May 3^, 1895.] 



SCIENCE. 



575 



relatino; to astronomy liaving been made, 

 there has resulted a keen interest in experi- 

 mental science; so that he is a welcome 

 addition to the membership who takes in- 

 terest in any branch of what was formerly- 

 styled natural philosophy. 



During the years 1S9.3 and 1894 the sub- 

 ject of magnetism and electricity engaged a 

 large portion of the time spent at the reg- 

 ular meetings. Spectroscopy, quite apart 

 from its bearing upon astronomy, has also 

 been a subject of interest. A valuable 

 note, by Mr. A. F. INIiller, on the spectrum 

 of the light emitted by insects, appeared in 

 the volume of Transactions for 1893. 



In the earlier years of the Society's ex- 

 istence the meetings were held at the resi- 

 dences of members, but it was ultimately 

 found that one central place of meeting 

 would be preferable, and for some time past 

 the regular meetings have been held in the 

 rooms of the Young Women's Christian 

 Guild building. Here the librarj^ is kept 

 and the secretary has his office. The So- 

 ciety suffered another loss in October, 1894, 

 by the death of the president, Mr. Carpmael, 

 whose health had been impaired for some 

 time previously. A short sketch of ^Ir. 

 Carpmael's veiy active life is appended to 

 the Ti-ansactions for 1894. 



Dr. Larratt W. Smith, Q. C, succeeded 

 Mr. Carpmael in the presidential chair, and 

 the office vacated bj- the former is now ably 

 filled by Dr. E. A. Meredith, formerly 

 Deputy Minister of the Interior, and the 

 predecessor of Sir Wm. Dawson in the 

 presidential chair of McGill University, 

 Montreal. The great work always before 

 the Astronomical and Physical Society of 

 Toronto is the founding of a popular ob- 

 Bervatorj', in the true sense of the term; 

 not being too sanguine, it is still hoped that 

 steps will soon be taken to this end. It is 

 a matter of regret that there is no astro- 

 nomical equipment in Canada able to meet 

 all the requirements of modern astronomj-. 



Two of the members of the Society, 

 Messrs. Z. M. and J. R. Collins, have been 

 verj' successful in making silver-on-glass 

 specula, and have figured several of eight- 

 inch ; having recently fitted up apparatus 

 for the work, it is contidentlj- expected that 

 they will soon be able to undertake the 

 construction of very large reflectors. It is 

 not too much to hope that they will be able to 

 execute the telescope when the public spirit 

 of the Toronto people demands a great ob- 

 servatory, and this may be in the near 

 futiire, for, in regard to popularizing science, 

 the Toronto Society has been eminently 

 successful. A branch of the association at 

 Meaford, Ont., has recentlj' been formed, 

 and other similar societies are already 

 spoken of. Thomas Llndsay. 



CORRESPONDENCE. 

 THE RIVERS OF EDEN. 



To THE Editor of Science: Referring to 

 a note on the ' Garden of Eden ' in Scienxe 

 (May 3, 1895). I desire to point out that in 

 a series of ai'ticles. under the heading ' Gold, 

 Bedolacfi and Shoham Stone,' in the ' Ex- 

 positor ' (Loudon, 1887), I showed that the 

 only possible scientific explanation of the 

 geography of Eden in Genesis is that based 

 on the geological explorations of Loftus, and 

 now advocated by Prof Haupt, namely, that 

 the four rivers are the Khei-khat, Karun, 

 Tigris and Euiihrates. Farther I showed 

 that the geography and geology of this 

 ancient author are more accurate than those 

 of modern maps and popular statements 

 until within a very recent time, and that 

 the local standpoint of the original writer 

 was on the Euphrates, and his date not 

 long after that of the historical deluge, 

 whatever views may be held by critics as to 

 the ultimate editing of the book. Delitsch 

 and others have been misled by their want 

 of knowledge of the condition of the dis- 

 trict in the earliest human (Palanthropic) 

 age, whereas this was evidently known 



