GEOGRAPHY. 569 



Assistant Engineer Samuel B.' McLeuegan, accompanied only by 

 Seaman Kelson of the "Corwin," ascended the Noatak, also called the 

 Xunatah or Inland liiver, which has been known for thirty years, but 

 Dever explored. Its enters Hotham Inlet westward from the Kowak 

 and about 30 miles north of the Arctic circle. The source of the branch 

 ascended was found to be a small lake surrounded by snow-banks, and 

 supposed to be 400 miles from the mouth. The voyage was extremely 

 creditable to those who took part in it, though it is greatly to be re- 

 gretted that exact observations could not have been made, and is 

 noteworthy, as the party reached the highest latitude yet attained by 

 A\hite men in the interior of Alaska. The report and charts, which are 

 being prepared by the Department, will doubtless fill a good part of the 

 existing blank on the maps of this area. 



Mr. Henry D. Woolfe, who has been stationed at Cape Lisburne during 

 the past year, has travelled along the coast from that point to Hotham 

 Inlet, and ascended the Noiitak about 30 miles. Between the Corwin 

 Lagoon and Cape Krusenstern a river falls into the sea, which he was 

 informed is connected with the Noiitak, running behind the hills which 

 lie back of Shesholik village. Mr. Woolfe is preparing a map showiDg 

 all the native settlements and even single huts temporarily occupied 

 along the coast between Cape Krusenstern and Point Barrow. 



Lieutenant Stoney's work, so far as it has gone, seems to be successful. 

 He sent down a mail by the "Corwin", which arrived in San Francisco 

 October 12. At that time he was near the head of Hotham Inlet and 

 prepared to go into winter quarters. Details will not be published for 

 a year yet. 



Doctor Everette has collected a large amount of geographical data 

 and made sketches along the Yukon, which will serve to enlarge our 

 knowledge of Alaska and correct pur mai)s. 



M. Violet d'Aouest's note, read at the August meeting of the Geo- 

 graphical Society of Paris, on the aerial formation of soil will be found 

 of great interest to geographers ; a concise resume is given in the Pro- 

 ceedings of the Eoyal Geographical Society for September. 



The Danish exploring expedition to the east coast of Greenland under 

 Lieutenants Holm and Garde, which returned to Copenhagen in October 

 after a three years' absence, has fulfilled all expectations, having reached 

 latitude 00° 08' north, the northernmost point (on East Greenland) ever 

 attained by Europeans. Lieutenant Holm is stated to have made some 

 very valuable geographical and ethnological discoveries, having spent 

 last winter among East Greenlanders never before visited by Euro- 

 peans. He has named the stretch of coast explored. King Christian 

 IX's Land. He considers it is now settled beyond a doubt that no early 

 Scandinavian remains occur on the east coast. 



Mr. Gamel, the owner of the vessel which has been i)ut at Lieutenant 

 Hovga^rd's disposal for explorations in the Kara Sea in the summer of 

 1885, intends (provided his enterprise be seconded by the Government) 



