cxxviii GENERAL SUMMARY OF SCIENTIFIC AND 



have developed the important fact that the Siberian pole of 

 greatest intensity is between latitude 64 and 65 north and 

 in about longitude 112 east, and just about 1 west and 

 south of the position assigned to it by Gauss. The minimum 

 temperature observed during the expedition was 49, in lat- 

 itude 61 30' north; the absolute maximum was 82.36, on 

 the 1st of June, in latitude 66 26'. The expedition crossed 

 the polar limits of several trees. The silver-poplar first dis- 

 appeared, then the silver-fir, in latitude 60 50'. The birch 

 was found as far north as latitude 63 only. 



Details in reference to the geographical discoveries in 

 Northern Asia will be found in the account of Professor 

 Nordenskj old's journey to the river Yenisei. 



A British expedition left Rangoon in the latter part of 

 December, 18*74,10 re-open the old trade route between Bur- 

 mah and Yunan. This was in charge of Colonel Horace 

 Brown, accompanied by Mr. Ney Elias as topographer and 

 John Anderson, director of the Museum of Calcutta, as med- 

 ical director and naturalist. The party was accompanied 

 by an escort of soldiers, and provided with Chinese inter- 

 preters and a guard. We learn, however, that after the ex- 

 pedition had reached the borders of China it was attacked 

 by fanatical natives and entirely broken up, so that noth- 

 ing was accomplished. 



. Nothing definite has been received in the United States 

 in regard to the expedition to Western China, under the com- 

 mand of Captain Sosnovsky and Captain Matvosovsky, ac- 

 companied by a surgeon, photographer, and interpreter. 

 They reached Shanghai by way of Kiachta and Pekin, and 

 were to leave Hankow by steamer, and afterward to pro- 

 ceed westerly up the river Han in native boats. 



The two explorations of Palestine, the one under Ameri- 

 can auspices and the other under British, have been continu- 

 ing their work during the year with varying success. The 

 British party in the early part of the year engaged in the 

 examination of the southern portion of their field, which they 

 expected to finish during the summer. At that time Lieuten- 

 ant Condon reported that he had a list of nearly 3000 names 

 in Arabic, and that he had fully identified Bethabara as the 

 place where John was baptized. Upward of fifty fords of the 

 Jordan were discovered in the progress of the survey. Sub- 



