railway between Glen Truim and Kingussie. They can be traced more or less continuously on either side of the valley from Etteridge and Creag Dhu to Nethy Bridge and Broomhill. Examination of their levels at various points proves that, while they have a slight general inclination down the valley, this is by no means uniform. They are therefore neither ordinary river-terraces, which would slope uniformly; nor lakemargins, that would be horizontal. It seems more probable that they were formed by the deposition of sand and gravel between the edge of a shrinking glacier that occupied the centre of the valley and the hill-sides. The material would be brought down by the streams flowing off the hill-slopes and down the surface of the glacier itself. The hills around the sources and upper course of the Spey are much lower than the Cairngorm mountains, from which the Feshie and other important tributaries descend. Hence towards the close of the Glacial period, when the ice in Badenoch was dwindling or had even entirely vanished, a large glacier may still have been pouring down Glen Feshie into the Spey valley. This would act as a barrier, or even perhaps send a tongue of ice up the valley towards Kingussie; even as in later times the alluvial fan of the Feshie has partially dammed back the water of Loch Insh. Below Aviemore the high-level gravels stretch completely across the valley and form the flat moorlands around Boat of Garten. This sheet of gravel, together with the thick deposits of similar nature that fill the wide valley of Glen More and cover a large area in the Abernethy forest, are fluvio-glacial in their origin and have been laid down by the great body of water issuing from the melting glaciers of Strathspey as the ice retreated up the side glens and main valley. The large masses of granite that are seen in the bed of the river at various points between Pityoulish and Boat of Garten, and also occur imbedded in the sand in the cuttings on the Carrbridge railway, further indicate the glacial origin of these sands and gravels. They are far too large to have been brought down by the stream, and have dropped to their present position by the force of gravity, as the glacial deposits in which they were imbedded were washed away.1 To sum up the conclusions at which we have arrived from the consideration of the facts described in this paper. The Spey is a compound river, composed of two sections of different age and at unequal stages of erosion. The lower section has been rejuvenated by uplift, and, contrary to the normal conditions of an orthodox stream, is at once younger in age and steeper in gradient than the higher portions. The Spey valley for the greater part of its extent may, on the other hand, be regarded as the result of the slow erosion of the river, continued since early Paleozoic times, along a line determined in the first place by some original irregularity of surface, but subsequently modified to some degree by earth movements and glacial action. 1 See Annual Summary of the Progress of the Geological Survey for 1897, pp. 148-150. THE BRITISH RAINFALL ORGANISATION. THE nature and work of the British Rainfall Organisation are SO often misunderstood that it may be well to explain briefly the origin and growth of the most elaborate machinery which has ever been brought into action by private enterprise in this or any other country for the purpose of investigating a branch of physical geography. The late Mr. G. J. Symons, F.R.S., turned his attention to the study of rainfall in 1858 when only twenty years of age; in 1860 he collected all the complete records of rainfall for the year in England and Wales, 168 in number, and published them as a four-page quarto pamphlet entitled English Rainfall, 1860. In the following year he collected 500 observations from all parts of the British Islands; and the publication appeared then, and has appeared annually ever since, under the title of British Rainfall, gradually increasing to an octavo volume of over 300 pages, detailing and discussing observations at 3500 stations, and publishing important memoirs on various branches of rainfall work." When Mr. Symons began his work there were no definite rules for rainfall study; rain-gauges were of all shapes and sizes, sunk into the ground or perched at any height on poles or walls or roofs, and the records were often conflicting and bewildering; there was no definition commonly accepted of a rainy day, or a drought, and every meteorological authority held his own views as the only standards. These things are changed now, and although perfect uniformity is not yet secured, the deviations have been much reduced. Mr. Symons succeeded in developing his organisation by enlisting the services of amateur observers in all parts of the country, and he succeeded also in the more delicate task of securing the friendly co-operation of the Meteorological Societies in London and Edinburgh, and of the Meteorological