about 180 rivers, of which the Kitangura and the Katanga were the largest. The former is crossed in large canoes; the latter, though much larger and broader, is crossed during the dry season by walking over lily leaves; but in the wet season it spreads out to an enormous size, and is quite unmanageable. The rainy season is very severe in these parts. No merchants have gone farther than Kibuga; but, at that place, they hear reports of a large and distant river, the Kivira, upon the banks of which the Bari people live. This river is believed by Captain Speke to be the White Nile."

Sir R. I. Murchison in reviewing the labors of the two explorers, remarked that "they have, by means of astronomical observations, fixed the position, the longitude and latitude of these two great lakes, and have shown you that whilst one is like other lakes, of which we had previously heard, situated on a great plateau, the other is situated at such an elevation that, as Captain Speke has explained to you, it may very possibly be found to feed the chief sources of the Nile. I will not now argue that difficult question, because I am quite sure there is one gentleman here, if not others, who may dispute that inference. I will, therefore, first call attention generally to the great importance of these discoveries. My friends here have not only traversed the district and furnished us with a good picture of the manners and customs of the inhabitants, but have also brought home rock specimens which enlighten us as to the fundamental features of this country; and to these rocks I will for a moment advert. Captain Burton placed before me this morning certain specimens which show me that at an elevation of upwards of 3000 feet above the sea and towards the interior there are fossilized land shells, showing that from very ancient periods the lands have maintained their present configuration. These deposits, whether purely terrestrial or lacustrine, have been consolidated into stone, and show that the existing internal condition of Africa is that of ages long gone by, as I took the liberty of pointing out to the society some years ago, when treating of Livingstone's first explorations. Another striking feature in connection with this great zone of country is this. You will observe that our friends spoke of remarkable herds of oxen on the banks of the lake Tanganyika, and tribes of people between that vast lake and the coast range, who are a thriving, peaceful, agricultural population, whilst the adjacent districts in the north and south are frequently disturbed by wars for slave-hunting purposes. This is a great fact as indicating a broad line of route by which we may hope hereafter to establish intercourse with the interior country. There is another important fact, though I do not think Captain Speke alluded to it, namely, the absence of that great scourge of parts of southern Africa, the Tsetse fly.

With regard to the physical geography of the country, it is remarkable that all the adjacent rivers fall into the great Tanganyika lake, which was formerly supposed, on the contrary, to afford the sources of the Zambesi river. All theory, therefore, on this subject is now set at rest. Lastly, we come to the subject which is likely, as I said, to give rise to much discussion, and that is the theory upon which I think my friend Captain Speke may rest his claim to our most decided approbation. On my own part I am disposed to think that he has indicated the true southernmost source of the Nile. Now, in saying this I do not mean to deny that the great mountains flanking the lake on the east, of which a point or two only is marked on the map before us, do not afford the streams which flow into this great lake. That must probably be the case on the east, just as Captain Speke ascertained from the Arabs that the so called "Mountains of the Moon" feed the same lake from the west by other streams. You must here recollect that the same Arab sheik who gave him the information which turned out to be correct concerning the existence of the lake Tanganyika also told him of the existence of the Nyanza, which lake was found to be exactly in the position indicated. As Captain Speke has determined that this great lake Nyanza is nearly 4000 feet above the sea, it may well, indeed, be the main source of the White Nile. Everything (as far as theory goes) being in its favor, this view is farther supported when we reflect on the fact that the tropical rains cause these upland lakes and rivers to swell and burst their banks at a period which tallies very well with the rise of the Nile at Cairo. These, then, are grounds which I think must go to strengthen the belief of Captain Speke, and I may, therefore, repeat what I stated at the anniversary, that highly worthy as Captain Burton was to receive a gold medal, not only on account of this great expedition which he led, but also for his former gallant and distinguished expeditions, Captain Speke, who now sits at your Lordship's left hand, is also entitled to a gold medal of the Royal Geographical Society."

