by some account of the revolt against the Chinese dominion, which, after lasting a hundred years, was overthrown in 1863; after which the present ruler, with his Uzbeg troops, defeated the Tunganis, and successively made himself master of the different places, and is now master of the country. But his tenure is precarious, and his fear of assassination causes him to change his apartment every every hour during the night.—In the ensuing discussion, the president stated that, so far from Russia regarding our commercial entrance into Eastern Turkestan with jealousy, the Czar and Prince Gortschakoff had both assured Mr. Forsyth that so long as the Atalih Ghazee confined himself to the country south of the Tian Shan, Russia would not interfere with Eastern Turkestan.—The president also pointed out that Mr. Hayward's discoveries had confirmed A. von Humboldt's theory as to the salient points of the mountain systems of Central Asia. Mr. Hayward was about starting to explore the Pamir Steppe, by way of Ghilghit. Sir H. Rawlinson mentioned that he was enabled to state that the Indian Government were about to arrange with the Maharajah of Kashmir, to send officers to survey the routes to the frontier of Turkestan; and intended afterwards to enter into negotiations with the Atalih Ghazee for the same purpose, as to the routes in his dominions. It is understood that Russia has not recognised the Atalih Ghazee, regarding him as a rebel against the empire of China—an ally of Russia.
Royal Microscopical Society, December 8.—The Rev. J. B. Reade, M.A., F.R.S., president, in the chair. Prof. Rymer Jones, F.R.S., read a paper on Deep-sea Dredgings from China and Japan. Professor Jones stated that he had recently received from Lieut. Ross, R.N. (grandson of Sir J. Ross), certain specimens of deep-sea dredgings, obtained at a depth of 1,080 fathoms, from the bottom of the sea near Fly Island, in the neighbourhood of Sandal-wood Island. After alluring to the theories had until a recent period prevailed with respect to the depth at which animal life existed in the ocean, and to the researches and discoveries of Prof. Forbes, Sir. J. Ross, and Dr. Wallich, Prof. Jones proceeded to give a description of the contents of a phial (a small portion of the dredgings sent by Lieut. Ross), from which about a grain and a half of solid matter had been obtained. The first result of the microscopic examination of this matter was the discovery of a considerable quantity of silex, so finely triturated, however, as to be scarcely visible. The next discovery was a large number of sponge spiculæ; many of the spicules being sculptured in forms of the greatest beauty, of these spicules there were 12 genera. Some 800 or 900 specimens of Foraminifera were next found, exhibiting nearly every form of the animal hitherto found in the bed of the Atlantic. A still more interesting discovery was that of 600 or 700 Polycystinæ; which differed from those found in Barbadoes, in this respect, that whereas the latter were usually brought up fractured and imperfect, the former were perfectly intact in all parts, displaying the most exquisite structures, and hundreds being clothed in thin soft covering. From this fact it might be argued that they had been taken from their ocean home alive, notwithstanding the immense pressure to which they are said to be subjected. There also many species present which had not as yet received names from naturalists. Besides these, Prof. Jones had found large number of shields of various shapes, resembling the Diatomaceæ; and of these there were not less than 300. Lastly, he had found diatoms themselves, more sparsely distributed, but of larger size than those usually coming under the notice of microscopists; and of these there were over fifty specimens. What larger animals lived at the bottom of the deep sea he could not say, but as there appeared to be abundant food for them, and as both Sir J. Ross and Dr. Wallich had found star-fishes in the respective localities dredged by them, it might be reasonably inferred that they abounded in the ocean bed, and that a most extensive fauna existed there as yet entirely undiscovered. The following papers, for want of time, were taken as read, viz.: "On the Stylet Region of the Ominontoplean Roboscis," by Dr. McIntosh, and "Organisms in Mineral Infusions," by C. Staniland Wake, F.A.S.L. Four gentlemen were elected Fellows, and the Society adjourned to January 12, 1870.
