sinking areas. The East Indian Archipelago, the most broken land in the world, is, in most parts, an area of elevation, but surrounded and penetrated, probably in more lines than one, by narrow areas of subsidence.

I have marked with vermilion spots all the many known active volcanoes within the limits of this same map. Their entire absence from every one of the great subsiding areas, coloured either pale or dark blue, is most striking; and not less so is the coincidence of the chief volcano chains with the parts coloured red, which we are led to conclude have either long remained stationary, or, more generally, have been recently upraised. Although a few of the vermilion spots occur within no great distance of single circles tinted with blue, yet not one single volcano is situated within several hundred miles of an archipelago, or even small group of atolls. It is the Friendly Archipelago which consists of a group of atolls upheaved and since worn partially down; two volcanoes, and perhaps more, are historically known to have been in action. On the other hand, although most of the islands in the Pacific, which are encircled by barrier reefs, are of volcanic origin, often with the remnants of craters still distinguishable, not one of them is known to have been in eruption. Hence, in these cases it would appear that volcanoes burst into action and become extinguished on the same spots, accordingly as elevatory or subsiding movements prevail there. Numberless facts could be adduced to prove that upraised organic remains are common wherever there are active volcanoes; but until it could be shown that in areas of subsidence volcanoes are either absent or inactive, the inference, probable in itself, that their distribution depended on the rising or falling of the earth's surface, would have been hazardous. But now I think we may freely admit this important deduction.

Taking a final view of the map, and hearing in mind the statements made with respect to the upraised organic remains, we must feel astonished at the vastness of the areas which have suffered changes in level, either downwards or upwards, with a period not geologically remote. It would appear also, that the elevatory and subsiding movements follow nearly the same laws. Throughout the spaces interspersed with atolls, where not a single peak of high land has been left above the level of the sea, the sinking must have been immense in amount. The sinking, moreover, whether continuous or recurrent with intervals sufficiently long for the corals again to bring up their living edifices to the surface, must necessarily have been extremely slow. This conclusion is probably the most important one which can be adduced from the study of coral formations; and it is one which it is difficult to imagine how otherwise could ever have been arrived at. Nor can I quite pass over the probability of the former existence of large archipelagoes of lofty islands, where now only rings of coral rock scarcely break the open expanse of the sea, throwing some light on the distribution of the inhabitants of the other high islands, now left standing so immensely remote from each other in the midst of the great oceans. The reef-constructing corals have been, indeed, reared and preserved as wonderful memorials of the subterranean oscillations of level; we see in each barrier reef a proof that the land has there subsided, and in each atoll a monument over an island now lost. We may thus, like unto a geologist who had lived his 10,000 years, and kept a record of the passing changes, gain some insight into the great system by which the surface of this globe has been broken up, and land and water interchanged.

VII.-ICE WATER.

A remarkable property of ice, in a pure state, that is, transparent and clear, has been recently shown by the aid of chemistry. The eminent professor, Dr. Faraday, in some late demonstrations, has clearly shown that transparent and pellucid ice is one of the purest substances in nature. It is scarcely possible, by the aid of chemistry, to separate any foreign admixture from water so perfectly as by the act of freezing it. No test, however delicately applied, can detect the presence of anything in the water procured by the melting of such ice. It neither contains air nor any trace of solution which the water forming it

might have contained. Thus matter, however poisonous, deleterious, or in great or minute quantities, becomes so absolutely removed from the ice, that it could never be ascertained to have existed in it.

Of course this can only apply to transparent ice, free from cavities in its substances, which cavities without certain circumstances will contain the separated portions of the solution.

This fact would be of great importance to the sailor in high latitudes, where water may be so readily procured from this source at every point. If the blocks of clear ice be washed in pure water, and contain no cavities, or these should also be washed in pure water, the dissolving of such ice will afford water purer than can be had from any source; and all deleterious admixtures, however great, in the solution from which it may be found, will be entirely removed, and may be assumed to be so with confidence.-Ed.

