GEOGRAPHY. 337 



5. From Colon or Aspinwall to the Bay of Panama, by 

 way of the Chagres River. 



6. From San Juan de Nicaragua (Greytown) by way of 

 Lake Nicaragua to Brito on the Pacific. 



Of all these routes Lieutenant "VVyse prefers the third ; but 

 in an address read before the American Geographical Socie- 

 ty on November 12, 1878, Rear-Admiral Ammen, U.S.N., se- 

 riously called in question Lieutenant Wyse's conclusions, and 

 demonstrated the superior advantages of the Nicaragua route, 

 both as regards engineering facilities and cost. 



SOUTH AMERICA. 



In a paper read before the Royal Geographical Society, 

 Mr. Clements R. Markham calls attention to the lar^e extent 

 of unexplored territory in South America, especially the re- 

 gion of the Andes and their eastern slope. In Bolivia, Peru, 

 and Brazil, there are extensive territories where little or noth- 

 ing is known of the rivers and mountains. The journeys of 

 botanists and naturalists are constantly adding to our knowl- 

 edge, but there is evidently valuable work for explorers and 

 discoverers to perform for at least the next generation. The 

 Amazon, draining millions of acres of fertile territory, is to- 

 day almost as much of a mystery as it was 300 years ago; 

 but there is every reason to hope that here, as elsewhere, in- 

 creased facilities of transportation will soon enable surveyors 

 to make accurate maps of this valuable region. 



At a meeting of the Berlin Geographical Society, Dr. Sachs 

 gave a description of his recent journey to Venezuela, and 

 corrected, in some points, Humboldt's statements regarding 

 the Llanos. This great plain, formerly an inland sea, is 600 

 feet above the sea-level in the upper part, but only 200 in 

 the lower part, this difference accounting for the much more 

 luxuriant growth of the grass in the lower region. The de- 

 crease in the number of cattle during the last few years has 

 led to a largely increased growth of trees. 



Herr Werthemann's explorations of the Peruvian rivers 

 Perene and Tambo in 1876 are described by Mr. W. Reiss 

 in the Verhandhmgen der Gesellschaft filr Erdkunde zu Ber- 

 lin. 



The beautiful topographical chart of Paraguay, by Fr. 

 Wiesner von Morgenstern, which received a premium at the 



P 



