472 Chronicles of Science. [July? 



that much is still unexplored in the unknown regions of Southern 

 Africa, even if Mr. Samuel Baker, who was last heard of at Ungoro, 

 has been enabled to accomplish all that he wished and attempted, and 

 notwithstanding the labours undergone by Mr. Charles Livingstone, 

 Dr. Kirk, and the late young Thornton, each in his special line. In 

 conclusion, the President informed the Society that he had com- 

 municated with the Grand Imperial Geographical Society of St. 

 Petersburg on the subject of an expedition to the North Pole, and 

 that, emboldened by their support, he had appealed to the First Lord 

 of the Admiralty and to Her Majesty's Government, enumerating the 

 advantages to science to be derived from a North Polar expedition, 

 and transmitting copies of various supporting documents from other 

 Societies. 



VII. GEOLOGY AND PALEONTOLOGY. 



(Including [the Proceedings of the Geological Society.) 



Sciences bear to one another much the same relation as kingdoms and 

 empires ; and the connections of the latter by trade resemble, not 

 very remotely, the aids which sciences give to each other. Thus 

 geology has been assisted by several sciences, and has helped them in 

 return ; but it is generally considered that her " imports " have greatly 

 exceeded her " exports." We are therefore glad to be able to adduce 

 an important item towards producing a balance. 



Geography and geology are naturally closely allied ; to the one 

 belongs the surface of the earth, to the other its substance. Of late 

 years physical geography has been considered a separate science, 

 forming the border-country between the two ; and though it belongs 

 more strictly to geography, it has necessarily been extensively in- 

 vaded by geologists. 



The physical features of mountains constitute an important subject 

 of investigation to physical geographers, and the Alps have attracted 

 their attention perhaps more than any other range. Until recently it 

 was the custom to consider all great groups of mountains as forming 

 " chains," but the irregularity of the Alpine so-called " chain " has 

 long been a source of perplexity to its investigators. Geology has 

 lately, however, suggested an explanation of this irregularity, and 

 several Swiss geologists have come to the conclusion that the Alps do 

 not form a " chain " of mountains at all ; but that they consist of a 

 number of central masses of crystalline rocks, flanked by valleys of 

 slate, or other softer material. In other words, there is no great axis 

 of upheaval ; but the elevatory force was exerted at a number of points 

 having no very evident linear connection, and separated by intervals of 

 lower ground consisting of less crystalline rocks than the higher 

 peaks 



This theory has received its greatest development from M. Desor, 

 in his work ' Der Gebirgsbau der Alpen,' just published. He describes 



