GEOGRAPHY AND EXPLORATION. 321 



Caille aud Park, it was but partially known. For a long time Lake 

 ■ Liba has had a location and a name on the maps, but they have served 

 as a sort of ignis fat mis ^ for it defies all attempts to reach it, if it exists, 

 aud this seems more problematical than ever in spite of the efforts of 

 Eogozinski and Parsavant, who announced their intention of visiting it. 



The northwest coast of Africa, never very hospitable, has been keep- 

 ing up its reputatiou during the past year. The attempt of the Ger- 

 man Commercial Geographical Society at Berlin to establish a station 

 at Cape Nun came very near ending fatally to all concerned. The 

 party were left on the shore, and after wandering in the most wretched 

 condition from one tribe to the next, they were at last escorted to the 

 coast at Mogador. There have been several expeditions across Mo- 

 rocco, and some from Algeria, and many errors and defects have been 

 corrected in our maps. Many of the routes between the leading towns 

 of this district have been shown to be practicable, but our map is far 

 from comi)lete. The work of Maurel, de la Martiniere, Duveyrier, 

 Foucault, and Quedenfeldt has been important for this reason, that 

 their travels have made us better acquainted with a region of the globe 

 which, though it is quite near Europe, has been virtually sealed to the 

 white man by the fanaticism and ferocity of the natives. Thus the 

 slopes of the Atlas Eauge, which are not so very distant from the coast, 

 are almost an unknown region. 



We have received what is probably an exaggerated account of Adrar 

 from the Spanish expedition under Cervera which started from Rio di 

 Ouro. They reached their destination nearly in a dying condition after 

 many hardships and after being robbed of nearly everything, and conse- 

 quently their picture of the region hardly agrees with that of Vincent 

 and Panet, who describe it as a most delightful place, comparing it 

 with the most favored portions of Switzerland. 



Timbuctu is again exciting attention, and expeditions have started 

 from north and south to reach this city. Among these might be men- 

 tioned the party under Gallieni and Viard along the upper course of 

 the Niger. They were only forced to return by lack of water at Djenne. 

 The party under Dr. Krause promises interesting results, because they 

 travelled through regions as yet unexplored. We have to chronicle 

 here the assassination of Palat, who left Algeria for this point and was 

 treacherously murdered on the road. 



The Cameroon region has been more carefully studied aud explored 

 since it has come under the German protectorate. Dr. Schwarz, Pauli, 

 Langhans, Zoller, Valdau, and Knutson have been the main explorers 

 of the slopes of the mountains, while the many streams which enter the 

 Atlantic from this range have been examined by the Government 

 authorities. Schwarz, Valdau, and Knutson passed beyond the mount- 

 ains, and describe the region visited as a fertile and pleasant one, and 

 not a desert as was supposed. The mountains are described as pecul- 

 iarly beautiful, with peaks reaching 12,000 and 13,000 feet. 

 H. Mis. 600 21 



