438 



GEOGKAPHICAL EXPLORATIONS. 



on the Amoor." A map of the Russian pos- 

 sessions on the Amoor, has been published at 

 St. Petersburg by M. Bartholomoei. 



Mantchoo-Tartary, or Mantchooria^ as the re- 

 gion lying north of China Proper, and south 

 of the Amoor, is called, has also been very 

 fully explored since 1861. Mr. George Fleming, 

 whose journey with Mr. A. Michal, of Shang- 

 hai, to Menkden, the capital of Mantchoo-Tar- 

 tary, in the summer and autumn of 1861, was 

 referred to in the ANNUAL CYCLOPAEDIA for 

 1862, has, during the past year, published a 

 narrative of his journey, with a map, under 

 the title of "Travels on Horseback in Man- 

 tchoo-Tartary." The two gentlemen left Tien- 

 tsin on horseback, about the beginning of July, 

 and reaching the great wall at Shan-Hai-Kivan 

 (where Mr. Fleming ascended the mountains 

 over which the wall passes, and nearly lost his 

 life from sunstroke), passed beyond the wall, 

 visiting Chung-Hu, Ning- Yuen-chow, Ken- 

 chow-Fu, New Chwang, an important city 

 on the Lian-Ho river, where they were assailed 

 by a mob, descended the river to Yeng-tse, a 

 port recently opened to foreign commerce, and 

 returning again to New Chwang, proceeded 

 thence to Moukden, or "Shen-Yang, as the Tar- 

 tars call it, the largest city of Mantchooria. 

 Here they were so much annoyed by the inquis- 

 itiveness and curiosity of the mob, that they 

 were unable to explore the city so thoroughly 

 as they desired. They, however, visited the 

 palace, and from an elevated terrace were able 

 to comprehend the plan upon which it was laid 

 out. They found the Chinese who have emi- 

 grated to Mantchooria monopolizing the entire 

 business and commerce of the countries, and 

 to all intents and purposes the master race; 

 their language having almost entirely displaced 

 the Tartar tongue. An English traveller, Mr. 

 Chas. Mitchell Grant, and M. de Bourboulon, the 

 French Minister Plenipotentiary to China, have 

 both made overland journeys from Peking to St. 

 Petersburg, passing through Mantchooria and 

 Siberia, in 1862-'3. The narratives of their 

 journeyings have not yet been published. Sir 

 John Hay and party with him having come by 

 sea to Ying-tse, ascended the Lian-Ho river 

 and visited New Chwang, but were unable to 

 proceed farther. Messrs. Francelet and Boyer 

 in the autumn of 1862 set out from Ying-tse, 

 visited New Chwang, and proceeded thence 

 northward to Nicolaevsa on the Amoor, de- 

 scending on their way the Songari, and visit- 

 ing the city of Kirin, and afterward San- 

 sing, the last town on the frontiers of Chinese 

 Mantchooria. They represent the region of the 

 Amoor, or Russian Mantchooria, as improving 

 rapidly under the establishment of Russian 

 military posts, and the influx of emigrants 

 from all quarters. There have been, during 

 the year 1863, few voyages of exploration in 

 China, but some of the narratives of previous 

 explorers have been published. The progress 

 of commerce has been rapid, though occasional 

 troubles have occurred from the movements of 



the insurgents, who have not yet been sub- 

 dued, though they are less active now than 

 some years since. The island of Formosa has 

 been carefully explored during the past two 

 years. The Baron Richthofen, geologist of 

 the Prussian expedition to Japan, has published 

 an interesting paper upon the orography of 

 the island, and Mr. Swinhoe, British consul at 

 Taiwan-Foo, in that island, has communicated 

 to the Royal Geographical Society a long and 

 interesting paper on its currents, harbors, pro- 

 ductions and people. It is now a Chinese prov- 

 ince. The great equatorial current flows past 

 the island at the rate of four and a half to five 

 miles per hour. The island produces excellent 

 lignite coal, which crops out on the surface, 

 and is worked by means of adits, no shafts 

 being sunk. Its vegetable productions are tea, 

 jute, rice, sugar, and the general fruits and 

 grains of a sub-tropical region. The inhabit- 

 ants of the southern cape of the island are a 

 tribe of aboriginal savages numbering 200 or 

 300, ferocious in character, who destroy all 

 strangers who are shipwrecked on the coast. 

 The other inhabitants are Chinese, who, though 

 formerly hostile to foreigners, are now ready 

 to trade with them. 



A German traveller, TV. Reinhold, has given 

 the results of his travels in a very instructive 

 volume entitled China und die Chinesen. A 

 Swiss expedition under the direction of Dr. 

 Rudolph Lindau, early in 1863, commenced 

 the exploration of China and Japan. The 

 results of its labors are awaited with interest. 

 Passing still eastward, we find in Japan abun- 

 dant results of geographical research. The 

 volumes of Sir Rutherford Alcock, late Eng- 

 lish Minister 'to Japan, entitled "Three years 

 in Japan," published inthe beginning of 1863, 

 are replete with interest in regard to the to- 

 pography, natural history, habits, manners, cus- 

 toms, and political geography and history of 

 the " Land of the Dawn ; " and their abundant 

 illustrations, many of them from drawings and 

 maps of native artists, aid materially in giving 

 us a knowledge of this singular people. This 

 work has been republished in this country by 

 Messrs. Harper & Brothers. "A Lady's Visit 

 to Manilla and Japan," by Anna D'A., is a 

 light pleasant sketchy narrative, but adds very 

 little to our knowledge of the country. " Ni- 

 phon and Peche-li, or two years in Japan 

 and Northern China," by A. de Fonblanque, 

 is a more instructive work. The lectures and 

 writings of Rev. Dr. Macgowan on Japan, con- 

 tinued during the past year, have aided in 

 giving a more vivid idea of the character and 

 habits of the people, as well as of the geog- 

 raphy of the country. Dr. Macgowan, now 

 serving temporarily as surgeon of one of the 

 Government Hospitals at Washington, has 

 submitted to the U. S. Government proposi- 

 tions for an industrial and scientific exploration 

 of Eastern Asia, chiefly in the interests of 

 agriculture. The present threatening condi- 

 tion of Japan, which, under the influence of 



