May 25, 1857.] GERMANY. 429 



duous task, I have sincere pleasure iu recording my hearty approval 

 of a work, in which he has united the powers of a skilful physical 

 geographer with those of an indefatigable geologist. 



Germany. 



The progress of geographical science is now so well promulgated 

 through Germany by the ' Mittheilungen ' of Dr. Petermann, that 

 it is unnecessary I should do more than call attention to the value 

 of this methodical and well-illustrated monthly Periodical. In it 

 are to be found accounts not only of what is written or recprded in 

 the Geographical Societies of Berlin, Vienna, and other cities, 

 under the guidance of a Humboldt, a Eitter, and a Haidinger, 

 but also reports of descriptions of newly-explored countries in 

 various distant regions, accompanied by well-executed maps. 



Aware that a certain amount of discontent has sometimes been 

 expressed, at the appearance for the first time in this German 

 work of the voyages and travels of individuals who have been, or 

 are in the pay and service of Britain, I would beg my associates to 

 consider, how natural is the feeling of any foreign traveller en- 

 gaged in the British service, to wish to see the outline of his 

 researches first made known in his native land, and how his coun- 

 trymen on their part should feel a just pride whether in perusing 

 or in publishing the writings sent home to them in their vernacular 

 freshness from remote comers of the earth, with which they are 

 necessarily less familiar than the people of a maritime country like 

 our own. 



Whilst then there have occurred examples of the publication of 

 the outline of travels of English agents for the first time in German, 

 which might have been previously noted in the Proceedings of our 

 Society, as coming from the Secretaries of State who are our Asso- 

 ciates, and who usually send to us their earliest communications 

 respecting foreign travels, I would earnestly deprecate anything 

 approaching to a feeling of uneasiness upon this subject. 



Contented with the reflection, that knowledge cannot be too 

 widely diffused, let us hope that our German friends, clearly recog- 

 nizing and honouring the British channels through which their 

 information is obtained, will always work harmoniously and in 

 unison with us. Banishing therefore all jealousy, and admiring 

 the perseverance and skill of such contemporaries, I am bound in 

 fairness to say, that the * Mittheilungen ' is exercising a powerful and 

 salutary influence on the progress of our science ; and as the spi- 



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