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Tous les autraa exempiaires originaux sont film^s en commenqant par la premiere page qui comporte une ampreinte d'impression ou d'illustration et en terminant par la dernidfe page qui comporte une telle empreinte. Un des symboles suivants apparaitra sur la demidre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbole — i*- signifie 'A SUIVRE '. le symbole V signifie "FIN". Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc.. peuv"snt etre film^s A dcj tau> de reduction differents. Lorsque le docur -<nt est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un 4 cliche, il est film^ i partir da Tangle sup4 gauche, de gaiicha d droite, et de haut an bau, en prenant le nombra d'images n^cessaire. Les diagrammes suivants iliustrent la m^thcde. 1 2 CO 1 2 3 4 5 6 A WltH THE British Association IN CANADA, AND THE UNITED STATES. A PAPER READ BEFORE THE HASTINGS & ST. LEONARDS f bilosopbital ^omtg. BY JOHN E. H. PEYTON, F.R.A.S., F.G.S (PBESIDENTJ MARCH 10th, 1885. • J HASTINGS Printbu by F. J. Parsons, "Observer" Office. WITH THE British Association IN CANADA, AND THE UNITED STATES. A PAPER READ BEFORE THE HASTINGS & ST. LEONARDS f btloaoplittal ^ottttj. BY JOHN E. H. PEYTON, F.R.A.S., F.G.S., (PRESIDENT,) MARCH 10th, 1885. HASTINGS Printed liv F. J. Parsons, "Ouserveu" Offick. American Notes. Bij " B. A. a 923." The meeting of the British Association in Canatla (August, 1884), offered such inducements to its members to undeitake the voyage to the New World, that I determined, if possible, to take advantage of such a splendid opportunity, which was not likely to occur again in one's lifetime. It was not, however, till the beginning of July that I was able to apply for my travelling ticket, which was numbered 923 ; showing that a good niany members had responded to the cordial invitation of the Canadians. There had been some misgivings as to the result, when it was finally determined to make a fresh departure in the lii.story of the British Association, and cross the Atlantic to one of our Colonies ; but in the end it turned out a magnificent success, and the meeting at Montreal will, no doubt, be an event long remem- bered in the history of the Dominion, and also in the annals of science. There is already a talk of paying a visit to Australia next. Special advantages were offered to us by the different steam- ship and railway companies, in the way of reduced fare, return tickets, special trains, &c. I arranged to go out by Canada, and return home by New York, and sailed from Liverpool on the 31st of July, on board the Allan line s. " Sardinian," 4,600 tons, com- manded by Captain W. Smith, who belongs to the Royal Naval Reserve, and, therefore, we were entitled to fly the Blue Ensign. Our first adventure was a thick fog in the Irish Channel, which kept us more than an hour finding the light on the Isle of Man, though it is such a well-known place. We arrived at Moville (port of Londonderry) early next morning, and stayed ail day in the splendid harbour of Lough Foyle, waiting for the mails. Starting late in the afternoon we had a glorious but very wild sunset off Inishtrahull Island, — the last point of land on the extreme north coast of Ireland — exposed to the full fury of the Atlantic Ocean. During the night we ran into a cyclonic storm — a regular " sou'-wester " — near the tail of the Rockall Bank : there was a heavy sea* and general discomfort, but the next evening the weather cleared up, and the .:est of the voyage was pleasant. jg about I'iicie were 120 saloon passengers on boanl (iucludiu}^ 10 of tliu British Association), and we enjoyed ourselves in the usual manner of hoard -ship life. There were (jver 300 emigrants in the steerage, amongst whom were 40 of Dr. Barnardos Imys (from 18, Stepney Causeway, London), the little fellows seemed very happy and well cared for, and wonderfully well trained. Some of our fellow-passengers got up a concert for them, which was very successful, and realised £14, part of which was given to them in prizes for races, games, &c., which afforded great amuse- ment to all hands for a couple of days. It may be interesting to state that, according to a circular lately issued by Dr. Barnardo, out of the 7nany hundreds of boys and girls placed out in life m Canada, during the last 15 years, only 4 boys have failed, and not one girl .' . I was much struck by the great kindness and patience shown by the steerage passengers, especially the men, to their children, even when very sick themselves — and find that the same thing was noticed by Charles Dickens in his " American Notes," pub- lished more than 40 years ago. We got a great deal ol valuable information from the Canadian pas^j'ingers on board ; and what with guide-bo()ks;;'aiid hints, our party was fairly well " posted-up " on arrival at Quebec. The great circle course, which all steamers take in crossing the Atlantic, brought us within 180 miles of Cape Farewell, the southern point of Greenland, on the fifth day of our voyage, and soon after, when about 130 miles from the coast of North America, we ran into fogs, and the temperature sank to :iS% showing that ice was near. We saw our first iceberg (always an exciting event) on the 7th August, and a vsry beautiful sight it was :— much finer than I expp'^.ted. In the Marquis of Lorne's very interesting book, " Canadic*.! Pictures," there is an engraving showing " the ' Sardinian ' m tixC ice, off' Newfoundland," very like what we saw, only our berg was net quite such a large one. We entered the Straits of Belle Isle on the morning of the 8th : they were studded with small icebergs, and looked very beautiful. We soon ran into a thick fog, and there we remained for 16 hours, with the fog-horn going all the time ; the captain was 32 hours on the bridge, and told me it was the most trying time he had had for years, as there was more ice than usual ; one or two ships and a steamer passed us while we were at anchor, but it is very risky work, and our captain was much praised for his caution. He told me that when the fog lifted, there were two icebergs right ahead of us, within 20U yards of our bows. It was very interesting to watch the soundings taken by Sir Wm. Thomjison's apparatus : once whilst going 13 knots an hour, they' found bottom at 80 fathoms (formerly it was necessary to 5 almost .stoj) tho ship); it is done by tlio pic-nre of tlu" water forcing up some colomol tluid in a glass tulu-, wiiitli is niai ked oil on a scale, showing t'lo Uopth in fathoms, and attached to the lead sinker. Professor Moseloy, of Oxford, found a very pretty spocnnen of a brya/.oa, and an arctic bivalve shell, in the stutV iMought up by the sounding-lead in the Straits of Hclle Isle. Tiiere v/ero also .some interesting specimens in the mud oa the anchor. There was a very successful concert got up by the passengers for the Liverpool Seamen's ()ri)hanage, and the fog-horn accom- paniment to some of the songs was very curious ! In the (lulf of St. Lawi-ence we saw a wonderful mirage, and tho absorption bands in the red of tho si)ectrum were very extraordinary, as seen in my pocket spectroscope. The coasts c.i Labrador and Xewfoundland looked \ery l)leak and (1-"= >' 'e, '"'th patches of snow still lying on some of the hills. >itants about these parts seemed to be a few tisher- ' shown what is 8Uj)posed to be the finest salmon • M. When we entered the ncble St. Lawrence ■ning of 10th) all was changed, and the scenery the temperature rose to 74 , and every one ..ixv/iwccj^xxxj .