584 Meeting of the British Association. [Oct., 



meeting of the Association who excited any unusual interest, or 

 could aspire to the reputation of a " lion." 



Every one must have noticed the tendency of many speakers at 

 Dundee to adapt themselves to the prevalent theological opinions of 

 the Scottish people, and certainly either Sir Samuel Baker has 

 much narrower views on these subjects than most men of such a 

 wide experience of life, or he illustrated in a remarkable manner 

 that capacity of being " all things to all men," which is perhaps an 

 essential part of a successful traveller's character. His address was 

 a long one, occupying three quarters of an hour of rapid speaking. 

 It was well written and eloquently delivered, and though a captious 

 critic might object that it contained too frequent references to his 

 own travels and too much glorification of the Eoyal Geographical 

 Society, it was always interesting and sometimes instructive. A 

 few extracts will best illustrate those references to religion which 

 were so frequently indulged in, and which, however questionable 

 in point of taste, were well received by the local portion of his 

 audience. 



" Theology is closely interwoven with the study cf Geography ; 

 the history of man from the remote beginning is linked with a 

 description of the creation of the world, when God said — ' Let us 

 make man in our own image.' From that time the very elements 

 of our creed are connected with particular positions upon the 

 earth's surface. The most important events that have influenced 

 the march of civilization and the spread of Christianity have oc- 

 curred in certain places that throw intense interest upon the science 

 of geography. The wanderings of certain nomadic tribes seeking 

 for new pastures for their flocks have brought to light new countries, 

 and have implanted new religions. The arrival of Abraham from 

 Chaldea, the simple Arab chieftain with his followers, who settled 

 in a new country, laid the foundation of our Jewish history, fol- 

 lowed by those mighty events, at distant intervals, the Exodus 

 from Egypt, the building of Jerusalem, the birth of Christ, the 

 Roman conquest ; until at length by the victories of Caesar, the 

 West was rescued from its savagedom, and the road was opened to 

 Great Britain, to be followed by the light of truth. All this won- 

 derful train of progression is based on geography." 



The papers read on the first day's sitting were very inferior 

 and uninteresting, and excited very little discussion. One by Captain 

 Maury on the " Physical Geography of Nicaragua," repeated those 

 views on the " great equatorial cloud-ring," which are to be found 

 in his published works, and have so frequently been explained in 

 public. Mr. Crawford's paper on the " Australian Aborigines" was 

 no doubt a useful summary for visitors, to whom his ideas and 

 style were novelties, but contained nothing worthy of a permanent 

 record. 



