I. 



The Sixth International Geographical 



Congress. 



THE Royal Geographical Society, as the hosts of the International 

 Geographical Congress, may be congratulated on having scored 

 a great success. The numerous Government delegates and repre- 

 sentatives of foreign societies from all the ends of the earth have come 

 and gone, and they have all expressed pleasure and satisfaction, alike 

 with the serious work accomplished and with the entertainment 

 provided for them. The responsibility of so large a gathering seems 

 a heavy burden to lay on a Society like the Geographical, especially 

 as it has not received any visible support from either the State or the 

 Municipality, and has even had to pay a large sum for accommoda- 

 tion in the Imperial Institute. But the credit of success becomes 

 thereby all the greater, as this is the first occasion on which the hosts 

 of the Congress have been so thrown on their own resources. 



Perhaps the secret of success in these meetings is that, like the 

 British Empire, they have no definite constitution. Each city visited 

 by the Congress is at liberty to make what arrangement it pleases, 

 and so to make the best of itself ; and the burning questions of 

 geography can be discussed and settled in the manner best suited to 

 the time and place of meeting. Compared with former Congresses, 

 we should say that the sixth was remarkable for the just balance of 

 its different parts, and for their mutual independence : when the 

 Congress met in solemn conference it worked hard at the question in 

 hand, undisturbed by a feeling that the Exhibitions were, after all, 

 the most important feature ; and when the deliberations were over 

 there was still energy left to enjoy the round of gaiety. 



Popular, as well as scientific, interest centred in the general 

 meetings, which were convened each morning for the discussion of 

 some important branch of geographical science, and usually con- 

 tinued, after adjournment, in the afternoon. The Sections, of which 

 there were never more than two, and sometimes only one, did not 

 usually meet till the afternoon, and devoted their attention to more 

 technical matters. Antarctic Exploration was the feature of the first 

 day. The subject was introduced by Geheimrath Professor Dr. 

 Neumayer, the veteran chief of the Deutsche Seewarte. Various 



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