GEOGRAPHY. 56*3 



and of the tliird, the crown of Monomachus. The plateau skirting the 

 middle Kuen-lun has an average height of 4,000 feet. It appears from 

 a telegram from Colonel Prejevalsky, dated Osh, August 31, that this in- 

 trepid explorer has again failed to penetrate into Thibet over the Keria 

 Mountains, in consequence of the strenuous opposition of the Chinese, 

 who barricaded all the available highways with stones and destroyed the 

 bridges. The InvaUde Busse publishes the following telegram from Col- 

 onel Prejevalsky from Pishpet, but dated Karakol 2d (new style 14th) 

 November : " Our voyage has ended happily and with most encouraging 

 scientific results." (See Proceedings of the Eoyal Geographical Society 

 for December, 1885.) 



Dr. Zelandt ha« finished his work on the Kirgiz, which will soon be 

 published by the West Siberian section of the Imperial Geographical 

 Society. 



A parliamentary blue book (Corea No. 3, 1885), lately published, con- 

 tains the report of a journey made by Mr. Carles the vice-consul at Soul, 

 from that place to Phyong Kang, where some gold mines exist. The 

 review of this in Nature, August 27, shows that it contains much of 

 geographical interest. 



Mr. Gardner, British consul at Newchwang, China, publishes with his 

 annual trade report this year (China, No. C, 1885) a most interesting ac- 

 count of his consular district, which embraces the whole of Manchuria. 

 The report corrects some of the errors existing on our maps, which are 

 far from accurate. 



It is to be hoped that the many rumors of prospective activity in 

 railway building in China may be found to be well grounded. The 

 necessary surveys would be of incalculable service in correcting the 

 maps of the various provinces. These maps are mainly the work of the 

 early Jesuits, and though remarkable, when one considers the material 

 with which they worked, are still far from what they ought to be. 



Port Hamilton, of which England took possession at the time when 

 hostilities with Russia were imminent, consists of a group of small is- 

 lands about 45 miles northeast of Quelpaert and about 30 miles off the 

 Corean coast, in the Brougham Channel, separating the peninsula from 

 Japan. Tiie position of the group is 34P V 23" north latitude and 127° 

 17' 30" east longitude. England has since given up her claims. 



Sibiriakoff, the wealthy Russian merchant, well known as the friend 

 and patron of Nordeuskjold, has himself made an interesting journey 

 during the summer of 1884. The details of it have only recently been 

 made public, as news travels slowly in those regions. He ascended the 

 Petchora to Oraneto, then crossed the Ural to the Sigva, or Whitefish 

 Eiver, which joins the Sosva, an affluent of the Obi. The traveller 

 reached Shikurik September 21, and Tobolsk October 18. It is demon- 

 strated by this journey that a trade route by which goods can be car- 

 ried in summer is practically open in this direction, a matter of great 

 commercial importance to Siberia. 