- ed the trip up that splendid ri/er— it was the perfection of yachtmg. We lan<led the mails and some passengers at Rimouski that evening, and got our first v'ow of a steamer with beam engines working overhead, on deck— very common m America. n i The approach to Quebec is very fine, ami we were :\11 early on deck next morning (11th). The Laurentian mountains are grand, and very interesting to me as a geologist, as they are the oldest rocks in the world, and contain the celebrated fossil, " Lozoon Canadense " (the Dawn of Life), supposed to be the oldest known animal. , The view of the famous Montmorenci Falls fronx the river is very line, and the first sight of Quebec was most Ijoautiful ; we passed close under the Citadel and got alongside our wharf, on the opposite side of the river, about 8 a.m., after a very pleasant voyage of 10 days. I hapi ened to land with one of our passengers (also a mem; ber of the B.A.), who stands 6 feet lOi inches in his stockings, and the astonishment of the natives was amusing ! We told them we had plenty more of them at home ! Through the kindness of The men rivp.j Rivei became thoroughly (0- the custom-house authorities all our baggage .vas passed ti- boon for which we were very grateful. The steerage passengers went at once to the Emigration Office, adjoining the wharf, near the raihyay "depot" (as all stations are called m America), and we were told that almost all of them had found employment 6 before tho day was over. Our little friends, the Bamardo boys, marched oft' to their cars in tine style, and we exchanged hearty cheers «nd good wishes for them in their now home, at i eter- borough, Ontario. , . „ i. i «j« Uuehec is an interesting old town, chiefty Lrench, ver> pic- turesque, but dirty ; some of the ne-.v buildings are hue, especially the House of Parliament, which has since been damaged by dynamic-. The vi'jw from the Citadel hill is ji'stly ft'aious; it includes a splendid sweep of the beautiful St. Lawre- ce ana 8e>eral ranges of the Laurentian hills; the sunset I saw trom there was something magnificent. After a couple of days at Quebec, I went by steamer i:p the river to Montreal -a very pleasant trip of 150 miles. Ihe boats are fine, and tha cabins (or " state-rooms " as they are called) clean and comfortai)lc. We had a glorious sunset on tue river, and the colours in the sky and on the water were something marvellous. ,, Montreal is a beautiful city, and the newer streets are well shaded by trees, which give them a pleasant appearance, especially in summer as we saw them. Tho Windsor Hotel is justlj^ said to be one of the best in the world ; it certainly is the finest 1 was over in, and most comfortable. There is a capital system at hotels in America, you pay so much a day (4 dollars at Montreal, and 5 at New York), which includes everything but drink and washing ; so there is no trouble with the bill when leaving ; it is simply " so many days, so many dollars," and away yuu go ! One of the "lions" at Montreal is the view from Mom t Royal— from which the city takes its name— and ve.y beautiful it i's, indeed, on a fine summer's afternoon. The city lies at ones feet, and the view includes a large stretch of the river, with the celebrated Victoria Bridge (built by Sir Thomas Brassey s father for Robe Stephenson, the great engineer), the rapids, and the country for miles round, as far as the Adirondacks and Grreen Mountains, in the United States. ^ ,«■ ^ d i The geology of the district is very interesting. Mount Royal itself is an ancient volcano, supposed to be of paleozoic age. composed of diabase,* and, in some parts on the western side, ot svenite;t this has pushed up and penetrated the limestones (Chazy and Trenton, of lower Silurian age), converting them m some places into a crystalline marble ; there are beautiful sections on the road up, showing a most interesting series of dykes and * Diabase is a crystalline granular trap rock of labradcrite and augite, with ""^'^fSvenUeil Tgnuiitic rock, composed of felspar, hornblende, micaland quartz j in this case mixed with nepheline (an alkaline aluminous silicate). Jukes arui (,'eikie, Manual of O'culotiy. i^aammm veinB of syenite, basalt, and other recks, traversing not only the stratified linir'stones, but also the diabase an<l syenite nms^is themselves. Ice-marks, grooved, polished, and striated rocks, are very distinct, right up to the top of the nunntain (700 feet), whore there are some erratic boulders of Latirentian rocks. There are also three or four Avell-markod terraces, or ancient sra V)Gftcn^3. Through the kindness and lil)erality of the Canadian Govern- ment, I got Sijrer puns on riio Canadian Pacific Railway to Wmni- peg, in Manitoba, and back ; and might have gone to the Rocky Mountains, or British Columbia, over '.?,000 miles— as some of our members did— but I b id not sufficient time. A new route had been opened to Tor ...lo, by Ottawa, and I went by one of the first trains (Aug Uuh). N'^e had a splendid sleepmg-car brand new— cost 12,000 dollars, we were told !— and the one belonging to the Directors, c-illed the *' Saskatchewan," was really magnifi- cent. There was quite a crowd at the Depot to see the tram. ' here are no " buffers " to the cars (they said ther*^ were lots of " old buffers " inside on our trip !) so occasionally one gets rather a shaking, but it was very comfortable travelling. 1 stayed a day at Toronto, a fine city on Lake Ontario, and had my first trip on one of those large inland fresh-water seas, which are such a marvellous feature of the North American continent. I crossed the lake on board the famous steamer " Chichora " ; "be was an old blockade-runner, called the " Let her B," and has the name on the old bell, which still hangs outside the pilot-house. We went up the Niagara River to Lawiston, where I first set foot on American soil. There is a fine view of the gorge made by the Falls in pre-historic times. On the voyage back we had a lovely sunset on the lake, and a lot of passengers sang Scotch and English songs on deck, "Auld lung syne," " Home, sweet home," and " God save the Queen," dc, till I could scarcely realise the fact that we v/ere thousands of miles away from Old England ! Next day we went by train, through a very wild country, to Owen Sound (a town on the shc.