322 EECORD OF SCIENCE FOR 1886. 



More was expected Ironi the trip of de Oea, Osorio, and Tradier in their 

 trij) to the Coiisco coast, to the .south of this region. They visited • 

 probably the most glorious portion of this western coast between the 

 Campo and Mouni Rivers, but their descriptions are disappointing. 



Xorth America. — The only portions of North America which seem 

 to be left for great geographical discoveries are Alaska and the central 

 and western i)ortions of British America. The work of the Coast Sur- 

 vey and the Geological Survey is rapidly giving us the detail of most 

 of our vast western territory. Alaska alone seems comparatively neg- 

 lected, except along the coast-line, on account of its peculiar position. 

 The expedition sent out under Lieutenant Schwatka by the Xew York 

 Times to the Mount Saint Elias Alps, visited that part of Alaska which 

 is nearest the United States but which is least known, having been seen 

 but once by the Coast Survey, in 1871, and then under disadvantages. 

 The party succeeded in crossing the large glaciers which come from the 

 great arc of mountains (of Avhich IMount Saint Elias is the center) and 

 which pass between the range and the coast. They ascended the lower 

 slopes of one of the adjacent mountains, but did not reach the main 

 slopes of the mountain. 



On this same southern shore of the body of Alaska, Lieutenant Allen 

 completed his explorations of the Copper River and the Tananah, the 

 largest-branch of the Yukon. Lieutenant Stoney has explored the west- 

 ern coast of Alaska between the Kowak River and Point Barrow, after 

 wintering at Fort Cosmos, on Kowak River, which he discovered in 1883. 



In central British America, Hudson's Bay has attracted most atten- 

 tion, on account of the proposed scheme of making Hudson's Straits 

 the outlet for all the great grain districts to the south and west of the 

 bay. Lieutenant Gordon has found that the straits are always open 

 from July to October, which fact seems to encourage the promoters of the 

 plan to compete in this way with our transcontinental railways. The 

 whole affair appears to be very visionary, but may be carried out after all. 



Our knowledge of Central America has been somewhat increased by 

 the arclneological voyages of Pinart to Chiriqui and of Charnay to Yu- 

 catan. We have also the details of the Nicaragua route between the 

 two oceans. 



South America. — X^is is ^i continent which still merits explorations, 

 and those of the present year have been quite successful in disclosing 

 many new features, though some of the expeditions have of course suf- 

 fered. Beginning at the north, we find the expedition of Br. Siewers 

 in Yenczuela is completed this year by a trip to the Sierra Nevadas of 

 Santa Marta. He has now spent some three years in Venezuela, and 

 all have been i)rofi table. 



The ex i)lorations of Tenkate in the Guianas have been resumed this year. 

 He reached the State of Bolivar, on the Orinoco, then went to Cumana, 

 the peninsula of Araya, and after this to La Guayra and Caracas. Here 

 lie suffered from fever to such an extent that he liad to stop work. 



