ex GENERAL SUMMARY OF SCIENTIFIC AND 



PARAGUAY. 



Our knowledge of the physical geography of Paraguay has been 

 very much increased by the observations of Keith Johnston, Esq., and 

 Lieutenant Congreve, R.N., during their extensive journeys in that 

 country in 1874, notes of which were published in tlie Proceedings of 

 the Royal Geographical Society in August last, and in the Oeographical 

 Magazine for September. Careful barometric and boiling-point deter- 

 minations of heights were made at numerous places, being in all 

 cases referred to the height of Asuncion above sea-level as a base, 

 this being first ascertained with great care, and found to be 321 feet, 

 instead of 253 feet, as heretofore supj)osed. The exact geographical 

 position in latitude and longitude of about twenty points in the 

 Argentine Republic and Paraguay have been fixed under the direc- 

 tion of Dr. Gould, of the Cordoba Observatory, the longitude being 

 in all cases ascertained with reference to Cordoba by the exchange 

 of time signals over telegraph lines. This w^ork, which is being 

 extended by Dr. Gould as fast as practicable, and which already 

 includes Valparaiso on the Pacific and. Montevideo on the Atlan- 

 tic coast, will be of immense service in rectifying errors in maps 

 already existing, and in furnishing bases for new surveys and cxjjIo- 

 rations. 



BOLIVIA. 



In Bolivia valuable work is being done Iiy Commander Musters, 

 R.N., and Mr. Minchin, a civil engineer employed by the govern- 

 ment in fixing the positions of important places, and in constructing 

 maps of Bolivia. All the longitudes are referred to that of Sucre, 

 the capital, a secondary meridian being established there 65 17' 

 west of Greenwich. A scale of fifteen inches to a degree has been 

 selected for their maps; and as the best now existing (made by 

 Colonel Ordasa) is very erroneous, the work now being done will be 

 of great value. 



Besides numerous astronomical observations for latitude and longi- 

 tude of important points, very many hypsometric and magnetic ob- 

 servations have been made. 



The discovery, in Sept., 1876, of the rich silver deposits in the 

 mining district of Caracoles, and the immensely rich guano beds of 

 Mejillones, have attracted much attention to the hitherto unknown 

 coast region of Bolivia. In Petermann's Mittheilungen for Sept., 1876, 

 Dr. Hermann Wagner has well described this coast district, with the 

 three great western terraces of the Bolivian Andes. Here as elsewhere 

 the searches for practicable railway routes have added much to geo- 

 graphical knowledge. 



EUROPE. 



The Geographical Society recently founded in IMadrid has re- 

 solved to devote its energies to tlie study of the Spanish peninsula 