^s oi Gcoifeiku Bay —part of Lake Huron), and were disappointed to find that one of the large steamers of the C.P.R., by which we should have travelled, had come to grief, and we were obliged to go in a small oile belonging to anothe- Company. We had to lay-to hdf the night in a fog, and next morning nearly ran on to the shoals off Duck Island— on Lake Huron, to the south of Manitoulin Island. It was a curious sight to see the rocks so clearly under our steamer ; luckily, the weather was fine and quite calm. In the evening wo entered the St. Marie Rive- which joins Lake Huron to Lake SuperioV, and found the scenery very beautiful. There wero some splendid specimens of ice-worn rocks— i-oches inoutonnt^PH^ one side steep and broken, the other smooth and gently sloping ; showing very olearly which way the ice had passed over them,— V.Z., fi-oiii the smooth toimnU the steep side. On arriving at Sault St. Marie (pronounced " 800 ), a town oar the rapids at the head of the river, which we soon christened 11 Susan and Mary," I left the steamer with two gentlemen and two ladies of our party,— as we thought there was not sufficient time to go on to Port Arthur or Winnipeg— and we put up at a nice little hotel in the Canadian town, where they don't often see many English, as it is rather an out-of-the-way place. Curiously onou^^h I had met one of the ladies the year before at Baveno, on Lag'o Maggiore, in Italy, and little thought that we should meet again on a Candian river, in longitude S5° west, 4,000 miles from home ! 1 , ^ u • 1 We engaged two Indians and a canoe, and shot the rapirls, which was most exciting— and, 1 hope, not dangerous. The view down the immense slope of raging waters, as we entered the rapids Avas very grand and extraordinary, quite unlike anything we had ever seen before. We, of course, got wet; Init the way the men managed their paddles, and guided the canoe away from various dangers, was very clever. The canoe jumped about like a cork, and sometimes seemed to be smothered in the waves, which broke all round us in every direction ; l)ut we emerged safe and sound at the end of the rapids, which are about a mile long, havin<^ thoroughly enjoyed our novel and exciting adventure. We divided into two parties; one stood on the rocks whilst the other shot by, and it was a curious sight to watch the canoe rushing by, doim-hHI, at a tremendous pace, half smothered now- and-then in the waves. The weather was gloriously bright, and, alto'-ether, it was a delightful Canadian experience that wc shall never forget. We had to pole vp some of the rapids first, which I thought was quite as wonderful a performance as shooting down them One of my friends look a photograph of the canoe and its crew,' and has kindly sent me a copy, which is a very interesting souvenir of our ex,jedition. In the afternoon we had a delightful sail amongst the islands two or three miles down the river, and afterwards paid a visit to the American town on the opposite shore, where there is a very fine lock on the canal, through which all the traffic between trie large lakes passes. It is lit by the electric light, and ships pass through all day and all night. We determined to take the first steamer going eastward, no matter where it went to ; it might be to Owen Sound, Chicago, or Sarnia. I was in favour of a place I had found on the map (we were none of us very well up in the geography of the district) called Penetanguisheno, which seemed so well placed for getting 9 on to Muskoka and Simcoe lakes. We noticed that very few steamers seemed to call there, but I couldn't understand the joke there was for a long time, till it came out that it is only a prison estoUishmcnf .' i^^ventually we started at 5 a.m. (August 19th), on a north-shore boat, and had a very pleasant tour round the north shore of Georgian I'ly, calling at several stations on Manitoulin Island, and Killarney on the main land, where the scenery is lovely — more ice-marks very distinct. Here we saw an Indian encampment, wigwams, S:c., all complete. There were lots of Indians about ; they looked something like Japanese I thought, — olive colour, — not a bit like what I had imagined an Indian ought to be ! Thei'e are some splendid boats here, used for fishing, something like whalers, with two masts and lug sails ; they are very fast, and stand any amount of " sea " on the lake. Most of the passengers Avent ashore and bought Indian curiosities — the toy canoes wei-e the prettiest. The last place Ave stopped at Avas Club Island, a fishing station, very desolate, and out of the Avorld. They told us of a dreadful Avreck of a steamer near here, a feAv years ago— 200 lives lost ; only one man and a Avoman Avashed ashore, and kept by the Indians till rescued the next spring. We stopped the night at Owen Sound, and suffered much from the heat ; the forest Avas on fire somcAvhere near, which made it Avorse. Next morning, at G, my friend, the mathematical professor, persuaded me to go doAvn to the lake Avith him to bathe. It Avas more than a mile, but Ave had a refreshing sAvim. They said Ave must be English to <lo such a thing ! Toronto AA-as reached in time to take the boat to Queenstowu, and at seven o'clock that CA^ening (August 21st) I got my first vieAv of the Falls of Niagara. It is quite impossible, of course, for me to describe them ; but they Avere very much finer than I expected. I kneAv they Avere only 160 feet high, so Avas not disappointed, as r.o many jjeople are at first. They Avere so much broader and farther apart, and altogether grander than I had imagined them to be, and the surrounding scenery is so lovely, that I Avas delighted. The three days I spent there were indeed a treat never to be forgotten. Most [)eople make a • mistake in " rushing " the Falls — " doing " them in one day, or even sometimes in a couple of hours " cheap tripping 1' They must carry aAvay quite a Avrong impression ; it Avas onl}- on the third day of my visit that I saAv the Horseshoe (Canadian) Fall properly. It depends so much on the Avind, Avhicli onl}- clears off the spray occasionally. The American Fall, Avhich Avas just in front of our AvindoAvs at the Clifton House Hotel, is Avhite and feathery, and looked very like a steep glacier or snoAv-slope. The Horseshoe Fall, Avhich I like most, is a glorious emerald green, a 10 ^nlid wall of water, and is supposed to be twenty feet deep at the Tdgtri ere Tgoe; thundering down into the raging turmoil of wafers in a fearful looking abyss of foam and spray One of the iest views of the Falls is from the ferry just above the new Suspension Bridge, and near the American Falls ^The whirlpool rapids are very grand and feaiful-lookmg much wilder than the first cataract on the Nile^ down which I Ce Men the Arabs swim on logs of wood. No wonder poor Sain Webb was killed, he