582 



NATURE 



\OcL 1 6, 1879 



The special service officers, whose departure for South 

 Africa was alluded to in Nature, vol. xx. p. 64, have 

 evidently done good work from a geographical point of 

 view, for in his despatch, written from Ulundi on Septem- 

 ber 3, Sir Garnet Wolseley, in reporting the conclusion 

 of the war, states that he has been able to extend our 

 topographical knowledge of Zululand, and by actual sur- 

 vey, as well as by reconnaissances, to lay down on paper 

 with very tolerable accuracy its rivers, mountains, &c . 



The St. Petersburg correspondent of the Daily Neivs 

 telegraphs that after the departure for England of the 

 seven steamers which failed to get through the Kara Sea, 

 the steamship Louisa, with a Russian charter, succeeded 

 in finding a passage, and arrived at Yeniseisk, discharged 

 her cargo, and loaded 20,000 poods of wheat for Europe. 

 The Colos recommends the establishment of a meteoro- 

 logical station at the extremity of the Island of Waigatz, 

 between the two gulfs, to be connected by telegraph with 

 the other parts of the Empire and Europe. 



According to the Colonies and India, Mr. Alex. 

 Forrest, in his journey across North-west Australia, from 

 De Grey River to Beagle Bay, found large tracts of rich 

 land along nearly the whole coast and within easy reach 

 of the sea. From Beagle Bay he went to the western 

 shore of King' s Sound, and after passing up the Fitzroy 

 River, returned along the eastern boundary of West 

 Australia. He reports well-watered and grass country 

 near Beagle Bay, though it is rather dei'Sely wooded with 

 the cajeput, red and white gum, &c. No rivers of any 

 size were discovered, and the country was almost entirely 

 level. As regards natural productions, Mr. Forrest reports 

 the pearl-shell beds to be unhmited in extent. The soil is 

 generally a sandy loam ; in some parts there are a few 

 ironstone hills, and in others limestone is found, but 

 nowhere are there any indications of gold. 



Mr. Orville a. Derby, Director of Geology in the 

 National Museum of Brazil, we learn iroxaSdence News, 

 was at last accounts about starting on an exploring 

 expedition in the interior of the empire. He goes in 

 company with a party of engineers who are to make sur- 

 veys for a railroad route. The chief of this party is Mr. 

 Roberts, an American. They will first ascend the river 

 Sao Francisco to the Falls, which are 168 miles from the 

 sea. They carry with them a steam launch, by means of 

 which they expect to navigate the river above the Falls. 

 Mr. Derby expects to leave the engineers after their work 

 is finished, and to cross the province of Minas Geraes, 

 celebrated for its product of gold, and he will make the 

 geology of that region a special study. The distance to 

 be gone over is not less than 600 or 700 miles, and will 

 probably be much more in the detours of travel. A very 

 hasty geological survey was made of the country in 1866 

 by J. A. Allen, the ornithologist, O. H. St. John, 

 geologist, and Thomas Ward ; they were then members 

 of the famous Agassiz expedition. They began in the 

 upper waters of the river and worked downward toward 

 the Falls. The late Prof. Hartt explored below the Falls, 

 to the mouth of the river. The work undertaken by Mr. 

 Derby is in an important and very extensive field, about 

 which very little is definitely known. 



The American expedition, gone out in search of the 

 remains of Sir John Franklin, which landed at the 

 northern shore of Hudson's Bay, in the vicinity of Depots 

 l,and, on August 9, 1S78, continued its journey to King 

 Williams Land in sledges, on April i, 1879. 



The German geographers, Drs. Greef and Gasser, have 

 arrived at Lisbon on their way to Africa. A scientific 

 task has been confided to them, and they will begin their 

 labours with the study of the zoology of the West African 

 Islands. 



News just arrived from Pekin states that the Hungarian 

 traveller. Count Szechenyi and his companions have 



started on the journey to Tibet, under protection of 

 Chinese officials, and with an escort of thirty soldiers. 

 They intend to visit Sining, Shen-Chung-Chia, and 

 Tsaidam, and then to proceed on the great northern 

 Kukunor road to H'Lassa, which is situated some 700 

 miles beyond Tsaidam. 



Early in the present year the Rev. C. R. Fairey made 

 a most remarkable missionary journey, travelling alone 

 for some 300 miles along the dangerous north and east 

 coasts of Tasmania. The journey was entirely performed 

 in a canoe 12 feet long, 28 inches beam, and I2 inches in 

 depth. Mr. Fairey now proposes to make a voyage on 

 the Murrumbidgee and Murray Rivers in Australia. 



After the pattern of European Alpine Clubs a Himalaya 

 Club is stated to have been formed in India with a view 

 of attempting to ascend the highest peaks of that gigantic 

 mountain chain. 



Under the title of "La Cimbdbasie" Les Missions 

 Catholiques publishes some interesting geographical notes 

 on a tract of country in Western Africa, extending on 

 the seaboard from the mouth of the River Cunene to that 

 of the Orange River. On the north the boundary of this 

 region, which has lately been constituted a separate 

 ecclesiastical district by the Holy See, marches with that 

 of the Portuguese colony of Angola in the direction of 

 the Mano Mountains, and then follows the right banks cf 

 the Casai and the Lotenbua as far as Lake Dilolo. On 

 the east it runs along the Liba to the point where the 

 Chobd (the Cuando of Major Serpa Pinto) falls into the 

 Zambesi, and finally follows the eastern frontier of the 

 Bechuanas from Lake Makarikari to the Rivers Vaal and 

 Orange. In this region are included Damara-land on 

 the north-west, Namaqua-land on the south, the tribes of 

 the Kalahari Desert on the east, and on the north 

 Ovampo-land, &c. These notes, which are drawn up by 

 Pere Charles Duparquet and are illustrated by a map, 

 are the more worthy of attention, as the greater part 

 of this large tract of country has recently been placed 

 under the British Protectorate. 



Sir George Elliot, M.P. for North Durham, has 

 signified his intention to dedicate a piece of land on his 

 estate. West Cliff, Whitby, to the public, and erect thereon 

 a monument to Capt. Cook, who spent several years of 

 his early life at the fishing village of Staithes, a few miles 

 to the north of the port of Whitby. In later years he 

 sailed from the harbour of Whitby, and it is an historical 

 fact that in undertaking his adventurous voyages round 

 the world he preferred the vessels which were built at 

 Whitby by Whitby men. 



Messrs. Sampson Low and Co. are to publish Dr. 

 Holub's Narrative of his important explorations in South 

 Africa. They have also in the press Signor D'Albertis' 

 Narrative of his Explorations in New Guinea; it will 

 contain many illustrations in ethnography and natural 

 history. 



The last Zeitschrift of the Berlin Geographical Society 

 contains detailed narratives by Dr. Hildebrandt of his 

 important journey from Mombassa to Kitur, and by Dr. 

 Hirschfeld cf a journey he made in South-West Asia 

 Minor. The Verkandliingen contains a valuable descrip- 

 tion of the Galapagos Islands, by Dr. Theodor Wolf, and 

 a series of measurements of elevations in Ecuador, by the 

 same, both from the Spanish of W. Reiss. 



From the American Geographical Society we have 

 received the annual address of the president. Dr. C. P. 

 Daly, being an elaborate and valuable paper on the Early 

 History of Cartography, or, " Maps and Map-Making 

 before the time of Mercator." The paper is profusely 

 illustrated with specimens of old maps, and must have 

 involved a great amount of research. The last Bulletin 

 of the Society (No. 5 of 1878) contains a long account of 

 a journey along the west coast of South America, from 



