Chapter IL 



arranged to leave Italy in the spring in order to reach the 

 mountains by tlie beginning of June. 



The expedition was accordingly equipped in the early months 

 of 1900. Care was taken to enable it to reap the utmost profit 

 from the exceptional opportimities for scientific investigation 

 offered bv a journey among mountains still almost unknown, and 



THE U(;ANDA IIAILWAY. 



situated ill jx'culiar conditions in the centre of a continent where 

 much still reiiiains to l)e discovered. 



Tlie main ol)ject of the expedition was of course geographical 

 in the strict sense of tlie word ; tliat is, to clear up the 

 topograpliy of the chain and asceitaiii tlie heights of the 

 mountains. This work was to he eom])lete(l by obser\'ations 

 on physical geography, meteorology and magnetism. 



In comiection with these aims it was important to illustrate 



L'S 



