures) — On some 

 new marine shells from Moreton Bay (three new species). On 

 Arauja aliens (notice of its appearance at Moreton Bay). — F. 

 M. Bailey, on some of the introduced plants of Queensland. On 

 anew species of Asplenium from Trinity Bay Range. — W. A. 

 Haswell, M.A., on the Au-tralian species of Penajus (six species 

 described as new). A contribution to a monograph of the 

 Australian Leucosiida; ; adds twelve new species to the list of 

 Australian forms, i.e., four new species of Leucosia, two of 

 Myra, one of Myrodes, three of Phlyxia, one of Lithadia, one 

 of Arcania, nearly all of which are figured. — Wm. Macleay, on 

 some fishes from the Solomon Islands ; gives a list of fifteen 

 species, not one of which is mentioned in the fishes of this 

 group as given in the " Voyage of the Curafoa," and describes 

 a new species of Mesoprion. — E. P. Ramsay, on the zoology of 

 the Solomon Islands (enumerates forty-five species of birds). 

 Contributions to the zoology of New Guinea ; parts iv. a 1 v. 

 On Mr. Goldie's collections, with a list showing the distribution 

 of the species of birds. — N. de Miklucho-Maclay, the | 

 zoological station at Sydney. — E. Meyrick, on a micro-lepidop- 

 teron destructive to the potato (Lila solanella). — Dr. I 

 two new species of Helix from the Louisiade group. — Pari 2. 