H. SCHLAGINTWEIT ON THE SALT LAKES OF THE HIMALAYAS-At a recent meeting of the Royal Geographical Society of London, Mr. H. Schlagintweit exhibited some chromo-lithographic sketches of the Himalayan Mts., and in commenting upon the remarkable erosion which takes place upon that range, he spoke as follows of the salt-lakes which form a peculiarity of that region:

"Another consequence of the erosion is the gradual drainage of fresh water lakes, or their conversion into salt water lakes. It is very characteristic for the Himalayas, and in this respect they differ essentially from most other mountain systems in the world, that hardly any fresh-water lakes now occur. The only

few lakes of any considerable extent which have been made known by Captain Strachey, Captain Speke, and Major Cunningham, as well as those we visited besides, are all salt water. But the explanation we think we must give of this phenomenon is different from the explanation formerly given. Some have thought that a raising of the country might have caused a general drainage. We think that supposition rather improbable, from the recent strata round these salt lakes being all horizontal, and the outlets of these salt lakes being in a different direction in reference to the horizon. If any raising of the country had effected the drainage of the salt lakes, the effect would have been a perfectly different one, according to the position the outlet of these lakes had in reference to the points of the horizon, a modification which is nowhere met with.

"The Tso mo Ri ri and the Tso mo Gnalari, the two great salt lakes of Rupchu and Pankong, of which drawings are presented, happen to be a good example of two large lakes, being about equally salt, with differently directed former outlets, and with quite horizontal banks of detritus and of watermarks along their circumferences. The gradual progress of the erosion of the valleys seems to us to be also the chief cause of the gradual transformation of freshwater lakes into saltwater lakes in Tibet.

"By this progressive excavation thousands of square miles, still marked as former lakes by the form of the surface, have been emptied, and the consequence is that the local evaporation could no more keep the equilibrium with the precipitation; in consequence the lakes, of which parts remained undrained on account of their greater depth, now gradually became more and more salt."

JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON.-We have just received the twenty-eighth volume of the Journal of the Royal Geographical Society of London. Like the previous parts of this series it is full of important contribu tions to our knowledge of the physical geography of every country where British enterprize is manifested. We have heretofore quoted from the anniversary address of the President, Sir R. I. Murchison. To many of the other articles we shall have occasion to allude. The following is a statement of the contents of the volume:

Articles-1. Journal of the North Australian Exploring Expedition; under the command of Augustus C. Gregory, Esq. (Gold Medallist, R.G.S.); with Report by Mr. Elsey on the health of the party.-2. Notes on the Physical Geography of Northwest Australia; by Mr. James S. Wilson, Geologist to the North Australian Expedition.--3. Journey from Colesberg to Steinkopf in 1854-5; by Robert Moffat, Esq., F.R.G.S., Government Surveyor at the Cape.-4. Journey from Little Namaqualand eastward, along the Orange River, the Northern Frontier of the Colony, &c.,