Office, without in any way trenching on their fields of work. The British Association not only approved the labours of Mr. Symons by appointing a rainfall committee of which he was the active member, but for many years contributed to the expense of obtaining and discussing the records. As time went on, some of the more enthusiastic observers, whose means were in proportion to their scientific zeal, associated themselves with Mr. Symons in bearing the heavy expense of the work; so that it became, if not altogether self-supporting, at least a matter of no serious anxiety to its founder, who early obtained a deserved reputation as the leading English authority on rain and its effects. When Mr. Symons. died on March 10, 1900, the Organisation was carried on at his request by his colleague, Mr. H. Sowerby Wallis, who for nearly thirty years had been associated with the work to an annually increasing degree. Finding the task too heavy for one man, and being anxious to secure the unbroken continuity of the system, Mr. Wallis invited Dr. H. R. Mill to share the responsibility, and the work has been carried on jointly since January 1, 1901. It is the aim of the Rainfall Organisation to bring together and to publish annually on a uniform plan every complete record of the previous year's rainfall which has been taken in the British Islands. Most of these records are sent direct to the headquarters of the Organisation, 62 Camden Square, London, N. W., by the observers; others are obtained from printed returns, the sources being acknowledged in every case. For most parts of England there are sufficient rain-gauges fairly uniformly distributed to give a good approximation to the annual rainfall of the country; Scotland is by no means so well represented, especially in the Highlands; and Ireland is in a still less satisfactory condition. There is room in all three kingdoms for more observations to be made. Observers often require to be urged to keep up old records as well as to establish new stations. Full particulars of the nature of the work required and instructions for making the observations can always be had on application to the office of the Organisation. When the observations have been received, examined, the addition. verified, the totals corrected (after consultation with the observer if necessary), and the whole mass of figures printed in the annual volume, the raw material is in a state for the commencement of its scientific study. Important investigations on the peculiarities of the rainfall in different districts, and the examination of many new instruments and methods, have been carried out at Camden Square. The geographical aspects of the work still demand a great deal of study, and we may hope that since a well-known geographer has associated himself with the work, this part of it will receive the attention it deserves. The British Rainfall Organisation is national in its scope, although without endowment of any kind, and unaided by public funds or by the support of any formally constituted society. The value of the results. cannot be doubted; and as the development of the water-power of this country is rendered necessary by the increased use of electricity generated by some cheaper agency than coal, the self-sacrificing efforts of Mr. Symons in the early days when he struggled to ensure uniformity and continuity in rainfall observations will be more and more fully appreciated. Symons's Meteorological Magazine, now edited by Dr. Mill, is devoted to the whole science of meteorology, and has achieved the distinction attained by no other journal dealing with meteorology in the English language, of completing its thirty-fifth year. It grew out of a Monthly Rain Circular started by Mr. Symons in order to bring the facts regarding rainfall before the public at the earliest possible date; and tables of rainfall at 150 stations in the British Islands still appear monthly. The newest facts and theories regarding weather and climate are discussed in a popular way, and reviews of meteorological works form a special feature in the Magazine. PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SCOTTISH GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY. MEETINGS HELD IN MARCH. Mr. J. E. S. Moore addressed the Glasgow Branch, on the 1st March, on "Some Unknown Countries north of Tanganyika and the Mountains of the Moon." The Chair was taken by Sir John Neilson Cuthbertson. Mr. Alexander Hosie, British Consul at Newchwang, addressed the Aberdeen Branch on the 4th March. His subject was "Manchuria." The Chair was taken by the Earl of Aberdeen. Mr. Arthur Gulston, Chief Superintendent Engineer of the Elswick Shipyard, Newcastle-on-Tyne, addressed the Dundee Branch, on the 6th March, on the "Baltic and Arctic Voyages of the Ice-breaker Ermack in 1899." Mr. Henry G. Gourlay presided. Mr. Gulston addressed a Meeting of the Society in Edinburgh on the 7th March, when the President, Sir John