must have been crushed by the mere St t^ie water where it is suddenly jerked up a dozen fee in the air iust opposite the platform made for visitors Some of the natTv^s say Zt he might have got through all right if he had not dived but I very much doubt it, though I noticed on the NHe that 'the Arabs aLays kept right on the top of the waves. I was delighted to find some beautiful ice-marks on the cliff above the gorgt near the rapids, and there are glacial, river and lake deposi^ts In Goat Island, and on the top of the cliff opposite the Horseshoe FaU, on the Canadian shore. The gorge itself is cut in Se NWa Hmestone and its associated shales, which correspond th Weniock beds of our upper Silurian and it has been commited by Sir Charles Lyell that it must have taken 35,000 veTi s to wear its way from Lewiston to its present position, about Lven mi7er In the somewhat hasty view I had of the country it seemed to me that there was evidence of the Lake (Ontario) havfn^ formerly extended to the foot of the cliffy f lewiston Seir the entrance to the gorge. If this were so, and the k^d ha a'nce risen, the rate of erosion in former times may have been much more rapid than it is at present. The Whirlpool is very interesting, but smoother and larger than I had expected. I was much amused on my way there at W suddenly accosted with "Say, Boss ! where's this wWrLon" Whilst going down in the "elevator" (a car on an Sd plane, workel by' a wire rope), it Buddenl^^^^^^^^^^ fast about two-thirds of the way down, and we l^ad to ge^ out and wdk The man asked me afterwards if I had felt the jerLf T^nt T thought it was all part of the performance ! ^ The nlw Cantilever Bridge, near the old Su»pen«on Badge is a most wonderful engineering work, and was finished u. seven monrs One day I saw a goods train on it, ivhich reached from Canada to the United States; it had 62 car., which .s equal *" ^^rwaTv^raS'to see the way in which most of the niembers of the'^.A., whS hadarrived in the oo"f y b-^^S^ '^« meeting, had planned their tours so as to finish at Mag?'-*- ¥^1 ler. mo^ than 150 of „, started on Monday Angu^^ llieitJ WOIO ixiv'iu ui»«" ^^^ ~- -_ by train to Qucenstown ana ooat to xoronto. 11 took the steamer from there to go direct to Montreal, and never shall we forget that voyage in the " Algerian " — it became proverbial. She was overcrowded (though that was our own fault), there was a strong gale on the Lake, with a nasty " sea," so when we arrived at Port Hope, about 30 of us landed and took the train to Kingston, where we arrived about 2 a.m., and spent a couple of hours in a siding in a tremendous thunderstorm. One crash was so terrific that we all thought the train had been struck by lightning. AVe got to the hotel about o a.m., and had a little sleep. Our steamer turned up about noon ; the weather had by that time quite cleared up, and we had a delightful trip through the Thousand Islands, where the scenery is most beautiful. There are several good hotels, and heaps of villas like Swiss chalets, and I think that ona of the great advantages the Canadians eoem to have, is the number of very pleasant places for their summer outing. I should give the palm to " camping out " on the river or lakes. Nearly every island had its camp, and we passed several very jolly-looking parties. The custom is for the steamer to whistle, and the people on shore cheer and wave flags, etc. They all have canoes and hammocks ; and, of course, any amount of boats of all sorts and sizes, and seem to enjoy themselves vastly. I noticed that they write up " Boat Livery," instead of " Boats to Let," as we do. There was a sad accident two days before we passed, near the Thousand Islands Hotel, a lady and gentleman had been run down by a steamer and both drowned. It is supposed they were trying to pass too near. As we were very late, they took us through the Long Sault Rapids (nine miles long, with a fall of 48 feet) in the dark, which is seldom done, and rather risky I should think, and we pushed on to Coteau Landing for the night. About 100 of us had to sleep on chairs, sofas, or on the floor of the saloon. By way of improving our night's rest, they were engaged overhead on deck for a couple of hours in " coaling " another steamer with "wood," across ours ! We were off" at daybreak next morning, and enjoyed a glorious sunrise. Shooting the Cedar rapids was very interesting and enjoyable, and soon after we reached Caughnawaga, where the celebrated Indian pilot, Baptiste, came on board and took the helm, whilst we shot the famous Lachine rapids. They didn't look so bad to me from our steamer, as the Sault St. Marie rapids uitl from our canoe, but I believe they are more dangerous. There is a big rock on the left of the narrow passage, which the steamer steers straight for till within a few yards, when she suddenly shoots her bow round to the right, and you distinctly feel the boat drop thrv <i or four feet, while she rushes in a few moments into the smooth water beyond. There was a wrecked steamer on the 12 rocks quite close to ^vhere we passed, which didn't look cheerful ; but I 1 elieve there is scarcely any danger, as the rapids are shot seveia times every day, and it is a favourite mornuig'e excursion om Montreal The man who first took a steamer down mu3 have been very plucky. I believe a couple of our members shot this raoid in a canoe during the meeting. , tt- ^ • The approach to Montreal from this side, under the Victoria EridL'e is very fine. I was soon back at my old quarters at the Windsor Hotel, having had a delightful tour of a fortnight as a «« dLd head,''-as anyone with a free pass is called.-durmg which I had travelled about 1,400 miles and it only cost mo i?10 T had bv this time gained a good idea of the size ot tne Dominion as ?had gone across Canada hy water fori ^600 .nles^ and even then had not reached the centre ! •,^^,„, ^f We found Montreal in the full swing of the excitement of the opening day of the British Association meeting (Wednesday, Au^i'st 27rh, 1884), a day long to be remembered uj the anna^ of science ; and, as Sir Lyon Playfair M.P., said .- a da) marking a distinct point in the advance of civilization. . . ■ W 1 at Canada wanted was not pure science only, but appl cd science and knowing that the latter only came through th(. mer,'she h'ad the wisdom and forethought to welcome that pure sc eTce to the dominion." The success of the meeting was assured from the first, as it was found that over .^^^y members had c sed the Atlantic-of whom about 150 came in the special steamer " Parisian "-and the total attendance by the end of the week had reached 1,770. . , , Our welcome !