274 Chronicles of Science. | April, 
Eastern Asia—Studies and Journeys.’ Besides these contributions 
to science, the Austrian Government is fitting out an Hast Asiatic 
expedition, making a very fair proportion of work from the German 
Fatherland. 
PROcEEDINGS OF THE RoyvaL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY. 
At the fourth meeting of the Royal Geographical Society, M. P. B. 
Du Chaillu gave an account of his second expedition to Western 
Equatorial Africa. We have from time to time chronicled the 
proceedings of this traveller, but we will here give again a résumé 
of his doings. Leaving London on the 5th of August, 1863, he 
arrived the same autumn at the mouth of the Fernand Vaz River, 
where, owing to his having to land in a canoe, he lost all his 
scientific instruments, and was consequently compelled to wait a 
year for the arrival of new ones. In the meantime he made collec- 
tions of objects of botanical and zoological interest, which were 
forwarded to England. On the arrival of fresh instruments he 
journeyed eastwards over a belt of flat country, and then gradually 
ascending ridges of hills, mostly covered with dense forests, and 
rising to the height of about 2,400 feet. He traversed the country 
of Ashira, Apinji, and Otondo, and was at last driven back by the 
natives, who attacked his cowardly men, because one of them had 
accidentally (?) shot two natives. His most remarkable discovery 
on this occasion was that of a race of dwarfs, some of whom appear 
to have been not more than four feet and a-half high. They were a 
nomadic, plundering race, something like our gipsies in their habits, 
and distinguished by short tufted hair. This account is astonishing 
enough, but we can only take what stories the traveller likes to 
tell us. In the disgraceful flight of his attendants, M. Du Chaillu 
lost his natural history collections and photographs, but succeeded 
in saving his chronometers, journals, and one set of very valuable 
astronomical observations. 
M. Du Chaillu’s veracity was warmly defended by Professor 
Owen, especially in reference to the gorilla, and a fish-eating, otter- 
like quadruped, the Potomogale velox, which latter animal had been 
classed by others as a rodent, but, as it turned out, without founda- 
tion. Mr. J. Crawfurd impugned the account of the dwarfs, but 
the traveller reiterated his assertion, and mentioned that he was able 
to examine only one or two specimens. 
The next meeting was devoted to the discussion of subjects 
connected with Australia. The society had voted a sum of 2004. 
towards the expenses of the expedition in search of the relics of 
Leichhardt’s party. This undertaking was commanded by Mr. 
Duncan McIntyre, who has already explored a route from Victoria 
to the Gulf of Carpentaria in the search for pastoral lands. The 
