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GEOGRAPHICAL COLLECTIONS. 



Royal Geografhical Society — We observe with satisfaction an inti- 

 mation in the Literary Gazette of 15th of last month, that it is the intention 

 of the Royal Geographical Society, instead of publishing exclusively its own 

 transactions, to edit a Journal of Geographical Science, in which will be 

 included, with the papers of the Society, reviews and analyses of geographi- 

 cal works, whether published at home or abroad, and translated extracts from 

 foreign journals. 



It might at first view appear that a degree of rivalry must necessarily 

 arise from the institution of a work which so closely imitates the plan of the 

 Edinburgh Journal of Natural and Geographical Science. But we assure our 

 readers that it is quite the contrary. Few would conceive the difficulty that 

 we have experienced in collecting that body of information, M^hich we can, 

 with some confidence, refer to in our Geographical Collections, so listless are 

 the publications of this country with respect to geographical information, and 

 so meagre are the details to be found in the English language. We hail, 

 then, the prospect of a new source of intelligence ; and we trust that our 

 readers will rely upon our activity in giving them an early analysis of all the 

 new facts which it contains. The greatest part of our Geographical Collec- 

 tions has hitherto been drawn from continental publications : we may expect 

 now to be able to join with the knowledge obtained from this source, all that 

 London can ofier worthy of record. — Ed. 



Determination of several Positions in the Mediterranean. — In the Connais- 

 sance des Temps for 1830, we find the following corrections of the positions 

 of places in the Mediterranean, established by M. P. Daussy, in a memoir 

 founded on the observations made by M. Noiiet in Egypt, during the French 

 expedition in 1798, those of M. Riippell in 1822, and the hydrographical 

 works of Messrs Gauthier and Smith. 



The first position determined by M. Daussy is that of Cairo. From a 

 repetition of the calculations of M. Noiiet, and a comparison of them with 

 those obtained at Marseilles, by the observation of the same stars at the 

 same instant of time, as well as with those of M. Riippell, a correction of 

 4' 30'' is found necessary in the longitude of Cairo, which is thus fixed 

 at 1 h. 55' 35" of time = 28° 53' 58" (from the meridian of Paris,) instead 

 of 1 h. 55' 52" as previously given in the Connaissance des Temps. And 

 as all the positions of Upper Egypt are founded upon that of Cairo, the 

 same correction must be applied to them. 



The longitude of Alexandria is found to be 1 h. 50' 10" 33 in time, and 

 27° 32' 35" in degrees, instead of 1 h. 50' 20" = 27° 35'. 



Rhodes, instead of being 1 h. 43' 30" = 25° 52' 36", ought to be 1 h. 43 

 35" 30 = 25° 53' 49" 5. 



The island of Cyprus should be 2 h. 5' 9" = 31° 17' 15", instead of 2 h. 

 5' 22" = 31° 20' 30". 



Messina, instead of Oh. 52' 57"= 13° 14' 27", should be Oh. 52' 

 58" = 13° 14' 30". 



Lastly, Spezzia, instead of being Oh. 30' 5" = 7' 31' 12", should be 

 h. 30' 4" 8. 



The importance of these corrections to navigation is obvious. 



Discovery of America by the Scandinavians. — Professor Rafn, secretary of 

 the Royal Society of Northern Antiquaries, is now occupied with a Latin 

 translation of ancient manuscripts in the Islandic tongue, which prove, as he 

 conceives, that the inhabitants of the north of Europe visited the northern 

 coasts of the New World long before Christopher Columbus. 