>; our Canadian fellow-countrymen was indeed most hearty; all classes seemed to vie with each other in their many acts of kindness and hospitality, and I am sure we cannot pos n>lv thank them sufficiently. I may mention that, besides en ertabments, excursions, cheap return tickets, free passes on Government E'ailways, reduced f.ros by rail -^/teamer cricKet lawn-tennis, and lacrosse matches arranged for us we each reJeWed a gift of 840 (£8) from the Covernment grant, which m m > t cases paid for all our living expenses during the week to he meetin- lasted. Each member was also allowed, through the kindness of the Atlantic Telegraph Company, to send and receive two cable messages to and from England, free ; and we ound his a crreat boon ()ur agents, Messrs. Cook and Son (of "Tourist JepuTatir had arr.S.ged a code for us, and -y^rst message home looked very funny. It was as follows :-'' r^JJ (that s me . to Conpon, (thatUook !) London. ly-age-Payanwn-^^^^^ -Fojarid Icebergs r v hich meant ''Arrived safe-all well-had a bad voyage-have been delayed by fogs and icebergs I thmk most of us sent a " Padag^ " across the Atlantic by cable. y/Ci''^-*'/ II yjC^'- s 13 One of the great points .Iwelt on at all the meetings, from first to la t was, that we were all of us Bnt.sh : and the same th ig wa .Le afterwards at Plnladelphia, by constantly referring to the fact that we and our American hosts were all Anglo- ^""^'xiiere was nothing particularly startling in the way of ficientittc discovery during the meeting. There were, of course, a ZTmJiy^MXe colonial details given in the ditlerent sections, Sd one Lat event in Section E. (Geography) was the hearty welcome liven to Lieutenant Greely, the Arctic tntve er who had recently arrived home after his escape and rescue. He looked very n, but luanaged to read a most mteresting paper on h.s 3c e and discoveries, in which he paid a graceful tribute of ^ SS of the work done by the Enghsh ^^f^^l^^!^^^^^ *^f^ Cfaawk Nares, and thanked us for sending the Aleit to neip '" ^"Xh? most important scientihc news at the meeting was, no doubt the following brief but suggestive message telegraphed from Australia to Professor Moseley, President, of Section D. Sdo-vT- " Caldwell finds Monotremes oviparous; ovum Kffic !" Monotremes are two -"TX^^PkfvpXti exclusively Australian ; Onw^/w/r//.i/;/c«.s Duck-billed Platjjius) ana l^S: (Lt-eater). The following is Mr V^. Baldwin Spenc^^^ exnl'ination of " ovum meroblastic " in Nature (No. / 8 J) .— itie ^vum of amonotreme contains, relatively to the pure protoplasm out of which the tissues of the animal will be "j^^ ^i^^^^^^ food-velk that, when segmentation takes place, it i. impossible fo? the egc. to segment as a whole ; and therefore the two kmds of protoplasm separate, and we find that the Monotreme embryo posCsei a yelkiac, by the gradual abso^Ttion of the contanied material of which, it is nourished durmg the eailj stages oi r4Tomnent . '. . We can trace the line of descen through ?he t^sida, directly to the Monotremes, from these to Marsupials, and from these to the higher Mammals. Professor Moseley told us a capita joke at one of the meethi'^ He liad received a telegram from home about some domestic affairs and when this telegram arrived, he sent it to his "hiSg'that it also probably contained home news, which would no doubt please her; imagine her feehngs on openmg the envelope to find " ovum meroblastic, \'c ! IiFmy section, C (Geology), there were several valuable papers on Canadian and American geology. Just imagine a count y where the outcrop of a particular bed can be traced for 300 or' 400 ..7.. / A nice place tor a ^'^^ «g-,^ ^f ^j^, J was muali pleased at being a^)le to give the ^I^^^^lJ^^^^^f Museum-through Sir Wm. Dawson, the Principal, who was u Knighted during the meeting — a small collection of fossils and rocks from our local Wealden strata, of which they have no representatives in Canada or the United States, and they proved to be very welcome. The College authorities gave us an evening reception, at which we were all presented to the Governor-General, Lord Lansdowne, and his Wife. I thought how tired they must have been of shaking hands with over 1,000 people ! The citizens of Montreal gave us a soiree in the Skating Kink, and there were several garden parties, and excursions to various points of interest in the city and neighbourhood. I went to see the national game of Lacrosse, which has become familiar in England lately ; one of the Montreal clubs had arranged a match with some of the Caughnawaga Indians, and there were three very fine closely contested games, during which I was much amused at seeing a couple of fights, when half the spectators jumped over the fence in their eagerness to join in ! On Saturday there were large excursions to Ottawa, Toronto and Niagara, and Quebec. The final meeting took place on Septemljer 3rd, when the honorary degree of D.C.L. was conferred on several of our leading men, and graceful speeches and tender farewells were spoken on both sides, and we parted from our kind hosts with universal regret. The kind and brotherly feeling shown by the Canadians to us, as representatives of an English Scientific Society, has lately been extended to the whole British Nation, by the magnificent and patriotic offers of help, in the shape of men, money and arras, which have come pouring in by telegraph from all parts of the Dominion, and have found an echo in the most distant of our Colonies — Australia and New Zealand — on the opposite side of the globe. Surely a Nation has just cause to be proud of such Children as ours ! On Thursday morning, Sept. 4th, a number of members started for the Rocky Mountains, and about 150 of us left Mon- treal in a special train for the meeting of the American Association at Philadelphia. Two of the Directors of the Grand Trunk Railway travelled with us, and told us how disappointed they were at not being able to " fix us up " properly with a train of Pulman cars right through to Philadelphia, but some agreement with other lines prevented it. Our route was across the Victoria Bridge, in the centre of which you can see the gold rivet driven by the Prince of Wales when he opened the bridge in 1860. Near Rouse's Point, at the head of Lake Champlain, is the frontier line between Canada and the United States. Through the kindness 15 of the American authorities, all our baggage was passed free through the Custom-hou8e-a great boon, as a 1 travellers well know We^an all along the west shore of Lake Champlain, where the Bcenery is beautiful, past Fort Ticonderoga, where we got beaten bv the French in 1757. We passed through Saratoga, the ^oBt kshionable inland watering-place in America and towards reninE we reached the west shore of the famous Hudson River The scenrry was very lovely, and especially at one noble curve o le Ever near West Point, where we g«t/,^^^^"""f,":72 view of St. Anthony's Nose, which reminded me of the Lurlme ^''wLn'ab^ul'a dozen miles from New York we were ddayed b.lf an hour by the breaking of the engine coupling (a hne chance fof section GO t was eventually mended with a bit