190 ANNUAL RECORD OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 



is known to exist, the region specially indicated is along the 

 northern side of Greenland and Smith's Sound. Various sci- 

 entific societies in London have been invited to prepare in- 

 structions and memoranda for best serving: the interests of 

 which they are the representatives respectively, and it is un- 

 derstood that her Majesty's government is waiting to receive 

 a deputation which shall lay the whole matter before it. 15 

 A, December 7, 1872, 735. 



EXPLORATIONS OF THE PORTSMOUTH. 



The United States exploring ship Portsmouth, which has 

 been busily engaged in preparing for her cruise to the Pacif- 

 ic, has finally left for her destination. As already stated, her 

 officers consist of Captain Joseph R. Skerrett, in command ; 

 Lieutenant-Commander J. J. Read, executive officer ; Lieuten- 

 ant J. E. Noel, navigator ; Dr. Thomas H. Streets, assistant 

 surgeon, together with other officers. She carries a crew of 

 one hundred and thirty-seven men, with twenty-three ward- 

 room officers. The scientific corps of the expedition is to con- 

 sist of Messrs. Byer and Beardsley, from the Hydrographic 

 Office, Washington, Paymaster Horace P. Tuttle as astrono- 

 mer, and Dr. Streets as naturalist. The Portsmouth will carry 

 three steam-launches for cruising around shoal places. Her 

 armament will consist of four eight-inch guns on the gun- 

 deck, one thirty-pound rifled Parrott, two twenty-two-pound 

 howitzers, and two twelve-pound howitzers. 



AFRICAN CONGO EXPEDITION. 



Dr. Petermann gives an account of an expedition which is 

 now fitting out under the direction of the Geographical Socie- 

 ty of Berlin for the purpose of proceeding to the west coast 

 of Africa, and exploring the regions to the north of the Con- 

 go, with a view of contributing to the solution of the Central 

 African problem. According to Petermann, no more impor- 

 tant exploring enterprise could be undertaken than the jour- 

 ney fromLoando to the west coast of Africa. An additional 

 inducement to this is the great success that has attended 

 Dr. Schweinfurth's recent explorations, and the fact that Dr. 

 Bastian is now at the head of the movement is an assurance 

 that this labor will be prosecuted energetically, since he him- 

 self has acquired distinction in African exploration. In 1857 



