May 26, 1856.] ARCTIC. lol 



P. A. Munch. The Saga of St. Edward the King, with an Introduc- 

 tion by Rafn and Sigurdsson ; Remarks on a Danish Runic Stone 

 from the Eleventh Century, lately discovered in the centre of London, 

 with Runic inscriptions, alluding to the Western Countries, by Rafn ; 

 and, finally, one by Brynjulfsson, entitled ' De I'Ancien Roman 

 Francois et de I'lnfluence exercee sur son Developpement par les 

 Kormands.* The King communicated to the Meeting the results of 

 the researches which he had carried out among the ancient royal 

 sepulchres at the Cathedral at Ringsted in Seeland ; upon which 

 the Vice-President, C. P. Wegener, read a Memoir on the Tombs of 

 King Waldemar the Great, and his Queen Sophia, daughter of Valo- 

 dimir of Russia. The Secretary read a statement of the progress 

 made during the last year in deciphering the Runic inscriptions so 

 numerous in Scandinavia, — an account of which he is preparing for 

 publication. 



Portugal. — We have received, through the polite attention of Count 

 Lavradio, several numbers of a periodical, published by the Portu- 

 guese Government, entitled ' Boletim e Annaes do Conselho Ultra- 

 marino,' which contains rich contributions to African geography. 



Germany. — It is with great pleasure I have to notice the establish- 

 ment of a Geographical Society at Vienna. 



We continue to receive Herr Gumprecht's valuable ' Geographical 

 Journal,' containing the proceedings of the Berlin Geographical 

 Society, in addition to other material. 



Hungat^. — The ethnographical studies, by M. Valeric, of the 

 various races forming the population of Hungary, have been pub- 

 lished, with numerous illustrations. 



Greece. — A work on the Peloponnesus, by M. Beule, appears to form 

 an excellent guide to the Morea, and is worthy of being translated. 



Arctic. 



At the opening pf the Address of last year by my noble predecessor, 

 the return of Dr. Rae was announced, bearing with him evidence of 

 the fate of the long missing expedition under the lamented Sir John 

 Franklin ; and I have now to notice amongst the papers read at the 

 meetings of the Society, the expedition consequent upon the informa- 

 tion furnished by him. You will remember that Mr. Anderson, who 

 conducted this expedition, pursued his route down the river Back, 