of telegraph ;[re whTch they took from the line alongside. On arrival at tSL CitV (New York), we had to change trains, and did not arrive^tP^^^^^^^^ till 1.15 a.m. I had been provided wi h quarters at the St' George's Hotol,. and found them v^^ comfort- able and the officials were most kind and attentive, ^^e Citizens Committee had sent two or three of ^herr members to meet our ivTn at Jersey City, and they went round to every one of us on bo^d the'S^ a/d arranged tha. each person had a room to go ^^ ^S;ttS:R' American kindness and hospitality, and they certainly did their best to vie with the Canadians in their 'Xe re?ict\ro 'i2f h\^d%"^% meeting till Friday .ilL Sent 5th when they gave us a right royal reception and Tea? v^;K in^^^^^^^ of the Academy of Music, where we occupi^^^^^^^^^ post of honour near the President on the stage There were altogether nearly 300 of the British Association at Philadelphia most of whom were present that evening. I don t fupp^ae thS'such a lot of Britishers had ever been seen there ^'^' The next day three or four excursions had been arranged and T made one of 500 who went by special tram of the ienn Llvanfa and Reading Railway, to the Anthracite coal regions, xtea'trainof llcars, aii were each lowered one by one, down the Mahoney Plane, by a huge .vire rope I* ^^ ^^^^^^ interesting experience, as it is generally used for coal waggons ly We we?e much amused whilst a lot of us yere wat mg n iof the cars being lowered, to find we were all standing under a no?^rboard on which was written " loafers not allowed here / On arriving at ^ Indian Ridge coal mine, we were all takea d^wn W about 300 feet deep, in parties oj "m« ^ J -as a t^^^derfiil sight as the whole mine was lit by the electric light, 16 and there was a chamber at the end ;30ft. wide, 210ft. long, and 25ft, high, without any props, and we were told that it was just, as it is usually worked. The scam of coal called the " Mammol h Bed," is over 50 feet thick. The next excitement was going up Summit Hill in gondola cars (it was no use my talking of gondolas, they wouldn't have it at any price), they are o^ien trucks fitted with benches, and are pushed up by an engine behind. The view from the to|> was very fine on that glorious summer evening. The coal seams used to crop out on the surface, but have all been worked out. We then got on board the cars of the Switchback Gravity Road, and had a Aery exciting and delii^htful ride, most of the way through lovely Avoods, down that celebrated railv/ay on which no engine is ever seen. Each car went alone entirely by gravity, and at one place we Avent three miles in three minutes ! The next place we arrived at was Mauch Chunk (pronounced Muk), which means "Bear Mountain," in Indian " Machk Tschunk." This is called the SAvitzerland of America, and certainly the scenery is very beautiful, but it is more like Wales to my mind, as there are no snoAv mountains. We got back at 1 1 p.m., having had a most enjoyable day, notAvithstanding the heat — over 90° in the shade— and thoroughly appreciated the extreme kindness and attention of our hosts, Avho had given us this treat : a special train for 15 hours, dinner, supper, and beer and cigars all day, for 500 people. Truly they do things on a grand scale in the New World ! The American Association allows more latitude to its members in the papers read at their meetings, than the B, A. does, and they seem to have more " cranks '" and " fads " than Ave have. I saw one gentleman lecturing on the Pyramids, that they were built from the top, but I couldn't make out how ! This beats the " British inch " and " Millenium " theories. Philadelphia possesses a splendid park, called Fairmount, said to be the largest in the world — 3000 acres— it is on the banks of the Schuylkill River, and the scenery is beautiful ; it Avas a very pleasant drive of an evening in that hot weather. The great heat — over 95° in the shade — made many of us ill ; even the darkies felt it very much. I think it must have been the damp, or some electric condition in the air, a never fylt more done up even in India with the thermometer over 100 ; it Avas like the " Sirocco " at Algiers, the " Khamseen " in Egypt, or the " hot Avind " in India. I Avent off to Atlantic City, on the <3oasfc, on the 10th, and found it only 74° there. The cool sea- breeze Avas delightful ; next day I had a splendid bathe for an hour in the surf— the sea Avas 70° and the air 72°. They haA'e capital arrangement ' for bathing in America, like 17 those on the Continent, nice-looking houses along the shore, with comfortable dressing rooms, and tubs of fresh water — a great luxury. All wear costumes and bathe togeiher, and 1 often wish that we could have something of that sort here, but the habits of the people being diflerent, I suppose it would never do. There were no organs or nigger minstrels — another great advantage. I arrived at Washington on the IGth, and stayed at the Arlington Hotel — most comfortable, but tlie mosquitos were a great nuisance. The streets are the widest in the world and miles long ! The Capitol is a very fine building and splendidly situated. The view from the top of the Dome is beautiful. The Washington Monument is an immense obelisk, 5.55 feet high, the tallest building in the world. It was finished last December, and I was much interested in watching them put up the scaffolding for the apex-stone; it must have been dizzy work up there. There was an amusing notice written up in the works near, " We pay a man to ring this bell." In one of the streets, on a corner house, we saw the following curious notice : — " Wanted, another loafer to sit on this rail." I paid a visit to the Naval Observatory, and was delighted at seeing the big telescope — a 26-inch refractor — vdiichdisc >vered the two satellites of Mars. It is, indeed, a Avonderful instrumenL,, and, though over 30 feet long, can be moved about with one finger, so beautifully is it mounted. They have one bigger than mine, (4 inch) on it as a " finder ! " I went up on the roof and saw the time-ball dropped at noon, which sends the time by telegrajjh all over America. It was rather singular that of the tlircc oniijloyt'S I spoke to, one was English, one Scotch, and the other Irish. One of the chief excursions is to Mount Vernon, General W^ashington's Home and Tomb. The scenery on the way down the River Potomac is very beautiful (most English visitors think it is Potomac from the Greek for river, but I was told that this is Iiidian not G7'eek !) The house and grounds are just like an old-fashioned English country home, the bricks came from Eng- land, and the verandah is paved with stones from the Isle of Wight — they looked like Bembridge limestone, and probably came from the old quarries at Binstead, near Kyde. The whole trip was most enjoyable and very interesting ; it was curior.s to notice, in Lady Washington's