Murray, K.C.B., occupied the Chair. MEETING OF COUNCIL. At a Meeting of Council held on the 20th March the following new Members were elected, viz. : : Hosea Moir. The following gentlemen were appointed Corresponding Members, viz. : : Dr. Boner, British Central Africa. Dr. Chisholm, British Central Africa. Dr. James Burgess and Mr. Ralph Richardson were appointed to act as the Society's Delegates at the Glasgow University Ninth Jubilee Celebration in June. Mr. W. L. Calderwood was appointed a Member of the Society's Council. MEETINGS ARRANGED FOR APRIL. Major Medley, 17th Bengal Lancers, will address the Society as follows, on his Journey from India to England via Central Asia and Siberia viz., in Edinburgh on April 4; in Dundee on April 5; and in Glasgow on April 11. GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES. EUROPE. The Italian Geographical Society elected Sir John Murray, K.C.B. (President R.S.G.S.), an honorary member at a general meeting held on the 24th February 1901. The Sandstorm in Capri. -We have received the following letter from Mr. A. Silva White "On Sunday last, the 10th inst., there occurred here a phenomenon that may be worth a few words of description in the Magazine. "For a few days previously we had been experiencing strong south-westerly winds. On Sunday morning the wind was south, and light. It was a true scirocco, hot and moist. But up to windward there was, quite early (when I first looked out) a dense bank of yellow vapour, which soon spread over the sky. I at once recognised this as wind-blown sand-particles from the Sahara. Never before (according to local intelligence) has this been seen in the island of Capri, though in Sicily it is, I believe, not unknown. The sand-clouds hung dark and lowering overhead, and, when of less density, the light beyond gave the clouds a very lurid and weird appearance. At times the whole sky was overcast with driving vapour, heavily charged with sand. It then reminded me of the many sandstorms I have experienced in the Libyan desert, Egypt, and the Sudan, except, of course, that the sandstorm was high overhead. A very heavy southerly sea (ground-swell) was running. "At nightfall, with a lowering of temperature, there was a heavy precipitation. Rain and sand then fell together, and covered the whole island with a light deposit. My house, which is exposed (being situated on a cliff at the extreme south point of the island) was, the next morning (when the rain had ceased) covered with sand. The sand was almost thick enough to obliterate the pattern (black and white check) of the tesselated balconies. "In Naples, to the north of Capri, there was quite a panic; the people thought the world was coming to an end, and brought out the Host and their patron saint. "There must have been a very heavy storm last week in the great desert of North Africa, although it is rather early in the year for bad Khamsins. "VILLA MERCEDES, ISOLA DI CAPRI, ITALY, 12th March 1901." The Launch of the "Discovery" took place at Dundee on March 21, the vessel being named by Lady Markham. This ship is the sixth of her name among those which are famous in the annals of British exploration. The first of her predecessors was engaged in Arctic exploration for some fourteen years-1602-16. She made altogether six voyages, including that of Hudson to Baffin Bay. The second Discovery made a voyage to Hudson's Bay in 1719. The third of the name had a great record, being the second ship in Cook's third voyage (1776-80). The ship in which Vancouver carried on his explorations (1791-95) also bore this name, as did the second ship in the great Arctic expedition under Sir George Nares (1875-76), the last important enterprise of the kind carried out at the expense of the British Government. The new Discovery is the first ship ever built in this country for the express purpose of exploration. The ribs are made of English oak, well seasoned, and are placed as close as they could well be without actual contact. These ribs are covered by two skins of oak and of greenheart. Inside, these are lined to the thickness of one and a half inches by asbestos plates, and these again are covered by matchboard. The beams are such as to resist the side pressures to which the ship may be subjected among the Antarctic ice. The deck beams in the living rooms are covered with soft, plain felt half an inch thick. The material and construction of every part of the ship have been provided for by Mr. W. E. Smith, chief constructor to the Admiralty, who drew up the specifications. There is a great sheer in the bow, for the purpose of enabling the ship to make her way through the ice, and her bow will be cased in steel plates. Special arrangements have been made for unshipping the rudder mechanically. Her engines will be of 450 horse-power, capable of steaming about eight knots. An unusually large space has been allotted to the engine-room, by means of which, among other advantages, |