FROSSARD, CHARLES A. 



GEOGRAPHICAL PROGRESS, ETC. 327 



FROSSARD, CHA.RLES AUGUSTS, a French 

 general, was born April 26, 1807; died Sep- 

 tember 1, 1875. Having finished his studies 

 in the Polytechnic School of Paris and the 

 Artillery School of Metz, he served with dis- 

 tinction in Belgium in 1831, and 1832 in Alge- 

 ria, and at the siege of Rome in 1849, where 

 he remained until 1850 as commander of the 

 engineer corps, after the surrender of the city. 

 Having returned to France, he became second 

 commandant of the Polytechnic School. He 

 went again to Algeria in 1853, and in 1855 

 was sent to the Crimea, where he arrived just 

 at th'e time when the operations before Sevas- 

 topol were to assume larger dimensions. He 

 received the command of the second engineer 

 corps, while at the same time the works of the 

 siege to be performed by General Bosquet's 

 division were placed under his direction. His 



work in this service eventually led to the fall 

 of Sevastopol. In May, 1855, he had been 

 raised to the rank of general, and for a time 

 served as commander-in-chief of the entire 

 engineer corps of the Army of the East. He 

 also had the command of the engineer corps 

 in Algeria, and in Italy in 1859. At the close 

 of the war in Italy he was created grand offi- 

 cer of the Legion of Honor, and in 1867 was 

 appointed governor of the prince imperial. At 

 the beginning of the German-French War he 

 received the command of the Second Army 

 Corps. He was defeated at Forbach and re- 

 treated to Metz. Here he took part in the 

 three large battles of August 14th, 16th, and 

 18th, and upon the surrender of Bazaine was 

 sent to Germany. After his return to France 

 he suffered from a throat-disease, which event- 

 ually caused his death. 



GEOGRAPHICAL PROGRESS AND DIS- 

 COVERY IN 1875. The explorations of the 

 past year have yielded few complete and de- 

 terminate discoveries of any weight; and many 

 questions which, it was believed, would have 

 now reached a certain solution, remain still 

 but partially explained. This is not a sign 

 that exploratory enterprise has remitted any 

 of its ardor ; on the contrary, there never have 

 been more explorations under way, nor better 

 equipped, nor more vigorously prosecuted, 

 than just at present. Governments, private 

 associations, and individuals, all unite in the 

 support of expeditions in every quarter of the 

 globe ; geographical, scientific, and trade socie- 

 ties, scientific and commercial interests, vying 

 with each other in munificence. Every little 

 while a new party enters the field liberally 

 supplied with means for its support and ap- 

 pliances for thorough scientific investigation, 

 composed of men bold and ardent as the early 

 voyagers, with minds trained and sharpened 

 to scientific observation, replete with the 

 science of the best schools of either continent, 

 and the fruits of year-long closeted research. 

 It suits the compass of the present summary 

 to mention only a few of the numerous expedi- 

 tions just starting. Geographical research has 

 been directed not less assiduously than here- 

 tofore to the interior of Africa ; and in those 

 regions the two most distinguished feats of the 

 year have added lustre to the names of Stanley 

 and Lieutenant Cameron. Stanley has attained 

 the strongest and most satisfactory inductive 

 proofs that the Lake Victoria Nyanza with its 

 tributary streams is the chief source of the 

 Nile ; it seems also established, though by less 

 convincing testimony, that the Albert Nyanza 

 contributes a large volume of water to the 

 vast flood of the mysterious river ; whether, 

 and in how far, this is so, our doughty explorer 

 may be expected yet to clear up. Cameron 



by his courageous passage across the continent 

 of Africa has proved, satisfactorily to himself 

 and to most minds, the identity of the Lualaba, 

 which carries off the waters of Lake Tangan- 

 yika, and the great river Congo. Yet he was 

 still less able than Stanley to actually trace the 

 course of the river downward, so as to confirm 

 his inductions by actual vision. The German 

 explorations from the west coast of Africa 

 have been hindered by sickness and various 

 causes. The great island of New Guinea with 

 its strange and abundant forms of animal and 

 vegetable Me, and its peculiar races of men, it 

 was expected, would now be in good part ex- 

 plored, and its rich store of naturalistic and 

 ethnographical facts disclosed, and the way 

 broken for the commercial utilization of the 

 unquestionably great resources to which East- 

 ern trade has long looked expectantly ; but the 

 several expeditions which have been under- 

 taken for the accomplishment of these pur- 

 poses have each of them failed, beaten back 

 by the boisterous storms which are frequent 

 upon its coast, repelled by the fierce manners 

 of its wild inhabitants, and obstructed by the 

 impenetrable jungle : a single courageous man, 

 the Italian savant D'Albertis, has perched him- 

 self upon an island, and zealous for science 

 amid the most discouraging drawbacks, is busi- 

 ly exploring the adjacent parts, conversing 

 with the savages in their own tongue, and 

 collecting the natural products of the island. 

 The discovery of the past year which may be 

 expected to yield the largest practical results 

 was that of an open sea-way between the 

 Russian ports and the river-harbors of North- 

 eastern Siberia, which brings Europe and the 

 vast grain-fields, the mines, and peltry-pro- 

 ducing shores and forests of Northern Asia 

 into close commercial connection; this dis- 

 covery is to be strenuously followed up by new 

 searches for other such passages, and a rich 



