348 



GEOGRAPHICAL PROGRESS AND DISCOVERY. 



heat. The inevitable fever attacked Mr. John- 

 ston at Mombasa, but he persevered in march- 

 ing at the head of his faithful and enduring 

 men, and soon regained his health in the brac- 

 ing and salubrious air of the mountains. 



Robert E. Flegel, discoverer of the sources 

 of Benue, has returned to Germany after some 

 years' explorations in the region of Adamana. 

 His travels during 1884 seem to have yielded 

 less satisfactory results. Want of money, ill- 

 ness, and other mishaps prevented him for a 

 long time from starting on his journey to the 

 Congo. Meanwhile he explored the sources of 

 several tributaries to Benue, and corrected his 

 map of this tract. Later, he endeavored to 

 travel along the river Nana toward the Congo, 

 but his plan was frustrated by a war between 

 the several tribes of the region. An attempt 

 to proceed from Bagnio in a southwesterly 

 direction was resisted by the Prince of Tibati. 

 Thus Flegel was obliged to return to Benue. 

 He feels convinced that this river is navigable 

 for 1,100 kilometres, and its chief affluents for 

 a distance of fifty to sixty nautical miles, at 

 least during five or six months of the year, 

 whereby the importance of Benue as a route 

 of commerce is greatly increased. He warmly 

 advises the German Government to take pos- 

 session of this region. 



Later explorations having reached the result 

 that Africa is by no means so unhealthful and 

 uninhabitable as hitherto supposed, the atten- 

 tion of the great European powers has been 

 called to this vast continent, which offers many 

 advantages for successful colonization. With 

 this end in view, many expeditions have been 

 sent to the several parts of its extended area, 

 and German, French, Portuguese, and English 

 explorers are making investigations. Difficul- 

 ties as to boundaries, etc., have arisen, but will 

 undoubtedly be settled amicably. 



Arctic Regions. But meager reports of the 

 results of the International Polar Expeditions 

 have appeared, and it seems that the exploring 

 parties met with unusual difficulties. Dr. A. 

 Bunge's observations of the flora and fauna in 

 the vicinity of the Russian station at the mouth 

 of the Lena are interesting. Of mammals he 

 noticed the ice-bear, the wolf, the fox, the ice- 

 fox (Canis lagopw), the ermine, the walrus, the 

 dolphin, the mountain-sheep (Aegoceros monta- 

 nus\ and the reindeer, from spring to autumn. 

 Many fishes were found, but few insects, and 

 no mollusks. In April, 1884, the doctor began 

 to dig for a mammoth that, according to the 

 inhabitants, should lie buried on the shore of 

 Protaka, near Borchaja, but the results are not 

 yet known. Another mammoth, it is report- 

 ed, was found at the river Moloda. The vege- 

 tation is remarkably poor, as the soil consists 

 almost entirely of sand. It is ascertained that 

 the Lena at present reaches the sea through 

 about fifty arms, forming the famous Lena 

 Delta; frost, floods, and wind, however, are 

 constantly working considerable changes. The 

 climate is very severe, chiefly on account of the 



ever-blowing wind ; in December, 1883, the 

 thermometer showed 48 C. 



The Danish explorations in Greenland were 

 continued during 1884. In April Lieut. Jensen 

 left Copenhagen to explore some hundred miles 

 of the unknown and unpeopled western coast 

 between the Sukkertop and Holsteinsminde. 

 He was accompanied by the geologist Loren- 

 zen and the artist Riis-Carstensen. Under the 

 command of Capt. Norman, the gunboat Fylla 

 made a very satisfactory voyage along the west- 

 ern coast to 70 N. Dr. H. Topsoe, the miner- 

 alogist, Prof. Warming, the botanist, and Th. 

 Holm, the zoologist, were on board, and valu- 

 able collections and observations were made. 

 A meteoric stone of considerable weight was 

 found, and, by extensive dredging and trawl- 

 ing, specimens hitherto unknown were brought 

 to light. In this connection must be mentioned 

 the proposition of Prof. Fries to move to 

 Greenland the Lapps of the Norwegian Finn- 

 mark and the Swedish Lappmarks, who can 

 find no room beside the agricultural classes of 

 their present home. Their reindeer would find 

 plenty of moss along the coast, without being 

 exposed to attacks of wolves; and the splendid 

 salmon-fisheries would undoubtedly be utilized 

 by the industrious, money-saving Lapps a race 

 far superior to the childish Esquimaux. 



While great masses of ice west of Spitzberg- 

 en have made navigation difficult, it has been 

 possible to make further investigations of the 

 sea east of this island. Two Norwegian fisher- 

 men H. C. Johannesen, well known from the 

 Vega expedition as captain of the steamer 

 Lena, and H. Andreasen have discovered two 

 islands east of King Charles's Land. They are 

 between 36 and 39 east longitude. 



Asia. In November, 1883, the indefatigable 

 explorer of Thibet, the Russian Colonel Prze- 

 walsky, started from Urga for a two years' ex- 

 pedition through the mysterious dominions of 

 the Grand Lama. With a strong escort of Cos- 

 sacks and other attendants, he passed through 

 the Desert of Gobi to Alashan, where he arrived 

 early in January, 1 884. Following his old route 

 of 18T3, he traveled through southern Alashan, 

 crossed the mountain Kansu, which is near the 

 river Tetung, and arrived at Tscheibssen in 

 March, 1884. From here the expedition went 

 to Zaidam, where a depot was established at the 

 foot of the mountain Burchan-buda, in order 

 to leave behind there, in charge of part of the 

 escort, all dispensable baggage and camels. In 

 May the colonel's party, fourteen strong, took 

 a southern direction over the sources of the 

 Hoang-ho to the Yangtse-kiang, which passes 

 through a woodless Alpine region. As he was 

 unable to cross the latter river, the large lakes 

 at the upper course of the Hoang-ho were ex- 

 plored, one of them being named "Lake Rus- 

 sia " and another "Lake Expedition." These 

 are 4,100 metres above the sea, while the sur- 

 rounding mountain plateau is about 300 metres 

 higher. The climate is very trying, with severe 

 frost in May and heavy snow-storms in July, 





