Berieics — Baron Bichfhofen's China. 429 



storm suddenly became aware of a large meteor moving near them 

 with inconceivable rapidity and a rushing roaring noise. It had a 

 bright cherry red colour, "just the colour," as one of the party 

 observed, " of melted iron." The light was so brilliant that it 

 blinded them, and, notwithstanding the storm, lighted the entire 

 neighbourhood as clearly as the brightest day at noon. When 

 nearly overhead it exploded with a tremendous report. The entire 

 party were prostrated, hoi'ses and men, and some of them did not 

 recover their sight until some twenty-four hours later. The report 

 was distinctly heard at Warsaw, eleven miles distant as the crow 

 flies, and attracted a good deal of attention. The glass of the 

 windows was broken in a number of houses in the neighbourhood. 



S, IB "V I IE AA7- S. 



China. Ergebnisse eigener Eeisek tjnd darauf gegrtjndeter 

 Studien. Yon Ferdinand Freiherrn von Eichthoeen. Zweiter 

 Band. Das Nordliche China. 



China. Eesults of Personal Travels and Studies founded 

 THEREON. By Ferdinand Baron von Eichthofen. Second 

 Volume, Northern China. With 126 Woodcuts ; a Coloured 

 Landscape ; 2 Maps ; and 5 Geological Profiles. 4to. pp. 791. 

 (Berlin : Reimer, 1882.) 



N this massive volume Baron Eichthofen continues his descrip- 

 tions of the physical features of China, of which the first portion 

 appeared about five years since. The present work is restricted to 

 the northern portion of that widely extended country, and presents 

 to us the geological features of an extensive area hitherto com- 

 pletely unknown to science. The observations recorded were for 

 the most part obtained in the course of a series of rapid journeys 

 through the different provinces of the country, during which the 

 author accumulated a vast amount of geological details, which are 

 here given very fully. Fortunately for the reader a resume is given 

 of the geological features of each province, and also a general 

 summary of the country as a whole, and the verbal descriptions are 

 accompanied by excellent maps, woodcuts of scenery, and numerous 

 geological sections and profiles, so that the routes followed by the 

 author can be followed without difficulty. Though mainly devoted 

 to illusti'ating the physical characters, the work at the same time 

 includes a description of the climate, the economical productions of 

 the soil, and the character and occupations of the inhabitants of this 

 country, so as to permit a fairly complete picture of its conditions 

 under these various aspects to be formed therefrom. 



The geological history of China is referred to three great periods ; 

 the first of which comprises the formation of the Archaic rocks, and 

 the mighty disturbances to which they were subjected ; the second 

 begins with the deposition of a series of rocks of great thickness, 

 to which the author applies the term Sinisian, and extends to 

 beyond the termination of the Carboniferous ; the third period 