bedroom, the hole in the door which had been made to let her favourite cat go in and out, without disturbing her ! There is a very touching custom for every ship passing up or down the river to toll their bells whilst approaching Mount Vernon, as a tribute to Washington's memory. The first to set this good example was an English man-of-war, at the beginning of this century. I left Washington by the express on the Pennsylvania Rail- 18 way, and believe it is considered the best train in America ; they are all Pulnian cars, and the speed is about 40 miles an hour, lunch is serve<l on board, and it is very pleasant travelling. The cars are all on "bogies," and have 12 wheels each, so they run very smoothly, but seem to lurch more than our carriageb do. There is no doubt that the long open cars, with communication from one end of the train to the other, are a great advantage on a long journey ; but the continual banging of doors, the passing of people to and fro, who are constantly treading on one s toes, or pushing against one's shoulders, and the worry of boys who are always wanting you to buy something, is a great nuisance. They seldom use whistles on an American locomotive (as the engines are called), and theirs are of a much deeper tone than our screamers, and more pleasant to the ears. They always ring a bell when passing through a station, but this does not convey any idea of warning to a stranger's mind. The first time I heard one was at Toronto, on the wharf, and I thought it was the work- men's bell ! The way the trains run through the towns is rather alarming — there is no fence, and we went through the main street of a small town between Washington and Philadelphia at oyer 30 miles an hour ! People were walking and driving about, children playing at the side of the line, and one youth was riding a bicycle within a couple of yards of us ! At the railway crossings there is a notice put up, " Look out for the cars," or " locomotive." The lails are laid without chairs, on sleepers — which are placed closer together than ours — and fastened down with spikes. They have supports on the outside of some curves, but I did not notice any guard-rails like we use. The station for New York is at Jersey City, and you have to cross the ferry over the Hudson River. An old-fashioned chariot on " C " springs took me to my hotel, and I got a real good bumping, as the streets are very badly paved. The Fifth Avenue Hotel is a magnificent house, and most comfortable, with everything first-class and without stint. A good room with gas and water laid on (a most convenient arrangement), and three "square" meals a day, for $5 (£1), is not dear. There was great excitement in the hotel at the time of my visi' as Mr. Blaine, the Republican Candidate for the Presidency , -. staying in the house, and there was a continual mob intervi g him, or demonstrating in the street in front. There is ae noticeable feature in American and Canadian life at hotels, and that is, the temperance shown at meals — nearly everyone drinks iced water or milk. Each hotel has a bar, where every imaginable mixture of alcohol can be obtained. " Straight " or *' perpendicular " drinks (as they are called) must, I think, be vnrv nr!"''^'~>1'^ef>Tn'» TVio-ir oiirallriiv Q olflsa of snirit.s. and fiomfi- 19 timfls wash it down with a little water; they never seem to sit down with a glass of beer or grog, and have a (juiet smoke, like we do — they haven't time, 1 sujum'^e, and can't sit si ill ! Of course, we tried all the different Yankee drinks — '-cocktails," " smashes," *' slings," t^'c. The (mes voted best, as the sv eather was so hot, wore •'John Collins," " whiskey sour," and "lemon 8(|uashes." The elevated railway is one of the sights of New York, and 1 found it a great convenience in getting about the city ; but it nnist be a great nuisance to those who live in the streets through which it passes — the trains run all through the night. There are three lines running through the town, and plenty of tram- ways crossing them at right angles, so it is very easy to get about. Brooklyn Bridge is one of the most wonderful engineering works I ever saw. It is 6,00(.) feet long and 85 feet wide, the two towers are 268 feet high, and the central span is 1,600 feet ; height above high-water mark 135 feet. The view from it over the city, both rivers, harbour, bay, and surrounding country, is beautiful. Central Park is another great attraclit.n, 840 acrcd in extent. It is well laid out, and nature has not been " improved " too much. Thore are several very fine examples of ice-worn rocks polished and grooved, with large erratic boulders in sHu. There, too, is the American Cleopatra's Needle — the companion to ours — given by the Khedive of Egypt in 1881, and brought over by Mr. Vanderbilt. The last time I had seen it was at Alexandria, a few months after our Obelisk had been taken away to its new home on the Thames Embankment. The Museum of Natural History is on the borders of the Park, and contains a fine Indian collection, including an enf)rmou8 Avar canoe ; also a good national geological collp",tion. There are some erratic blocks, o'oches moutomides, and glacitii drift deposits in the grounds attached to the Museum. "Hands ofi" !" is the notice put up in America for the " Visitors are requested not to touch," or "iVe toiichez pas. S. V.P." of England and France. I went to see a match at Base-ball — the i '•tional game — between two good clubs. It is something like our lounders, but one difference is that the ball is thrown to the fielder and not at the runner. It seems a fine game, but is spoilt l)y betting ; the crowd are always yelling at the umpire, and frequently "go for" him ! I went to Coney Island, of course. It is the great seaside summer resort of New Yorker's, but the season was over, and it looked rather deserted. However, I had a bathe, and saw the " Elephant," an immense wooden image used for a restaurant, and a prominent object to all visitors arriving a.t New •20 York by aoa. Thorc is jinotluM* ncai- Atlantic City used for an hotel. The trip np the HndHon River was a most doligiitful excursion, and I was fortunate in having a very fine day, JSept. 