364 



SCIENCE 



[Vol. Y., No. 117. 



the courts, both written and spoken proceedings are in 

 English. In the examination of native witnesses, 

 and in the reading of documents in the native lan- 

 guage, the judges are allowed interpreters. In other 

 parts of India, however, the provincial language is 

 used, both in legal and in government transactions: 

 thus, in Bengal, the Bengalese is employed ; in Behar 

 and the north-western provinces, the Urdu and Hindu 

 dialects; in Madras, the Telugu and Tamil; the 

 official language varying in accordance with the dialect 

 used in each province. In law cases the magistrates 

 have the privilege of declaring which dialect is to be 

 considered legal. English-speaking officers (either 

 Englishmen or natives) can use English in rendering 

 their judgments, etc.; but they must be perfectly 

 familiar with the native tongue, and use it in inter- 

 course with the parties. Everywhere in the cantons, 

 schools are organized in which elementary instruction 

 in the provincial dialects is given: in all the more 

 important places there are schools in which English 

 is taught; and there are a smaller number of colleges 

 in which those higher branches, usually taught in 

 English bigh schools and colleges, may be studied. 

 Besides these, there are a considerable number of col- 

 leges especially devoted to tbe study of eastern dia- 

 lects. In this class are the midrassi (Mohammedan 

 theological high schools, in which philosophy and 

 science also are taught), and Sanskrit colleges and 

 schools, a considerable number of which are at present 

 encouraged and supported by the government. The 

 use of tbe native dialects has always been encouraged 

 by the English government; and in reference to this 

 there has never heen any agitation among the native 

 population. But there are numerous associations 

 with the declared purpose of protecting the interests 

 of the natives; and thus it happens that the wishes 

 of government which are in accord with the existence 

 and spread of education among the natives, are at 

 times supported by these associations. Petitions and 

 presentations may be drawn up either in the official 

 dialect of the province or in English. In reality, 

 documents of this kind always receive consideration, 

 whatever language is used. 



HAULING A STEAMER THROUGH 

 AFRICA. 



Fbom letters of one of the agents of the Inter- 

 national African association, we gather the following 

 account of the transportation of the steamer Le 

 Stanley along the banks of the Kongo from the 

 Atlantic to Stanley Pool. As the rapids in the river 

 necessitated the hauling of this craft over the land, 

 she was divided into nine sections, about eight feet 

 by sixteen, each of which was mounted on a heavy 

 iron wagon, especially designed for the purpose, 

 which required, through the roadless country on level 

 ground, some eighty Zanzibaris each to haul them. 

 It will readily be understood that in such a hilly 

 country considerable difficulty was to be met in 

 managing these wagons; and the transportation has 



not been effected without many accidents. As many 

 as twenty per cent of the men were generally inca- 

 pacitated for work by broken limbs, or wounds, 

 though only two were actually killed. This is a very 

 small proportion, when the dangers are considered to 

 which these fellows were exposed, which can be best 

 imagined when one thinks of a wagon of iron, loaded 

 with several tons of the same metal, running down a 

 steep hill, almost or entirely beyond the control of 

 its attendants. This down-hill movement was only 

 attempted with some fifty men in front, and two hun- 

 dred behind, exerting all their strength to check the 

 speed. The negroes would always stand by the 

 wagon as long as a white man did; but the minute 

 their white superintendent or commander had let go, 

 they followed his example with alacrity. The wag- 

 ons were steered by three of the Zanzibaris, who, 

 strange to say, always escaped, very possibly owing 

 to their superior agility. On one of the down-hill 

 movements, when a wagon got entirely beyond con- 

 trol, the wheels were broken off, and one was found 

 sticking in the mud, but another was never seen again. 





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The steamer, which by this time is probably fin- 

 ished, is a clumsy affair, of great beam and light 

 draught, about sixty-nine feet long. A clear idea may 

 be obtained of the form of the vessel from the accom- 

 panying plans of the section containing the two boil- 

 ers. When finished, the steamer will be eighty feet 

 six inches long, including the wheel, which is at the 

 stern; and about the same beam throughout, except- 

 ing at the bow, which is of course tapering. The 

 boilers are placed at the bow; and the machinery at 

 the stern, acting directly on the paddle-wheel, eight 

 feet four inches in diameter. Le Stanley is not a 

 beautiful boat, but will serve a good purpose on the 

 Kongo, where there were only a few steam-launches 

 before her completion. Her capacity is large, and, 

 when loaded, she draws only two feet of water. 



THE EFFICIENCY OF THE STEAM- 

 ENGINE. 



The results of a series of trials of steam-engines, 



tested without reference to the efficiency of the boiler, 



by Mr. J. G. Mair, and reported by him to the British 



institution of civil engineers, 1 will repay careful study 



1 Excerpts, Ixxix. part i. 



