GEOGRAPHY. . 243 



has been charged by the Bolivian Government, viz, the study of the 

 whole of Bolivia, in company with some engineers and naturalists, 

 from scientific, industrial, and oommercial points of view. 



In the Journal of the Proceedings of the Eoyal Geographical Society 

 for November, 1884, is given a sketch of the work of Dr. Paul Guss^ 

 feldt in the Chilian Andes in 1882 and 1883. His explorations were 

 made in the region surrounding Aconcagua, the position and height of 

 which were carefully determined as in latitude 32° 39' south, longitude 

 69° 59' west, and its highest peak 22,867 feet above sea level. His ac- 

 count of the glaciers of the Andes is very interesting, but cannot well 

 be condensed. The detailed results of his labors are contained in a 

 paper communicated to the Berlin Academy of Sciences. 



The journey of Lieutenant Bove, of the Italian navy, to Terra del 

 Fuego, performed at the instance of the Argentine Government, though 

 frequently referred to in scientific periodicals^ does not seem to have 

 been productive of any specially new information regarding the geog- 

 raphy of that region. 



The first successful attempt to navigate the Rio Negro from its mouth, 

 on the Atlantic shore of the Argentine Republic, to its source in Lake 

 Nahuelhualpi, in the heart of the Andes, has been made by Capt. E. 

 O'Connor, and is described by him in a report published in the Boletin 

 de la Sociedad Geograjica de Madrid. The journey was made in a steamer 

 as far as the confluence of the Colluucura, but rapids in the Upper 

 Limay obstruct navigation so much that the journey was thence per- 

 formed in an open boat. The extreme upper part of the Limay is free 

 from rapids, but the country surrounding the upper river and lake ap- 

 pears to be entirely uninhabited. The information gathered will permit 

 the affluents of the Rio Negro to be mapped with much greater accuracy 

 than has been possible hitherto. 



The enterprising journey of Mr. Everard im Tliurn to explore and 

 ascend Mount Roraima, on the boundary of British Guiana and Vene- 

 zuela, has been crowned with success, but as yet no precise details have 

 been published. Ascending the Potaro, an affluent of the Essequibo, as 

 far as possible, a very toilsome march was made over rugged mountains 

 to an Indian village on the southern side of Roraima. After resting 

 here, the ascent was made on December 18, 1884. Mr. im Thurn states 

 that the scenery ou the top w^as of the most marvelous description, the 

 plateau being covered with groups of rocks of most extraordinary 

 shapes. The clouds, which are nearly always resting on the mountain, 

 constantly precipitate their moisture, forming numerous cascades, the 

 sources of rivers which, starting from this point, flow to swell the Ori- 

 noco, Essequibo, and Amazon. Mr. im Thurn determined the height 

 of the summit from the temperature of the boiling point as 8,600 feet. 

 He as well as his assistant suffered severely from malarial fever con- 

 tracted during their journey, which was exceedingly laborious, lasting 

 three months and a half. 



