Page:Science vol. 5.djvu/168

 ingtctn, Panama, nud Valimraiso, 4h. Him, 4H.24 8., showing a discrepancy of only 0.18 b.

These measurements have, with the exception of those joining Greenwich and Washington (made by the U. S. coast-survey) and those joining Valparaiso and Buenos Aires (made by Dr. B. A. Gould), been made by ofDoers of the U, S. navy, and are homogeneous, eaeli determination being the result of repeated comparisons through a telegraphic line of time- pieces whose errors on local time were ascer- tained on the same night by careful transit observations.

It will, of course, be understood that the remarkably smalidiacrepancy (O.IK 8.) by which this great polygon fails to close is the algebraic sum of all the errors affecting the various lougitudes ; but its very small amount is an indication of the care and painstaking of the oflicers whose labors have given this result, as well as of the accuracy of the instrumenla and methods employed.

In addition to liis valuable work between Panama and Valparaiso, I^ieut. -Commander Davis has recently determined telegraphically the longitude of Vera Cruz by measuring fiom Galveston, and has, on the west coast of Central America, furnished the Guatemalau boundary commission with a starting-point by fixing (Vom Panama the longitude of Guate- mala City (in co-operation with Mr. ^liles Rock). A detailed re|X)rt of the work of Lieut. -Commander Davis will shortlj' be pub- lished by the U. S. navy department.

��THE KILIMANJARO EXPEDITION.

At a meeliiig of the Hoyat geographical society, Jan. 26, Mr. H. n. Johnston gave a. deEcriptioii of blB visit to Kilimanjaro, on [lie slopes of which ho spent more than Ave months In Uie aumnier nntl autumn of laal year.

Giving a lively and picturesque narrative of his adventures during bis slay wllh Mandara, chief of Mosbl, a person of remarkable character, who rules a small tract ou the lower slopes of Eliiuiaujnro al an altitude of alMUt 0,000 feet, and is at war wllh all Ibe surrounding potentates, Mr. Johnston told bow, after some difUculties, he began the ascent of the moun- tain with forty carriers and some guides, provided by another chief, Maranga. As a good place for settlement close to waler, and nut too high up, so that his shivering folltiwei-s might not suffer unrea- sonably from cold, he selected a grassy knoll, rising alwve the river of Kilema, which takes its source near the base of Kimawenzi. The altitude of ibis spot was nearly 10,00 feel. Having seen every one

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carefully installed and protected from the — to Ihem I — severe cold (for the thermometer descended every i night to one or two degrees below freeBing-poini), , lie transferred bis own quarters to a higher elev^~ | lion, and began Industriously to collect.

His first excursion was to the base of Eimawenzl. The terrible hurricane of wind, however, that raged round this jagged series of lava-peaks, prevented him from continuing the ascent, al^ougb be doubled if it were possible for any one to reach the summit, owing to the want of foothold. The snow varied very much in quantity on Eimawenxi. Sometimes the whole peak would be covered down to the parent ridge, with only the precipitous rocks peeping blackty through Ibe mantle of white. At other periods the snow would be reduced to an Insignificant patch, and the reddish sand which filled the crevices and glissades between the lava-rocks would 1)6 left ex- posed to view. This change from an almost com- plete snow-cap to nearly no snow at nil might be effected in twelve bours.

His great object, however, was to reach the snows, and, if possible, the summit of KibO. To do tbi( it ■ would be necessary to sleep on the way. He had, ■ Iheri^fore, to induce a few followers to accompany I him to carry impedimenta. Starling at 0, he walked | upwards, with few stoppages, until 1,30. At Urst they crossed grassy undulating lilllocka, the road be- ing fairly easy. Then they entered a heathy tract, scorched and burnt with recent busb-fires ; but higher up, where the blaze had not reached, the vegetation was fairly abundant and green. Small pink gladioli studded the ground in numbers. At an altitude of nearly 13,000 feet, bees and wasps were still to be seen, and bright tittle sun-birds darted from bush to bush, gleaning their repast of honey. A little hlghnr they found warm springs, the thermometer showing the temperature of the trlcltllng mud to be 81° F, Mounting high above the rivulet, the scenery becamft ■ much barsber. Vegetation only grew In dwarfedV patches as they passed the altitude of 13,000 feet, and ■ the ground was covered with bowlders more or less^ big, apparently lying in utter confusion, and without any delhiite direction. They were not very difficult to climb over, and even seemed to act as Irregular stone steps upwards, In their interstices, heaths ot the size of targe shrubs grew with a certain liixort- anco. About 13,700 feet, he saw the last retldent bird, appareiilly a kind of etonecbat. It went In little cheery Hocks, and showed such absence of fear, that he had to walk away from it before shooting, to avoid shattering his specimen. After this, with the exception of an occasional great bigb-soariug IUt« or great-billed raven, he saw no other bird. On reach- ing a height a little above 14,000 feet, he stopped i again to boll the thermometer and refresh hlmsettd with a little lunch. Throughout this ascent, whIcbJ was easy to climb, he suffered absolutely nothing! from want of breath, or mountain sickness; although 1 bis three Zanzibari followere lagged behind, panting 1 and exhausted, and complained much of their lungs J and head.

" Mounting up a few hundred feet higher than th* |

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