110 



GOVERNMENT SCHOOL OF MINES. 



[1852. 



arc foimJ in its doptli':. In tliL- Britisli .-^eas it is to bo looked 

 for around the Zetlaiid.s and Hob)ides, where many of our most 

 curious auimals, forms of zoopbyte-s and ecliinoderms, have been 

 drawn up from tha abysses of the ocean. Its deepest recesses 

 have not as yet been e.xwiiined. Into tbis region we find' that 

 not a few species extend tbeii- range from tlie higher zones. 

 When tliey do so they often change tlieir aspect, esjiocialiy so 

 far as color is concerned, losing brightness of hue and becoming 

 dull-color or even colorless. In the lower zones it is the associa- 

 tion of species ratber than tbe presence of peculiar fomis which 

 gives them a distinctive character. All recent researches, when 

 scientifically conducted, have confirmed tbis classification of pro- 

 duces of depth. When we have an apparent exception, as in 

 the case of the submarine ravine oft' the Mull of Galloway, dredg- 

 ed by Capt. Beecby and recorded by Mr. Thompson, in which, 

 tbouo-h it is 150 fathoms deep, tbe fauna is that of the coralline 

 zone, we must seek for an explanation of tbe anomaly by inquir- 

 ino- into the geological history of the area in question. In this 

 particular instance there is every reason to believe that the i-a\ine 

 mentioned is of very late date compared with the epoch of dittu- 

 sion of tbe British fauna. 



When we trace tbe horizontal distribution of creatures in the 

 British seas, we find that though our area must be mainly or al- 

 most entu'ely referred to one of the great European marine pro- 

 \Tnces, that to which the lecturer has given the name of Celtic, 

 yet there are sub-divisions within itself marked out by the pre- 

 .sence or absence of peculiar species. Tbe marine fauna and flora 

 of the Channel Isles present certain differences, not numerous but 

 not the less important, from that of the south-western shores of 

 England, which in its turn differs from that of the Irish sea, and 

 it ao-aiu from that of the Hebi'ides. The Coniisb and Devon sea 

 fauna and that of the Hebrides are marked by redundancies of 

 sijecies; that of the eastern coast of England on tbe con- 

 trary by deficiencies. Along tbe whole of our western coasts, 

 whether of Great Britain or Ireland, we find certain 

 creatures prevailing, not present on our eastern shores. In 

 tbe depths oft' the south coast of Ireland we find an asemblage of 

 creatures which do not strictly belong to that province, but are 

 identical with similar isolated assemblages on the west coast of 

 Scotland. In the ^^'est of Ireland we find a district of shore dis- 

 tinguished from all other parts of our coasts by the presence of a 

 peculiar sea-urchin, to find the continuance of Avhose range we 

 must cross the Atlantic to Spain. In such phenomena the lec- 

 turer sees evidences of conformation of land, of outlines of coast 

 and connections of land with land under dift'erent climatal con- 

 ditions than at present prevail within our area, for an explanation 

 of which we must go back into the history of the geological past. 

 If we do so, we can discover reasons for these anomalies, but not 

 othenvise. 



