May 28, I860.] JAPAN—AUSTRALIA. . 193 



the Canton Eiver to the Gulf of Pecheli, with a rough outline of 

 the provinces between Canton and Pekin. Several valuable remarks 

 and statistical tables are engraved on the map, which is published 

 on a scale of 24 miles to an inch, at Calcutta, Nov., 1859. 



The Indian and Philippine Archipelagos. — On the subject of the 

 great Indian and Philippine Archipelagos we have received in the 

 past year no communications ; but two of our Fellows, Lieutenant 

 De Crespigny, of the Eoyal Navy, and the eminent naturalist Mr. 

 A. R. Wallace, former contributors of valuable information, are still 

 on this promising field, in which Dutch geographers have in recent 

 years reaped a rich harvest of knowledge. To show that this con- 

 siderable portion of the globe is of much moment, it will be suffi- 

 cient that I state a few facts which have been tolerably well 

 ascertained respecting it. The number of its islands and islets has 

 been computed at 6000, the thirty largest of which are computed to 

 have an area of 700,000 square miles, or seven times the extent of 

 Great Britain and Ireland. The Dutch possessions, including tribu- 

 tary States, have been computed to have a population of 17,000,000, 

 the Spanish of 5,000,000, and our own of 250,000, or one-twentieth 

 part of the last of these. But the external commerce of the three 

 nations is in a very different ratio to that of their populations, for 

 our own joint export and import trade last year was 16,430,152?., 

 the Dutch 14,747,414?., and the Spanish but 2,160,000?. 



Japan. — On the subject of this empire, with its computed 

 30,000,000 of inhabitants, and its considerable but very eccentric 

 civilisation, its climate, sometimes partaking of our own, sometimes 

 of that of the most southern parts of Europe, and sometimes ap- 

 proaching that of Kamschatka, we have in the past year no contri- 

 butions towards our knowledge. Practically, indeed, we know 

 nothing of this great country beyond having seen a very few of its 

 towns, and a small extent of its highways. Not a man among 

 us has acquired its language ; and, in a word, it may safely be 

 asserted that there is no^art of the world of equal importance so 

 little known to civilised Europe. It is earnestly to be hoped that 

 a better understanding with the Japanese, than at present exists . 

 will extend the bounds of our knowledge of them and their country. 



Australia. 

 The communications made to the Society on the subject of 

 this continent (we have long and justly ceased to call it a mere 

 jslaud) Ijave been most important. They in fact embrace great 



