3^4 



NATURE 



\_A21gust 14, 1879 



GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES 



On August I the International Conference of the Alpine 

 Clubs was opened at Geneva, in the building of the Con- 

 servatoriura. The Alpinists were very numerous, and the 

 meeting was really an international one, as all nations 

 have sent their representatives. M. Albert Freundler 

 occupied the chair, and Mr. C. E. Matthews, president 

 of the English Alpine Club, Prof. Talbert, vice-president 

 of the Central Directory of the French Alpine Clubs, M. 

 Budden, from Florence, Prof. Ed. Richter, delegate of the 

 German and Austrian Alpenverein, and Prof. Charles R. 

 Cross, from Boston, were elected vice-presidents. The 

 subjects submitted for discussion were : i. The improve- 

 ments to be made in Alpine inns ; 2. The regulations 

 concerning shelters ; 3. The instruction and examination 

 of guides ; 4. The possibility of a common action of the 

 Alpine Clubs for obtaining from the railway companies a 

 reduction of fares for Alpinists who travel in groups; 

 and 5. Sanction by all clubs of the resolutions passed by 

 some of them as to inns and guides. The discussion was 

 alternated with communications of a more general interest. 

 M. Henri de Saussure read a communication on the state 

 of the Boston (U.S.) Appalachian Club, whose activity is 

 remarkable as shown by numerous publications of a high 

 scientific and artistic value. In the discussion on shelters 

 M. Binet-Hentsch proposed to make the roofs of the 

 Alpine shelters of bituminated paper; the experiment 

 which was made by the government of the canton of 

 Graubunden, proves these roofs to be excellent. M. 

 Durier gave a brilliant account of his exploration of Etna, 

 which he made eight months before the eruption of this 

 year. The Rev. M. Denza, director of the Observatory 

 of Moncalieri, read a paper on mountain meteorology. 

 The memoir, which aimed to interest Alpine climbers in 

 meteorology and to point out the services they could 

 render to science during their travels, gave an account of 

 what is done by Italian Alpine Clubs for meteorology, no 

 less than one hundred meteorological stations having been 

 erected by these clubs, fourteen 0/ them at very high alti- 

 tudes. The memoir gave rise to a very interesting discus- 

 sion, during which Prof. Alphonse Favre spoke of the 

 necessity of measurements of the motion of glaciers ; 

 and the Italian and Austrian representatives explained 

 %vhat is done in that direction in their countries. M. 

 Henri de Saussure read three unpublished letters, written 

 to his illustrious ancestor, Horace Bdnddict de Saussure, 

 as to his ascent of Mont-Blanc. The papers of that time 

 having spoken of his project, his friends wrote to him 

 numerous letters to dissuade him from the perilous under- 

 taking. The Abbd Landriani entreats him in the name 

 of science to take care of himself, and not to risk his 

 precious life, and the Prince de Eigne, a very gallant 

 officer, advises him to undertake a regular siege of the 

 -giant mountain ; several relays of workmen, with pick- 

 axes and shovels, should "level the asperities of the 

 road, and so," he writes, "going up some ten fathoms 

 per day, you could reach the summit after a six weeks' 

 work." As to the instruction and the e.xamination of the 

 guides, M. Talbert recommends such institutions as that 

 of Interlaken, in Switzerland ; besides, he proposes to 

 found libraries for the guides and to publish a manual 

 like that just issued by the president of the Italian 

 Alpine Club. As to the reduction on tickets, the French 

 railways have made a reduction of fifty per cent, for 

 all Alpinists travelling either in groups or separately, 

 so that no less than 130 members went to the Conference 

 of Geneva. No special resolution was taken on the 

 fifth question, but it was resolved to maintain an active 

 correspondence between the directors of all Alpine 

 Clubs. 



The Times Berlin correspondent telegraphs that news 

 has been received that Prof. Nordenskjold has succeeded 

 m getting out of Behring Straits. We are inclined to 



doubt the accuracy of this statement ; we have reason to 

 believe, at least, that no such news has been received by 

 Mr. Oscar Dickson, of Gothenburg, who would most likely 

 be the first to whom Nordenskjold would communicate 

 his success. 



The efforts which Commander Cheyne has been making 

 for some time past to organise a new Arctic Expedition 

 promise to be successful. Committees have been estab- 

 lished all over the'country, with a central Arctic committee 

 in London, located in the rooms of the Literary Society. 

 Lord Derby has subscribed 100/. towards the expedition, 

 and his example has been followed by Mr. Sarhuel Budget. 

 We believe that balloons will form an important part of 

 the equipment of the expedition. The Bank of England, 

 it is stated, has consented to open an account under the 

 title of " The New British Arctic Expedition." 



Two well-known African travellers will again start for 

 the Dark Continent during the autumn : Dr. W. Junker 

 will visit the Egyptian Soudan, while Dr. Oscar Lenz, the 

 eminent Ogowe traveller, will go to Morocco by order of 

 the German African Society. This society is making 

 arrangements to establish in Morocco a school for 

 African travellers, as it were ; the country, although com- 

 paratively near, being yet very scantily investigated. 

 Moreover, the young travellers will there get thoroughly 

 accustomed to Mohammedan life, and the Society will 

 thus acquire well-trained representatives to be sent after- 

 wards to various parts of Central Africa. 



The Admiralty have issued a hydrographic notice 

 respecting the Siam coast in the Bay of Bengal, the infor- 

 mation in which is derived from the notes of Commander 

 A. D. Taylor, Superintendent of the Marine Survey of 

 India, and from remarks by Commander A. de Richelieu, 

 of the Siamese Navy. Among other items of geographical 

 information contained in it, we learn that the town of 

 Takuapah is situated on the Takuapah or Kopah River, 

 in the Siamese province of Muang Takuapah, in 8° 48' N. 

 lat., about fifteen miles from the sea. It is surrounded 

 by tin mines and large plantations, and its inhabitants 

 are mostly Chinese. The only export is tin, of which a 

 considerable quantity is sent away, and indeed, next to 

 Puket, it is the largest tin-exporting place on the coast of 

 Siam. The houses are mostly of bamboo and atap, 

 though some few are built of brick. There are several 

 mining villages along the banks of the river, and the 

 country about Takuapah and to the northward is undu- 

 lating and mountainous. Pia Sima, the highest mountain, 

 about ten miles east of Koh Rah, culminates in three 

 peaks of nearly equal elevation, and is upwards of 3,500 

 feet above the sea. 



We understand that a work by Mr. V. Ball, of the 

 Geological Survey of India entitled "Jungle Life in 

 India, or the Journeys and Journals of an Indian Geolo- 

 gist " will appear shortly. The volume will contain a 

 popular account of the author's ob ervation :, extending 

 over a period of fourteen years, on the geology, zoology, 

 botany, and ethnology of .Western Bengal, the Central 

 Provinces, the Himalayas, Beluchistan, and Afghanistan, 

 the Andaman and Nicobar Is'ands, and Burmah, inter- 

 spersed with which are numerous anecdotes and sporting 

 adventures. A number of beautifully executed woodcuts 

 and a map, the former illustrative o! the scenery and in- 

 habitants of these comparatively little-known regions, will 

 aid, it is believed, in commending the volume to a large 

 and varied circle of readers. In a series of appendices 

 some of the more strictly scientific topics are dealt 

 with. The publishers are Messrs. Thomas De la Rue 

 and Co. 



Recent news from South Australia states that a plen- 

 tiful supply of fresh water has been obtained on the tube- 

 well principle on the Mount Lofty R-mge, 1,700 feet above 

 the Adelaide plains. 



