340 GEIKIE 



omy of the whole. Modern geography studies the dis- 

 tribution of vegetable and animal life over the earth's sur- 

 face, with the action and reaction between it and the sur- 

 rounding inorganic world. It traces how man, alike uncon- 

 sciously and knowingly, has changed the face of nature, 

 and how, on the other hand, the conditions of his geo- 

 graphical environment have moulded his own progress. 



With these broad aims geography comes frankly for as- 

 sistance to many different branches of science. It does not, 

 however, claim in any measure to occupy their domain. It 

 brings to the consideration of their problems a central hu- 

 man interest in which these sciences are sometimes apt to 

 be deficient; for it demands first of all to know how the 

 problems to be solved bear upon the position and history 

 cf man and of this marvellously-ordered world wherein he 

 finds himself undisputed lord. Geography freely borrows 

 from meteorology, physics, chemistry, geology, zoology, and 

 botany; but the debt is not all on one side. Save for the 

 impetus derived from geographical research, many of these 

 sciences would not be in their present advanced condition. 

 They gain in vast augmentation of facts, and may cheer- 

 fully lend their aid in correlating these for geographical 

 requirements. 



In no respect does modern geography stand out more 

 prominently than in the increased precision and fulness of 

 its work. It has fitted out exploratory expeditions, and in 

 so doing has been careful to see them provided with the 

 instruments and apparatus necessary to enable them to con- 

 tribute accurate and definite results. It has guided and fos- 

 tered research, and has been eager to show a generous ap- 

 preciation of the labours of those by whom our knowledge of 

 the earth has been extended. Human courage and endurance 

 are not less enthusiastically applauded than they once were; 

 but they must be united to no common powers of obser- 

 vation before they will now raise a traveller to the highest 

 ranft. When we read a volume of recent travel, while 

 warmly appreciating the spirit of adventure, fertility of 

 resource, presence of mind, and other moral qualities of its 

 author, we instinctively ask ourselves, as we close its pages, 

 what is the sum of its additions to our knowledge of the 



