4 
. Scientific Reviews. 193 
three horses’ hoofs ; the buffalo, the wolf, the timid and various antelopes, and 
the baboon, were all clearly to be traced. 
“* The African sun of mid-day now poured all its fire upon us ; and it was with 
difficulty I could carry my gun, and the far-searching eyes of the hunters in vain 
looked around. 
‘© The only animals we had seen, were three buffaloes that rushed down the 
side of the hill close to us, and disappeared in the deep hollow below. We had 
passed in our search several bodies of elephants, their bones bleached by sun and 
shower, showing through the black shroud-like shrivelled skin, and at one place 
the skeleton ofa rhinoceros lay close to that of its mighty enemy. 
“¢ The search was becoming hopeless, when the leader pointed to a distant 
hill ; there was a consultation, in which it was decided that a troop of elephants 
was passing over it. I looked, and could see nothing. But now we went on 
with fresh vigour, and gained the hill opposite to that on which they were; we 
halted and watched; a few words passed between the hunter and Skipper, and 
we descended silently the ravine that divided us. Again they whispered—mark- 
ed from what point the light breeze came; and we commenced the steep ascent 
in a direction that the wind might come from the animals to us; for we were 
now so near them, that their quick scent would have discovered us. Skipper led, 
while we followed in Indian file, threading a narrow rocky path, which skirted 
one bank of a small hollow, while the huge beasts were feeding on the opposite 
one. The leader halted, the hunter gave my companion and myself lighted 
sticks, and whispered directions to fire the bush and grass, and to retreat, in the 
event of the animals charging. It was a strange feeling to find myself within 
twenty yards of creatures whose forward movement would have been destruction ; 
but they stood browsing on the bushes, and flapping their large ears, pictures of 
indolent security. We were taking our stations when we heard a shot, and then 
‘another, and of the eight elephants, seven fled, We went forward to see the ef- 
fect of the shots. Skipper’s had carried death with it ; the elephant had fallen, 
but rose again. I never heard any thing like its groans; he again fell, and we 
went up to him ; the ball had entered behind the shoulder and reached the heart.”’ 
Pp. 216—220. 
‘Review of the Discussion on the exisience of Active Molecules 
in Organic and Inorganic Bodies. 
Ir was not considered one of the least important divisions of this 
our critical department, when we announced our intention of ocea- 
sionally giving an analysis of the principal scientific discussions 
which occupy the attention of learned men. Indeed, it has gene- 
rally been found the shortest method of arriving at truth, to deter- 
mine before setting off which track should be pursued, and half the 
difficulty of forming an opinion, on a given question, is to know 
what that question means. How many a dispute has concluded, 
by the discovery that the only difference lay in the arbitrary accep- 
tation of a term! And how frequently does it happen with the 
most philosophic men, that science has been disgraced by their 
imperfect conception of the views they rancorously oppose! If 
Fleming, knowing the facts, had clearly understood what Cuvier 
asserts, he would not have been tortured by Conybeare’s merciless 
lash ; nor would the Royal Society of ee have tottered in 
VOL. I. : B 
