430 SIR RODERICK I. MURCHISON'S ADDRESS-EUROPE. [May 25, 1857. 



rited proprietor of this Periodical, M. Justus Perthes of Gotha, has 

 spared no expense in bringing out the work in an attractive form, 

 so I rejoice to hear that its sale is becoming very large — upwaids, 

 as I am told, of 3000 copies being in monthly circulation. 



The advancement of our science in Prussia has, I am sorry to 

 say, received a serious check in the recent decease of Dr. Gum- 

 precht, the Editor of the ' Monats-Berichte ' of the Geographical 

 Society of Berlin, who, after successfully prosecuting some branches 

 of geology, had devoted himself with great energy to the extension of 

 our acquaintance with the geography of Southern Africa. But what 

 is most deeply to be regretted is, that he was suddenly carried off 

 when engaged in a great and important work on the geography of 

 Germany, a subject, on which I hope, through the assistance of my 

 friend M. Bitter, to be better enabled to speak at our next Anni- 

 versary. 



In this brief and very imperfect notice of the progress of geo- 

 graphy in Northern and Central Germany, I have great pleasure in 

 specially acknowledging the accession to our collection of many 

 valuable maps publishe'd by the Bavarian Government, which have 

 been communicated to us through His Excellency Baron de Cetto. 



Of the distinguished travellers Schlagintweit it is my province 

 to speak in a notice of Asiatic discoveries. 



Austria. — Endowed with various noble establishments for the 

 advancement of science, possessing many good geographers, and 

 publishing most admirable maps of the different parts of her 

 empire, Austria was without a Geographical Society until the 21st 

 of September of last year. It was then that my valued friend 

 William Haidinger, long known as an eminent mineralogist and geo- 

 logist, and much esteemed by his contemporaries in every land as 

 well as in his own, uniting with a few zealous friends, and obtain- 

 ing the consent and protection of the Government, established the 

 Imperial Geographical Society of Vienna. To a great extent this 

 body, like that of St. Petersburg, is founded on the model of our 

 own Society, though the regulations and interior management ne- 

 cessarily vary with the different form of the Government of the 

 country. 



In speaking of the Proceedings of this Society, I cannot avoid 

 specially alluding to one point of the proceedings of our Aus- 

 trian friends ; namely, the recent departure of the Imperial frigate 

 the Novara on a voyage of scientific exploration round the 

 world. When this expedition was decided upon, and a number 