&c., in August 1856; by Robert Moffat, Esq., F.R.G.S., Government Surveyor at the Cape.-5. A Coasting Voyage from Mombasa to the Pangani River: Visit to Sultan Kim were: and Progress of the Expedition into the Interior; by Captains Richard F. Burton, commanding the East African Expedition, and J. H. Speke, F.R.G.S.-6. Explorations in the Desert East of the Haurán, and in the Ancient Land of Bashan; by Cyril C. Graham, Esq., F.R.G.S., &c.-7. Contributions to the Knowledge of New Guinea; by Dr. Salomon Müller,-8. On the supposed discovery, by Dr. E. K. Kane, U.S.N., of the North Coast of Greenland, and of an Open Polar Sea, &c., as described in the Arctic Explorations in the years 1853, 1354, 1855;' by Dr. Henry Rink, M.D., Inspector in Greenland for the Danish Government.-9. The Yang-tse-Keang, and the Hwang-Ho or Yellow River; by William Lockhart, Esq., F.G.R.S.10. Extracts from a Journal kept during a Reconnaissance Survey of the Southern Districts of the Provinces of Otago, New Zealand; by J. Turnbull Thomson, F.R.G.S., Chief Surveyor.-11. Observations relative to the Geographical Position of the West Coast of South America; by Carlos Moesta, Director of the National Observatory, Santiago de Chile, May 29, 1856.-12. Excursion made from Quito to the River Napo, January to May, 1857; by Dr. William Jameson.-13. Description of the State of San Salvador, Central America; communicated by John Power, Esq., F.R.G.S., of Panama.-14. On the Latitude and Longitude of some of the principal places in the Republic of Guatemala; by A. van de Gehuchte.-15. On the Fine Regions of the Trade Winds; by Thomas Hopkins, M.B.M.S., Vice-President of the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society.-16. Remarks upon the Amount of Light experienced in high Northern Latitudes during the absence of the Sun; by Captain Sherard Osborn, R.N., C.B., F.R.G.S., Officier Légion d'Honneur, &c.17. Notes on the River Amúr and the adjacent Districts; by MM. Peschurof, Permikin, Shenurin, Vasilief, Radde, Usoltzof, Pargachefshi, &c. Illustrations.-1 and 2. Map to illustrate the Route of the North Australian Expedition, and Mr. Wilson's Paper on the Physical Geography of N.W. Australia.—3 and 4. Map to illustrate Mr. Moffat's Journey from Colesberg to Steinkopf; and from Little Namaqualand Eastward, along the Orange River.-5. Map to illustrate the Progress of the East Africa Expedition.-6. Map to illustrate Mr. Cyril Graham's Explorations East of the Haurán, &c.-7. Map to illustrate Dr. Rink's Paper on Dr. Kane's Arctic Explorations.-8. Map to illustrate Mr. Thomson's Survey of Otago.-9. Map to illustrate Capt. Sherard Osborn's Paper on Light in the Arctic Regions.-10. Map to illustrate Notes on the River Amúr.

Yale College Library, March, 1860.

ART. XXIII.-On the Species of Calceola found in Tennessee: Calceola Americana; by Prof. J. M. SAFFORD.

FOR many years it has been known that a species of Calceola occurs in the marly and glade-forming limestones of Western Tennessee. This species has been considered to be identical with the European C. sandalina of Lamarck, an error (for such I hold it to be) which has contributed much to the confusion that has existed with reference to the age of the limestones mentioned. Individuals of the species are frequently found upon marly glades of Decatur, Perry, Wayne, and Hardin counties. The identity of the species with C. sandalina (and a few other determinations of the same kind) once taken for granted, it was an easy matter to designate the rocks of these glades "Devo

nian."

Since my attention has been called particularly to this species, I have regarded it as distinct, and now propose for it the name Culceola Americana.

In the first place, its different geological position would, at least, indicate a distinct species. It is without doubt an Upper Silurian fossil, and moreover belongs exclusively, so far as my observations have extended, to the Niagara Period.* The grey marly limestones of the glades, although much alike lithologically, are generally easily separable, by their fossils, into two beds, the lower one representing, in part, the Niagara Period, and the other the Lower Helderberg. It is to the former of these that our Calceola belongs. Among its associates are Orthis elegantula, Platyostoma Niagarensis, Caryocrinus ornatus, Eucalyptocrinus decorus, &c. Halysites escharoides and Cladopora reticulata have been observed in a local coralline limestone resting upon the bed containing the Calceola.

In the second place, the characters which separate it from C. sandalina are well marked. In general form, it is much like the European species, but differs in the following particulars:†

1. In C. sandalina the central cardinal process or tooth of the large valve is divided longitudinally by a shallow linear groove, making the tooth apparently double; in all my large valves of C. Americana this tooth is not grooved, but, on the other hand, is rounded and smooth along its summit; it is moreover longer and larger than in the European species.

*The Niagara Period, as here used, is equivalent to the New York rocks from the Oneida Conglomerate to the Niagara Group inclusive.

In making these comparisons I have before me forty specimens of the Ameri can species and seven of the European. Of the first, one is an excellent specimen with both valves united, two are good specimens of the small valve, and the remainder are large valves. The small valves are seldom found. I have seen altogether four of them. Of my European specimens, one is entire with both valves, another is an excellent small valve, and the rest are large valves all in good condition.