VIII.-RUSSIAN AMERICA.

Convention between His Majesty and the Emperor of Russia, respecting the free navigation, commerce, and fisheries in the Pacific Ocean, and the limits on the N.W. coast of America. Signed at St. Petersburg, February 28, 1825.

Art. I. It is agreed that the respective subjects of the high contracting parties shall not be troubled or molested in any part of the ocean commonly called the Pacific Ocean, either in navigating the same, in fishing therein, or in landing at such parts of the coast as shall not have been already occupied, in order to trade with the natives, under the restrictions and conditions specified in the following articles.

Art. II. In order to prevent the right of navigating and fishing exercised upon the ocean by subjects of the high contracting parties from becoming the pretext for any illicit commerce, it is agreed that the subjects of His Britannic Majesty shall not land at any place where there may be a Russian establishment, without the permission of the governor or commandant; and, on the other hand, that Russian subjects shall not land, without permission, at any British establishment on the N.W. coast.

Art. III. The line of demarcation between the possessions of the high contracting parties upon the coast of the continent, and the islands of America to the N.W., shall be drawn in the manner following:

Commencing from the southernmost point of the island, called Prince of Wales Island (which lies in the parallel of lat. 54° 40′ N., and between lon. 131° and 133° W., meridian of Greenwich), the said line shall extend to the North along the channel called Portland Canal, as far as the point of the continent where it strikes the latitude of 58° N. From this last-mentioned point the line of demarcation shall follow the summit of the mountains, situated parallel with the coast, as far as the point of intersection of lou. 141° W. (of the same meridian); and, finally, from the same point of intersection, the said meridian line of lon. 141° shall form the limit between the Russian and British possessions on the continent of America to the N.W.

Art. IV. With reference to the line of demarcation laid down in the preceding article, it is understood

1st. That the island called Prince of Wales Island shall belong wholly to Russia.

2nd. That whenever the summit of the mountains which extend in a direction parallel to the coast, from lat. 56° N. to the point of intersection of lon. 141° W., shall prove to be at the distance of more than 10 marine leagues from the ocean, the limit between the British possessions and the line of coast which is to belong to Russia, as above mentioned, shall be formed by a line parallel to the winding of the coast, and which shall never exceed the distance of 10 marine leagues therefore.

Art. V. It is moreover agreed that no establishment shall be formed by either of the two parties within the limits assigned by the two preceding articles to the possession of the

other; consequently British subjects shall not form any establishment either upon the coast or upon the border of the continent comprised within the limits of the Russian possessions, or designated in the two preceding articles; and in like manner no establishment shall be formed by Russian subjects beyond the said limits.

Art. VI. It is understood that the subjects of His Britannic Majesty, from whatever quarter they may arrive, either from the ocean or from the interior of the continent, shall for ever enjoy the right of navigating, freely and without any hindrance whatever, all the rivers and streams which, in their course to the Pacific Ocean, may cross the line of demarcation upon the line of coast described in Article III. of the present convention.

Art. VII. It is also understood, that for the space of ten years from the signature of the present convention, the vessels of the two powers, or those belonging to their respective subjects, shall mutually be at liberty to frequent, without any hindrance whatever, all the inland seas, the gulfs, havens, and creeks on the coast, mentioned in Article III., for the purposes of fishing and of trading with the natives.

Art. VIII. The post of Sitka, or Novo Archangelsk, shall be open to the commerce and vessels of British subjects for the space of ten years from the date of the exchange of the ratifications of the present convention. In the event of an extension of the term of ten years being granted to any other power, the like extension shall be granted also to Great Britain.

Art. IX. The above-mentioned liberty of commerce shall not apply to the trade in spirituous liquors, fire-arms, or other arms, gunpowder, or other warlike stores; the high contracting parties reciprocally engaging not to permit the above-mentioned articles to be sold or delivered, in any manner whatever, to the natives of the country.