27th. \Vc went up in the " Albany " as far as Ne\v])urgh, General Wasliington's hcad-ipiartors, and came back in the " Vibbard." rhey are both magnificent paddle-wheel steamers, beautifully fiunished, and very fast ; they have beam engines, working oveihead on dock, with a stroke of twelve feet. Tiie "Vibbard" is said to hav(! done the fastest voyage on record, fnmi New York to Tarry town, J7 miles in one how/ Also from West Point to Newburgh, 10 miles in 20^, minutes, which is at the rate of over 'Mi mill's an hour \ Each boat has three funnels ("smoke stacks" they call them) abreast, which look peculiar. There were notices printed up in the saloons *' Gentleman Aviil not smoke, others musn't ! " The scenery on the Hudson liiver is very lovely, especially at the Palisades, a vast trap-dike, forming a range of cliffs 20 miles long, and .'JOG or 100 feet high ; they are beautifully wooded, and the autumn tints were just beginning to look glorious. Nearly opposite the highest point we passed a town called Hastings, where the treaty for the evacuation of New York by the British, was signed by Washington, 1783. Near West Point, celebrated for its MIMtary Academy - - " the Sandhurst of A.ierica" — the river winds amidst beautiful mountains, from 1,200 to 1,500 feet high, covered with lovely woods to their very summits, and nothing can exceed the glorious views on either bank. I le^t Now York on October 1st, in the Cunard s. " Servia," a magnificent vessel of 7500 tons, commanded by Captain Cook, Commodore of the Cunard Fleet, and had a most delightful voyage. We had 250 saloon ul over 300 steerage passengers ; most of the latter were retuiaing emigrants, which showed, I fear, that trade is as bad in Ameri'^a as it is at home. It was a glorious day, and we had a fine view of New York City, the harbour, Staten Island and the bay, not forgetting the Elephant on Coney Island ! Our pilot left us about 4 p.m. off Sandy Hook Lightship, and we starteu across the Atlantic, on our way home, in a dead calm. We had a few days roughish weather, and heavy seas, but The "Servia" is altogether the passage was a very fair one. the finest ship 1 was ever on ; she is over 550 feet long, and we had a clear run of 1 20 yards on deck for our walks. Her speed was 17 knots ( = 20 miles) an hour, and best run 385 knots (but she has done 410). We had not been on board more than a few hours before some one confided to me that " he guessed she was a beastly old tub ! ' 21 We luckily only had a few hours' fog— that greatest enemy to navigation when the fog horn had to bo kopt going ovory minute of two. ft is ulx-ut the size of a small beor-hanol. and has a fearfully loud loep note, which makes a dreadful "buzzing," and shakes tho ship. It was just over my berth, which made it lively for mo whiUt below ! On the 4th we had a fine view of the total oclipss of the moon- -hit. 44, N., long. 50, w. j\ist oil" thi> banks of Nowfoumlland ; the stars came out very bright, and the moon nearly «lisaj)poared, not turning a copper colour as usual. Several pa- ^ iig,M\s were astonished at the darkness, atid 1 was much amused by the Captain telling me that ho too had forgotten all about the eclipse, and wondered what had become of the moon : Next evening, off the Flenii.sJi Cap— a bank about 200 miles outside the great Newfoundland IJunks— the weather looked very threatening: S.K. scud flying over the moon, which looked " greasy," and as wo were in the •' roaring forties " 1 thought we were in for a sou'wester. owever, the Captain told us the barometer was rising a little, and it would be fine. He said that the fact of our travelling so fast was constantly oveilooked. In Sir Thoma-i Brassey's lecture on the " Sunbeam's " voyage to the West Indies, which he gave to this Society last year, K, (iescribed the law of sto-ms, and gave an illustration of the cyclone they were caught in off the Bermudas. It has lieeu found that the average rate of travel of a storm-centre i.s 18 miles an hour, so when a steamer is goinjr 17 or 18 knots, she runs ahead out of the storm, as we did (which no sailing ship could do, of course), and the barometer rises. If we had been hove-to, the barometer would i)robably have fallen, and the gale passed over us. Sometimes, of course, a steamer runs into a storm. It has been observed that when a storm-centre traveL very fast, it produces a terrible hurricane always at its worst about an hour before, and an hour or two after, the passage of either the centre or " trough " of tho storm (a line at right angles to the path of the centre). The centre of the great storir of December 28th, 1879, travelled over 60 miles an hour, and tne Tay Bridge was destroyed during a squall of immense wind-velocity (probably over 100 miles an hour), about half-an-hour before the trough of the stoiin passed. It appears that when two depressions travel nearly at the same time in a parallel direction, 300 or 400 miles apart, they produce most destructive gales. A curve in the direction of the centre's path, and a loop in the barometrical depression, also produce extra-violent wind squalls in their neighbourhood. When near the coast of Ireland we had a heavy north-west gale with big following seas, and didn't we just roll — over 30 degrees, I should think ! Hail the things roiled off the tables at 22 dinner. My experiences at sea in steamers and sailing shijis lead me to agree entirely with Lady Brassey's opinion, expressed in her last book* ("In the Tropics, the Trades, and the Koaring Forties ") that " a good sailing ship of 500 tons is more comfort- able (I should suggest ' less un-conifortahle '/) than a 5,000 ton steamer driven full-speed ahead, irrespective of wind or sea." Of course, if we had been "hove-to" in the " Servia," she would have been as steady as a rock. It shows what confidence there is in ship, officers, and crew, chat we were able to go 17 knotf an hour in a gale, heavy sea, and thick drizzle, straight towards the Irich coast, and that the Fastnet Light was seen on the port bow exactly at the calculated time ! We arrived at Queenstown at 5 a.m. (9th), seven days eight hours from New York. The weather became much finer towards mid-day, as the gale which had passed down the Irish Channel during the night, had taken a curve (of more than a right angle) to the north-eastward, and gone away across England — a most unusual path for storms to take. We got to the bar off Liverpool about ten that night, just eight days from New York, which is a very good passage, considering that we had so many head seas. We had to wait for the tide to cross the bar, and I stayed on deck till half-past 2 a.m. watching the ship being docked, by the electric light — a very interetiting operation with such a long ship as ours. We landed about 8 a.m. (October 10th), and as passengers seldom land at the docks, there were very fcAv cabs, and much confusion, most of the baggage having been taken to Prince's landing stage. However, I got to London in time to catch the afternoon express at Charing Cross, and arrived home about 6 o'clock, having had a most delightful tour of 10 weeks, during which I had travelled over 9,000 miles. ■ B. R. D." * With regard to the St. John Ambulance Association (mentioned in this book), whose work Lady Brassey has done so much to further in different parts of the world, I should like to notn here how vcuy important it is that all travellers, especially emigrants, should be taught the elements of sursery and medicine, particularly the first help to the wounded, according to the Society's lectures and instructions. ^ «.