INDUSTRIAL PROGRESS DURING THE YEAR 1876. cxi 



and of Sjoanish maritime possessions, the delineation of which on 

 modern maps and charts is in a lamentably imperfect condition. 



In the Anuario del Observatorio de Madrid for 1876 is published a 

 notice, by Seiior Miguel Merino, of all the most important voyages 

 and geographical discoveries from the earliest time, commencing 

 with the somewhat apocryphal date of the Deluge, B.C. 2400. 

 Since the eighth century of the Christian era the work appears to 

 have been done with great care, the discoveries of the Sf)anish and 

 Portuffuese navigators in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries hav- 

 ing received especial attention. The w^ork deserves the notice of 

 everybody interested in the annals of maritime discovery. 



During the past year the government survey of Austria and Hun- 

 gary has made marked progress. Nearly 150 sheets of the maps, on 

 a scale of 75^001 ^^^ published or nearly ready for jDublication. A 

 large number of places have had their longitude determined by tele- 

 graph ; the exact longitude of Vienna, to which they are referred, 

 being measured directly by telegraph from Greenwich. The Aus- 

 trian Military Geographical Institute has also published a map of 

 Bosnia, Herzegovina, Servia, and Montenegro in 132 sheets, on a scale 

 of 1 



An important contribution to the history of geography has been 

 made by the publication, under the auspices of the Royal Italian 

 Geographical Society, of a bibliography of all geograjihical works, 

 both books and maps, in the Italian language, with a biograiDhical 

 notice of all Italian explorers and geographers. 



In no way is the increased interest in scientific geography shown 

 more strongly than in the constant accessions to geographical socie- 

 ties already established, and in the formation of new ones. In Bel- 

 gium and in Denmark during the past year new societies have been 

 established under very promising auspices. 



ICELAND AND GREENLAND. 



Under direction of the Danish government, M. Steenstrup, a neph- 

 ew of the eminent geologist of that name, accompanied by Lieutenant 

 Holm, of the Danish navy, has sailed for Greenland, to commence 

 the exploration of the district of Julianshaab and the interior east 

 of that point. The first authoritative work on Greenland in the 

 English language has been recently published. It is the work of 

 Dr. Rink, for twenty years governor of South Greenland, and is one 

 of the most valuable contributions to arctic geography which has 

 been published for many years. 



A Danish expedition has proceeded to Iceland, to explore, among 

 other localities, the vicinity of the recent volcanic eruption. Pro- 

 fessor Jonstrup, M. Fieldberg, surveyor, and M. Gronlund, botanist, 

 have accompanied the party. In a paper before the Royal Geograph- 

 ical Society, Mr. W. L. Watts has given an account of a journey to 



