50 Geographical Collections. 



two worlds. The government of the Netherlands has permitted the construction 

 of a steam-vessel, which will exceed in size all those hitherto known. It wiU be 

 250 feet long ; it will have 3 decks, 4 masts, and an engine of 300 horse power. 

 The expenses are estimated at 800,000 florins of Holland, (upwards of L. 70,000.) 

 "SVhen fully laden, this vessel will draw 16 feet of water. It is intended to facili- 

 tate the communication between Holland and the East Indies. It is supposed 

 that it will make the voyage from Texcl to Java or Borneo in about 40 days. 



Scientific Expedition of the two sloops Moller and Seniaioin — The two sloops 

 commanded by Captains Stanikowitch and Leitke, have arrived at Cronstadt, 

 after an absence of three years on a voyage of circumnavigation. The results of 

 this expedition are not without importance in a scientific point of view. The ex- 

 ploration of the coasts of the peninsula of Aliaska, has been conducted by Captain 

 Stanikowitch, whilst Captain Leitke has surveyed with scrupulous exactness the 

 space between Behring's Straits and Kamtschatka. Captain Leitke has more- 

 over explored the great archipelago of the Caroline Isles, and has discovered 

 many groups which have escaped the notice of preceding navigators. The natu- 

 ralists who accompanied these two vessels, 3IM. Mertens and Kastalsky, have 

 made rich collections of objects from the three kingdoms of nature, and the two 

 painters, MM. Postels and MikhailofF, have their portfolios iilled with interesting 

 drawings. The crews have enjoyed good health during the voyage. 



Geographical Intelligence M. de Engelhardt made a tour of natural history 



and geography in the Oural in 1827 ; and MJI. Ledebuhr, Meyer, and Bunge, 

 in the Altai in 182G — {Hertha, Vol. II. Gaz.fieog. p. 17-) 



M. Klipstein of Darmstadt, in conjunction with M. Covelli of Naples, De 

 Cristofori of Milan, and the German geologists at Mexico, intend giving geolo- 

 gical sections of certain volcanic districts of Germany, Italy, and Mexico. 



M. Schmidt of Siegen, a distinguished engineer of mines, has set off for Mex- 

 ico. He has been sent out by the Mining Company of Elberfeld, and will re- 

 main a year and a half to explore the mines of JMexico. 



M. Stifft, a well-known geologist, is returned to Wiesbaden from Cura9oa and 

 the island of Aruba, where he had been sent by the King of the Netherlands. 

 He is about to publish a geological map of this auriferous island. 



M. de Humboldt On his return from Russia, M. de Humboldt accepted an 



invitation from the members of the university of Dorpat. He proposed a toast to 

 the prosperity of the university, " which diffuses," said he, " with so much suc- 

 cess the literature of Germany over the soil of Russia. MM. Engelhardt and 

 Ulprecht presented to the traveller a collection of rocks and minerals from Estho- 

 nia and Livonia, with a map and geographical description of these two provinces. 

 This work, it is said, furnishes data for new opinions on the relative age of for- 

 mations. At the observatory, the learned Struve showed JM. de Humboldt some new 

 observations on the double stars, and the result of calculations on the observa- 

 tions made during the second voyage of Kotzebue. These calculations defini- 

 tively fix the position of many places in America. We only regret that the re- 

 sults are so long in coming before the scientific world. 



Assassination of Dr. Schulz A letter from Tiflis, of the 1st ultimo, an- 



nounces the assasination of Dr. Schulz, professor of the University of Giessen, who 

 had been sent out at the expense of the King of France to visit Asiatic Turkey 

 and Persia for scientific and literary purposes. The melancholy event occurred in 

 Kurdistaun, on the frontiers of Inal-Huerile, between the villages of Bash Kullah 

 and Perihan Nichin. Two servants, a soldier and a Persian serjeant, who accom- 

 panied the unfortunate gentleman, were likewise assassinated. Colonel IMacdo- 

 nald, at whose house the doctor had received the warmest hospitality during his 

 stay at Tauris, immediately sent off" a confidential person for the purpose of col- 

 lecting, if possible, the papers and effects of M. Schulz, and, in concert with the 

 Russian ambassador, took the first steps towards the discovery of the assassins. 



