GEOGRAPHY. 559 



ish flag was hoisted with proper honors some months ago. They state 

 that had thej' been so empowered by the Swedish Government, on land- 

 ing two years ago, they could have taken possession of the country from 

 Boto, near Victoria, to Rio del Rey, one of the richest tracts of land on 

 the west coast of Africa. At present they trade at their own risk. 



The Swedish Society of Anthropology and Geography has commis- 

 sioned Baron Schwerin, professor of geography at the University of 

 Lund, to proceed to the Congo on a scientific expedition, the chief ob- 

 jects being to make geographical, meteorological, botanical, and zoolog- 

 ical studies in the new state, and to collect ethnographical objects. 

 Barons jSTordenskjold and Dickson have lent the expedition a number of 

 valuable instruments. 



The Bulletin of the Italian Geographical Society for September con- 

 tains extracts from the unpublished journals of Pellegriuo Matteucci, 

 the African traveller. These have been edited by Delia Vedova, and 

 are illustrated by a map showing the itinerary, and also the routes of 

 Nachtigal and Rohlfs. Matteucci's journey, one of the most remarkable 

 on record, extending from the Red Sea at Suakim to Lake Chad, and 

 thence to the Niger and the Gulf of Guinea, has hardly attracted the 

 attention it deserves, chiefly perhaps on account of the early death of 

 this promising and brilliant explorer. 



The roll of geographical journals is increased by one. The Floren- 

 tine section of the Italian African Society has been authorized by the 

 central council and treasurer to issue a bulletin. It is intended to be 

 partly eclectic, presenting geographical and especially African news to 

 its readers, and to be particularly the ofl&cial record of the proceedings 

 of the section. 



ASIA. 



At the June meeting of the Geographical Society of Paris, Baron 

 Benoist-M6chin described a recent journey in the Merv oasis. This was 

 a continuation of previous communications to the society of the great 

 journey made by the baron and some companions from Peking, through 

 Kirin to Niuguto, and thence along the Tiumen to Vladivostock. The 

 journey the whole way was along the Corean frontier. From Vladivo- 

 stock the travellers i)rocet ded to Tomsk, thence to Samarkand, through 

 Karshi to Bokhara, to the Amou-Darya at Charjni, down that river to 

 Petro-Alexandrovsk, thence to Khiva, and lastly across the Kara-Kum 

 to Mero, Sarakho, and Meshed. The detailed narrative (with maps) is 

 given in the bulletin of the society. At the same meeting M. de Saint- 

 PolLias presented a map of the upper course of the Red River, pre- 

 pared by the Anamites. Anotlier map of importance is that of the 

 navigable water-ways of Southern India-China, prepared by M. Rueff, 

 who has established a company for navigating those waters. 



Herr Glaser, the Arabian traveller, has returned to Arabia to resume 

 his explorations. This second journey is to be mainly geographical. 