The dredging researches about to be published, go to show 

 that among our sublittoral animals the northern element prevails 

 over the southern, — a fiict indicated by the number of peculiar 

 northern >i"iirs; al the same time the southern forms appear to 

 be dilfn-in^^- tliiin-ilM s imrllnvanU more rapidly than the nor- 

 thern do .southwards. This diffusion is mainly maintained along 

 our western shores, and appears to be in action, not only in the 

 British sea.s, but also along tho shores of Norway. We must at- 

 tribute it to the influence of warm eiuT<'n(s flowing northwards, 

 originating probably in extensions of thi' guir-strcam. The body 

 of colder water in the depths of our seas prc-jerves the original 

 inhabitants of this area, remnants of the fauna of the glacial 

 epoch, overlain and surrounded by a fauna of later migration, 

 and adapted to a highoi- temperature. A curious fact respecting 

 the marine creatures of the Arctic seas of Europe, viz., that tlie 

 . littoral and laminarian fonns arc ]ie.culiar]y arctic, whilst the 

 deeper species are boreal or eeltic, may be explained also by the 



influences of warm currents flowing north\fards and dift'using the 

 germs of species of more southern regions in the coralline and 

 i-leep-sea-coral zones; for in the arctic seas the temperature or the 

 water is higher at some depth than near the sui-firoe. On the 

 other hand, we find in a region farther to the south than Britain 

 an outlier of the Celtic fauna preserved in the bays of Asturias, 

 wliere it was discovered in 1849 by Mr. MacAndrew; a very 

 remarkable fact, and one appealed to by the lecturer as confirm- 

 atory of his theory of an ancient coast extension between Ireland 

 and Spain. 



There is still much to be done in the investigation of the nat- 

 ural history of our seas, and many districts remain for more 

 minute exploration. It is chiefly among articulate animals and 

 especially among worms, that fi'esh discoveries may be looked for. 

 Yet even now, new and remarkable forms of mollusca ma}' occa- 

 sionally be procured, and, during the autumn of last year, in a 

 cruise with Mr. Mac Andrew, no fewer than twenty additional 

 molluscs and radiata were discovered in the Hebrides, and have 

 just been described b}' tbe lecturer in conjunction with Professor 

 Goodsir. Among these is one of the largest, (if not the largest) 

 compound ascidians ever discovered. In our southernmost 

 province, fresh and valuable researches have been conducted dur- 

 ing the past year by Professor Aclaud and Di-. Cams, who, 

 selecting the Seilly Isles as a field for exploration, have filled up 

 a blank in our fiiuna. 



The lecturer concluded by an expression of gratification at the 

 spread and progress of natural history studies in Great Britain 

 among all ranks, and at the love of science manifested in the 

 systematic manner in wdiich our fauna and flora ha\e been 

 explored, and the beautiful works which have been pi'oduced in 

 illustration of them. 



Government Scliool of Mines. 



The session of 1852-3 was opened on Wednesday, 

 November 3rd, with an introductory lecture by Dr. Lyon 

 Playfair, on the very appropriate subject of the industrial 

 education on the Continent. A re^iew was taken of the vast 

 importance of skill and labour in the arts, by which this 

 country was enabled to import cotton from India and America, 

 to export it again as calico and manufactured articles; malachite 

 and other cupriferous ores from Russia and Australia, to be sent 

 to all parts of the wojid as refined copper, with many other 

 natural products which received an equal increase in value from 

 the hands of tho artizan, rendering it of the utmost importance 

 to cultivate the intellect, and improve industrial experience with 

 the light of scientific truth. It was then shown that intellectual 

 information on the Continent, as relates to the arts, existed to a 

 greater extent than in this country, partly owing to the care 

 bestowed on real scientific education there, and partly to the 

 British artizan relying too much on jiraetice, and too often sneer- 

 ing at the application of scientific theories, so essential for carrying 

 out that practice to a successful issue. It w&s also shown that 

 this education had led to the establishment and rapid growth of 

 new industries abroad, b}' which foreign states were realizing an 

 increasing amount of production, leaving us a decreasing stand- 

 ard. In describing tho \arious continental schools. Dr. I'layfair 

 commenced with Prussia, where there are three descriptions of 

 institutions, the G\Tiinasia, the Real Schools, and the Trade 

 Schools; pupils admiftrd at 14 years old for two yeai's, must 

 have had a prarti.',il cirnientary education, when they receive a 

 full coui'se of instruction, (pialifying them for minei's, engineei's, 

 architects, mathematicians, or for any branch of the arts for 

 which they may bo intended. The education is not gratuitous, 

 but does not cost each student more than from 30s. to 60s. per 

 aimum, wdiilo the cost to the Stat* for about 1200 students is 

 £7000 a year. Saxony also lias the same three kinds of schools. 

 Austria has no Trade Schools, but several polvteehnie establish- 



