PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. Ixxvii. 



other sections, so that what remains is but little, and 

 that, now-a-days, chiefly in connection with the Arctic and, 

 more especially, Antarctic expeditions, which have of late 

 been so numerous and borne so much fruit. Now that the 

 Poles have both been reached, some of the romance of these 

 has vanished ; but there is still much to learn, and most of 

 our globe is getting so well known and mapped that no great 

 geographical discoveries are possible. A new piece of Arctic 

 land has been discovered by some Russian ships north of 

 Siberia, consisting of a coast of about 200 miles in extent. 

 The Mawson Antarctic Expedition has returned with 

 much scientific information about those regions, gained, 

 unfortunately, at the expense of a tragedy somewhat similar 

 to that of Captain Scott and his companions, but in which 

 the leader was spared. Two more expeditions are starting, 

 one under Sir Ernest Shackle ton, the other under Mr. Foster 

 Stackhouse. Of other expeditions, the Yale one to Peru has 

 thrown light on that remarkable people, the Incas, who 

 formerly inhabited it. The city indicated in their national 

 legends as their original home has, it is believed, been 

 identified, and the wonderful masonry of the temples, the 

 cemeteries, and the pottery and bronzes found in them are 

 described in the report. In Brazil, again, a large area of 

 unknown country has been mapped. In the Himalayas a 

 height of 24,600 feet has been reached, the highest yet 

 attained by man a feat showing great energy and endurance. 

 Accounts of various other travels are given in the 

 Geographical Section of the British Association, and its 

 President dwelt upon the prospects of the food and other 

 supplies for future generations when the earth's population 

 should have increased and multiplied, and the amount of 

 unoccupied land should be comparatively small. An 

 increasing population is generally supposed to be an advantage 

 to a country, but there is another side to the question, and 

 it certainly seems to me to be not without its disadvantages. 

 The people who, on the other hand, decrease in numbers and 

 tend to die out are certain native races who come under 