Art. X. Every British or Russian vessel navigating the Pacific Ocean, which may be compelled, by storms or by accident, to take shelter in the ports of the respective parties, shall be at liberty to refit therein, to provide itself with all necessary stores, and to put to sea again, without paying any other than port and lighthouse dues, which shall be the same as those paid by national vessels. In case, however, the master of such vessel should be under the necessity of disposing of a part of his merchandise, in order to defray his expenses, he shall conform himself to the regulations and tariffs of the place where he may have landed.

Art. XI. In every case of complaint on account of an infraction of the articles of the present convention, the civil and military authorities of the high contracting parties, without previously acting or taking any forcible measures, shall make an exact and circumstantial report of the matter to their respective court, who engage to settle the same in a friendly way, according to the principles of justice.

Art. XII. The present convention shall be ratified, and the ratifications shall be exchanged at London, within the space of six weeks, or sooner, if possible.

In witness whereof, the respective plenipotentiaries have signed the same, and have affixed thereto the seals of their arms.

Done at St. Petersburgh, the 28th day of February, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and twenty-five.

Some twenty or thirty years ago there was a most wasteful destruction of the fur seal, when young and old, male and female, were indiscriminately knocked on the head. This improvidence, as every one might have expected, proved detrimental in two ways. The race was almost extirpated; and the market glutted to such a degree, at the rate, for some time,

of 200,000 skins a year, that the prices did not even pay the expenses of carriage. The Russians, however, have now adopted nearly the same plan which the Hudson's Bay Company pursues, in recruiting any of its exhausted districts, killing only a limited number of such males as have attained their full growth—a plan peculiarly applicable to the fur seal, inasmuch as its habits render the system of husbanding the stock as easy and certain as that of destroying it.

In the month of May, with something like the regularity of an almanac, the fur seals make their appearance at the Island of St. Paul, one of the Aleutian group. Each old male brings a herd of females under his protection, varying in number according to his size and strength the weaker brethren are obliged to content themselves with half a dozen wives, while some of the sturdier and fiercer fellows preside over harems that are two hundred strong. From the date of their arrival in May, to that of their departure in October, the whole of them are principally on shore on the beach. The females go down to the sea once or twice a day, while the male, morning, noon, and night, watches his charge with the utmost jealousy, postponing the pleasures of eating and drinking and sleeping, to the duty of keeping his favourites together. If any young gallant venture by stealth to approach any senior chief's bevy of beauties, he generally atones for his imprudence with his life, being torn to pieces by the old fellow; and such of the fair ones as may have given the intruder any encouragement are pretty sure to catch it in the shape of some secondary punishment. The ladies are in the straw about a fortnight after they arrive at St. Paul's; about two or three weeks afterwards they lay the single foundation, being all that is necessary, of next year's proceedings; and the remainder of their sojourn they devote exclusively to the rearing of their young. At last the whole band departs, no one knows whither. The mode of capture is this:-At the proper time the whole are driven, like a flock of sheep, to the establishment, which is about a mile distant from the sea; and then the males of four years, with the exception of a few that are left to keep up the breed, are separated from the rest and killed. In the days of promiscuous massacre, such of the mothers as had lost their pups would ever and anou return to the establishment, absolutely harrowing up the sympathies of the wives and daughters of the hunters, unaccustomed as they were to such scenes, with their doleful lamentations.

The fur seal attains the age of fifteen or twenty years, but not more. The females do not bring forth their young till they are five years old. The hunters have frequently marked their ears each season; and many of the animals have been notched in this way ten times, but very few of them oftener.

Under the present system the fur seals are increasing rapidly in number. Previously to its introduction, the annual hunts had dwindled down to three or four thousand. They have now gradually got up to thrice that number; and they are likely soon to equal the full demand, not exceeding 30,000 skins, of the Russian market.-(Sir George Simpson).

INDEX TO PART II.