Entomological Society, December 9.—Mr. H. W. Bates, president, in the chair, Seven new members were elected, namely, MM. d'Emerich, De Marseul, and Oberthur (foreign members), Captain Lang, R.E., and Messrs. W. Arnold Lewis, J. Cosmo Melvill, and Howard Vaughan. Exhibitions of Hymenoptera were made by Prof. Westwood and Mr. Frederick Smith; of Lepidoptera, by Mr. F. Smith and Mr. J. Jenner Weir; of Coleoptera, by Prof. Westwood and Mr. Albert Müller. Communications were read from Mr. Robert McLachlan on Boreus hymenalis and B. Westwoodii; from Mr. Edwin Brown, respecting the locust captured at Burton-on-Trent and exhibited at the previous meeting, which had been identified as Aeridium peregrinum, a species distributed over a great part of Asia and the North of Africa, but not hitherto detected in Europe.
Ethnological Society, December 7.—Prof. Huxley, LL.D., F.R.S., president, in the chair. At the meeting of the International Congress for Prehistoric Archæology, held last year at Norwich, a committee was formed, under the presidency of Sir John Lubbock, Bart., for the purpose of inquiring into the present condition of the prehistoric remains in the British Isles. Subsequently, the functions of this committee were transferred to the Ethnological Society, and the first-fruits of its labours in this direction have just appeared in the shape of a valuable Report on the Prehistoric Monuments of the Channel Islands, prepared by Lieut. Oliver, R.A. These islands are remarkably rich in megalithic structures of noble proportions, but from their unprotected state they have been subject to the most ruthless destruction. Not only have they been demolished by the "navvy" and the mere treasure-seeker, but they have also suffered considerably from injudicious attempts at restoration. Nevertheless, they are still sufficiently numerous to form the subject of an elaborate Report. Lieut. Oliver pointed out the resemblance between some of these megalithic monuments and those in Madagascar erected at the present day by the hill-tribes of Hovas. The Report was copiously illustrated, and called forth a discussion, in which the chief speakers were the president, Mr. J. Lukis, Mr. J. W. Flower, Dr. Hyde Clarke, and Col. Lane-Fox.—At the same meeting, a note was read from Mr. Acheson on a supposed stone implement, found beneath the bed of a river worked for gold in Co. Wicklow.—A communication was also made, by Maj. General Lefroy, on the Stature of the North American Indians of the Chipewyan Tribe; and remarks were made upon it by Dr. Richard King.
Anthropological Society, December 7.—Dr. Beddoe, president, in the chair. Dr. Leitner gave some further details of his visit to Dardistan in 1866, especially referring to the Shina race. He briefly touched upon the main outlines of his journey, mentioning that his experience had modified his views as to the inconvenience resulting from the rarefaction of the air at high altitudes, inasmuch as he and his companions had surmounted passes of 18,000 feet without experiencing any of the usual effects. Although the Dards were at war with the Maharajah of Kashmir, and the towns apparently deserted, he was able to assemble, by sending round a drummer, 150 to a feast, and continued on most friendly terms with them during his abode in Ghilghit. The vocabularies and grammars of the hitherto unwritten Dardoo dialects which he has collected show a probably parental Aryan type. It is to be much regretted that the refusal of the India Office to grant an extension of leave to Dr. Leitner will compel his return to India within a fortnight, and almost deprive him of the opportunity of arranging and comparing these hitherto unknown languages. The Indian Government does not seem desirous of encouraging acquaintance with Central Asia. A traveller desirous of penetrating by Ghilghit to the Panin Steppe had been refused mules. Several interesting particulars of the customs among the Chilasis Ghilghites and other Dards were mentioned, which are alien to Mahommedan and Hindu ideas. The place and privileges accorded to women, who receive the visits of their husbands' friends without any suspicion—the custom of courtship, the use of wine, the fondness for dogs, all seem to point to an independent origin of religion and manners. The value set upon dogs was illustrated by the fact that two men-slaves were given as the price of a good hound. The Sooni ruler of Chitral not merely sold his subjects, but his own mother, as a slave, and when asked how he could sell her whose breasts had suckled him, pointed to a cow, and said that she gave him milk constantly, yet he would sell her! and when a Moollah, who was to be sold, threatened him with vengeance for selling a minister of the Word of God, he replied that everybody sold the Koran—why therefore should he not sell the expounder of it. Dr. Leitner stated that the Kafirs were certainly fairer than the Kashmiris, but his experience hardly bore out the statement of their being exceptionally fair, with blue eyes and light hair. West of Balti the general type of face approximated more to the European. He could discover no religion or rites among them, save that once a year each deposited a stone on a cairn, situated on a high mountain. He found a species of caste division among the
