GEOGEAPHY AND EXPLORATION. 323 



A new scientific expedition lias been in Venezuela this year, under 

 the leadership of Chaff'anjon,^ already well known by his exi)lorations. 

 The object of the expedition was to reaeh the headwaters of the Orinoco. 

 After a stay in Bolivar, he set out with his companions, Morisot and 

 four men engaged as rowers, but his men deserted him during the night, 

 carrying off the canoe and some provisions. They secured a new crew 

 of two men, at a high price, an<l worked themselves, in order to continue 

 the trip. The floods had driven all gauje from the river banks, and 

 they were thus deprived of meat in the way of food which hunting 

 would have given them. For several days they were forced to live upon 

 roots. They reached Caicara, the point where the Apure joins the Ori- 

 noco, and stopped there, overcome by hunger and fatigue. The swollen 

 current of the river, greatly increased by the heavy rains, prevented 

 their proceeding farther. 



The South American continent has been crossed from east to west 

 by two Europeans during the present year. Olivier (French consul to 

 Callao) was the first to accomplish this feat. Starting from Callao he 

 crossed the Andes and descended the main streams to the Atlantic 

 coast, whereas Payer ascended the Amazon (MaraQou-Ucayali), and then 

 crossed the Peruvian Andes. He has prepared a map of many of the 

 smaller tributaries which he explored. Both voyages have been the 

 means of adding considerably to our knowledge of the geographical and 

 hydrographic features of the central portion of South America. 



A commission has been appointed by Brazil, Paraguay, and the Ar- 

 gentine Republic to explore that portion of the Argentine Eepublic 

 which projects m between Paraguay and the Brazilian province of Rio 

 Grande do Sul, with the object of determining the respective frontiers. 

 Two preliminary voyages have been made here by i^edeiiein and Godio. 

 Very little is known of this province, which has been called the Mis- 

 sion Territory because of the missions founded there by the Jesuits 

 with the idea of civilizing the Indians. 



Thouar is still actively engaged upon his explorations in the Argen- 

 tine Republic and Bolivia. He had scarcely returned from his voyage 

 on the Pilcomayo when he started out from Buenos Ayres to meet the 

 Bolivian ambassadors at Tarija in order to consult as to the best way 

 of opening the navigation of the Pilcomayo. It was his intention at 

 first to go by the way of the Gran (vhaco region once more, with some 

 natives, but after careful consitleration he decided to take the less dan- 

 gerous route through Tucuman, Salta, and Jujuy. He was retarded by 

 the rains and when he reached Tarija he did not find the ambassadors, 

 as he expected, and he found that Bolivia was not in a condition to 

 prove there was a practicable fluviatile route to the heart of theircoun- 

 try, by tracing the course of the Pilcomayo to the Paraguay. The 

 hardships endured on this trij) were remarkable. They were deserted by 

 their men, and they often lost their way in the mountain labyrinths. 

 Their burdens were heavy, and it is scarcely any wonder that thefatigue 



