As Sir Edward Sabine finely said, "The hands
of the magnetic clock stopped." But the activity of the needle
gradually increased as the surface was approached.

All electrical action also ceased, which fully confirms the
theory, of Professor Faraday, that "electricity is a force
generated by the rapid axial revolution of the earth, and that
magnetic attraction in all cases points or operates at right
angles to its current." Hence electricity, from the nature of its
cause, must be superficial.

Every appearance of water disappeared at the depth of only 9000
feet. From this depth downward the rock was of a basaltic
character, having not the slightest appearance of granite
formation--confirming, in a most remarkable manner, the discovery
made only last year, that all _granites_ are of _aqueous_,
instead of _igneous_ deposition. As a corollary from the law of
atmospheric pressure, it was found utterly impossible to vaporize
water at a greater depth than 24,000 feet, which point was
reached in 1869. No amount of heat affected it in the least
perceptible manner, and on weighing the liquid at the greatest
depth attained, by means of a nicely adjusted scale, it was found
to be of a density expressed thus: 198,073, being two degrees or
integers of atomic weight heavier than gold, at the surface.

The report then proceeds to discuss the question of the true figure of
the earth, whether an oblate spheroid, as generally supposed, or only
truncated at the poles; the length of a degree of longitude at the
latitude of Dudzeele, 51 deg. 20 min. N., and one or two other problems.
The concluding portion of the report is reproduced in full.

For the past twelve months it was found impossible to endure the
heat, even sheltered as the miners were by the atmospheric cover
and cage, for more than fifteen minutes at a time, so that the
expense of sinking had increased geometrically for the past two
years. However, important results had been obtained, and a
perpendicular depth reached many thousands of feet below the
deepest sea soundings of Lieutenant Brooks. In fact, the enormous
excavation, on the 1st of November, 1872, measured
perpendicularly, no less than 37,810 feet and 6 inches from the
floor of the shaft building! The highest peak of the Himalayas is
only little over 28,000 feet, so that it can at once be seen that
no time had been t