Ixxiv GENERAL SUMMARY OF SCIENTIFIC AND 



Sir Samuel Baker and liis wife have returned to England, 

 after their long stay in Africa, which they spent in the inter- 

 est of the Kliedive of Egypt for commercial and political 

 purposes. The objects of tiie expedition were successfully 

 accomplished, and a large part of the adjacent African terri- 

 tory was thoroughly explored, and brought under the domin- 

 ion of the Khedive. 



The news from Dr. Nachtigal, who has been exploring the 

 region about Baghirmi to the southeast of Lake Tchad, is 

 not very recent. 



A most important enterprise in the way of African research 

 was that w^hich was commenced in December, 1873, by Dr. 

 Gerhard Rohlfs, having for its object the exploration of the 

 Lybian Desert and its oases. This is prosecuted under the 

 auspices of the Khedive of Egypt, and is provided with every 

 thing necessary for successful work, including a large cara- 

 van of camels carrying water-tanks, so as to be independent 

 of any other means of water supply. Dr. Rohlfs is accom- 

 panied by Dr. Ascherson, Dr. Zittel, and other eminent Ger- 

 man naturalists. 



From Australia there is little note of results actually ac- 

 complished, although we have an interesting report of the 

 work done by Mr. Giles in 1872. 



In liis last African exploration, Dr. Schweinfiirth discovered 

 a river, believed to be previously unknown, and called by 

 him the Uelle, and in regard to which it is still a problem 

 whether it connects with the Schari, emptying into Lake 

 Tchad, or with the Ogowai, a tributary of the Atlantic Ocean. 

 Another problem still unsolved is as to whether the Albert 

 Nyanza connects or not with the Tanganyika. The Lualaba 

 of Livingstone is considered by the German geographers to 

 be a tributary of the Congo, and not of the Nile. 



With a view of settling these and other interesting ques- 

 tions. Dr. Bastian, of the Geographical Society of Berlin, in- 

 terested himself in the formation of a new body, or rather a 

 committee from the Geographical Societies of Dresden, Leip- 

 zig, Berlin, Hamburg, Frankfort-on-the-Main, and Munich, 

 which was entitled the African Society, and having for its 

 special object the prosecution of researches in Western Afri- 

 ca, as the portion of the continent where its efforts would be 

 most productive of results. An expedition on the part of 



