320 PROMOTION OF ARCTIC AND ANTARCTIC DISCOVERY. 



of the books in the libraiy can uot be proceeded with until it is known 

 on what shelves they are to rest. The fellows may be assured that our 

 deliberations will be full and mature, that we shall seek the best advice, 

 and that our final decision on this subject will be the best that can be 

 made under the very difficult circumstances, when there are so many 

 things for and against any course we can adopt. 



The Geograpliical Journal in its present form has now completed 

 the first eighteen months of its existence, and we may claim for it that 

 it has more than fulfilled the expectations that M'ere entertained of it. 

 We now receive every month the papers read at our evening meetings, 

 with good and original maps, with the discussions and often with illus- 

 trations, j)apers on scientific and on applied geography, carefully 

 selected and classified notes on matters of general geographical inter- 

 est, notices of the literature and cartography of the month, obituaries, 

 and news. I find that already our Journal has attained a fair share of 

 success. The sale to the outside public has increased considerably, 

 and the importance of our publication may be gauged to some extent 

 from the fact that the advertisements have increased from four to an 

 average of twenty-two pages. This is important, because it helps the 

 Journal in its new form to pay for the expense of its ])roduction. The 

 fact that it is quoted everywhere, at home and abroad, may be taken 

 as a sign that it has already been recognized as the leading organ of 

 geograi)hy, at least in the English language. From the beginning it 

 has been favorably noticed by the principal organs of the press. But 

 I consider that the most gratifying testimony to the enterprise of our 

 society in this and other directions is contained in a letter from the 

 celebrated traveler and geographer. Baron von Richthofen. " Will you 

 allow me," he wrote, "to make use of this op])ortunity for congratu- 

 lating you on the excellent character of the Geographical Journal?" 

 As far as our means permit, we shall endeavor to improve its character 

 and attractions. We have subscribers outside the society in all parts 

 of the world — in remote towns in the United States and in Australia — 

 and steps will be taken to bring the Journal under the notice of hun- 

 dreds likely to be interested in it, both in America and the Colonics. 

 The size of our publication will probably have to be increased before 

 long, for even with the extra pages which have been added our 

 accomplished editor finds it increasingly difficult to keep pace with 

 geographical activity in all departments aiul in all i)arts of the world. 



We thus have in our Journal every month a very complete review of 

 geographical proceedings throughout the world, and every six months 

 six Journals are presented to us with an index. The review of these 

 proceedmgs which it has been customary for former presidents to give 

 in their annual addresses, has therefore become unuecessarj^, for the 

 fellows will already be in possession of such a review, and another 

 recapitulation is neither useful as information nor serviceable for future 

 reference. It is work already well done. It seems desirable, therefore, 



