330 



NA TURE 



[Auc.rsT I, 1895 



1871, under the name of the "Congres des Sciences g<k>gra- 

 phiques, cosnmgraphiques, et commercialcs," and under the 

 influence of the revival of geographical learning sulisequent to 

 the KrancoClennan War, it has met from time to time at different 

 centres, gaining strength and vitality on each iKcasion. The 

 second Congress assembleil at I'arisin 1S75 ; the third at Venice 

 in iSSi : the fourth at I'aris in connection with the Great 

 Kxhibitionof 1889 ; and the fifth at Berne in 1891. In each case 

 the representative Geographical Society of the countrj' concerned 

 was resi»nsible for the organisation and arrangement of the 

 meeting, and at Berne it was definitely resolved thai in future the 

 Congress should be constituted at intervals of not less than three, 

 nor more than five years, the resolution taking practical shape 

 in the acceptance by the Royal Geographical Society of the 

 responsibilities of a meeting in London in 1895. A pro|K>sal, 

 emanating from the Berne C'leographical Society, to the effect 

 that the chief officials of each Congress shall retain office until 

 the meeting of the next, is to be submitted this year, and its 

 acceptance would mark a further step towards the establishment 

 of a great |>cm<anent organisation for the systematic study and 

 exploration of the globe. 



The sixth Congress differs from its predecessors in a charac- 

 teristically British fashion, inasmuch as it is practically a private 

 enterprise ; no Sjate or munici])ai aid being forthcoming, as on 

 previous occasions. Nevertheless the Royal Geographical 

 Society, aided by grants from a few of the City companies and 

 by private generosity, has been able fully to cope w ith the de- 

 nuinds made on its resources by the immense influx of geo- 

 grapher> from all parts of the world. .Accommodation has been 

 found in the Ini|x-rial Institute, which affords ample room for 

 private and public business meetings, for exhibitions, and for all 

 manner of social functions, as well as opportunity for that pri- 

 vate intercourse which goes so far to enhance the value of such 

 meetings. The Congress is under the [Jatronage of the (,)ueen 

 and the Prince of Wales, and the honorary pre.-iidency of the 

 King of the Belgians, the Duke of Connaught, the Duke of 

 \<>rk. the Crown I'rince of Denmark, and the Grand Duke 

 Niciilas .Michailovich. The President is, according to the custom 

 of the Congress, the President of the deographical Society 

 under whose auspices it meets ; in this case the President of the 

 K'lyal Geographical Society, Mr. Clements R. Markhani, C.I!., 

 K. R.S. A large numtier of eminent public men and geographers 

 have accepted the |)o.silion o( honorar)' vice-presidents. 



The work of organisation has l)een carrietl out !))■ a number of 

 committees, under the chairmanship of Major L. Darwin, R. K. ; 

 the general secretaryship is in the hands of Mr. |. Scott Keltic 

 and Dr. H. R. Mill ; and the exhibition is under the direction of 

 Mr. K. G. Ravenstein, Mr. John Coles, and Mr. John Thomson. 

 In devising the general arrangements, it has hitherto been 

 the practice to al)stain from formulating any rigorous rules, and 

 to leave the managing .Society a pretty free hand. In some 

 ciscs, notably at \ enice, the Congress was somewhat over- 

 whelmed by the exhibition of geographical objects ; while in 

 others undue sulxlivisinn into sections has tended to defeat one 

 eif the most praiseworthy objects of the meeting. Profiting by 

 the exi>eriencc obtained, the Royal Geographical Society has 

 kept the range of the exhibition within comparatively narrow 

 limits. The Geographical .Societies of Paris, Berlin, and .St. 

 Pelcrsburg, and various (iovernment <lei>artments and private 

 individuals in all parts of the glolje have sent representative 

 exhibits of recent work, and the collections have been in many 

 cases arranged entirely by the exhibitors. .Xnother department 

 is devote<l to |>aintings and photographs of geographical interest, 

 including, amongst other things, a series of historical portraits 

 <if eminent travellers, cartographers, and geographical writers, 



•■ ■'" '''le sketchesand photographscrintribiiled by explorers, 



slides and <liagrams adapted to the purposes of 

 I education. .\ third section, due to .Mr. K. (I. 

 I consi.sts of a loan exhibition, intended to illustrate 



nicnt of cartography from the lime of l'|r)lemy to the 

 end >i\ the eighteenth century. Mr. Ravenstein is to Ix; con- 

 gratulated on the achievement of a remarkable success, for 



'•'"' ' •■■:•■- frf pr<igress is unrepresented, those 



\ .ire wonderfully few. The collcc* 

 ' . , - examples, such .as the Leonardo 



da \ inn niapi lielonging to the 'Jueen, the "Henry II." map 

 lielonging to the Karl .pf Crawford and Balcarres, the Mullineux 

 gliilw from the library nf the .Middle Temple, the .\gas map f)f 

 ■ ./indon from the Guildhall, the manuscripts of the early Indian 

 sur\e)!i by Kilchie and Kennel, Topping, Macluer. and Mackenzie, 



from the India Office, and extensive contributions from the 

 libraries at Lambeth Palace, the Admiralty, the Ordnance 

 Survey, various Geographical Societies, and the i>rivate collec- 

 tions of Mr. S. W. Silver, Mr. H. Vates Thompstm, Mr. li. A. 

 Petherick, and many others. It is to be noted that the cata- 

 logue of this exhibition, with its appended list of maps, jKirto- 

 lani, and aliases in the British Museum, forms an excellent biblio- 

 graphical outline of the subject. 



.\ similar collection, though on a necessarily smaller scale, has 

 been m.ade by Mr. John Coles, in the department of surveying 

 and meteorological inslrmnents. The exhibits of the Hydro- 

 graphic Department ul the Admiralty and the < )rdnaiu-e Survey 

 Office are of great historical interest. We could ha\e wished il 

 had been possible to allot a further space to instruments used in 

 deep sea explorations, especially as their modern develoiMucnts 

 are so well illustrated by Prof. Otto Pettersson and Dr. 11. K. 

 Mill. 



A final section of the exhibition consists of the most recent 

 equijiments for exploration, surveying, mapping, and teaching 

 geography, shown by numerous private firms. 



The same leading idea, that of representing general features, 

 has been kept in view in arranging the work of the meetings. 

 While no attempt has been made to present popular pro- 

 grammes, the whole range of geogra])hy h.is been covered, and 

 the chief etVort directed towards furthering those larger interests 

 which concern all geographers, rather than to the discussion of 

 more minute technicilities, however important in themselves. 

 Thus general meetings are to be devotetl to l\»lar I'.xploration, 

 the development of Africa, Kxploration, and Cartography ; and 

 sectional meetings deal with Geographical lulucation. Photo- 

 graphic Surveying, Physical Geography, Geodesy, I )ceanogiaphy. 

 Geographical Orthography and Definitions, and Limnology. 



The date of our going to press constrains us to defer a re|Kirt 

 of most of the work done in all these different departments until 

 next week, except in so far as the earlier meetings are concerned. 

 On I'riday evening (July 26) the delegates were presented to 

 H.R.H. the Duke of S'ork by the .-Vmbassatlor or Charge 

 d' Affaires of their respective countries. The following were 

 represented, either by Government delegates 01 by delegates of 

 Geographical Societies: — Austria-Hungary, Belgium, Denmark, 

 France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, 

 Portugal, Roumania, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, 

 Turkey, United States, Mexico, Brazil, Japan, Persia, New 

 South Wales, New Zealand, (^)ucensland, .South Australia, 

 Tasmania, X'icloria, Western Australia, Cape of Good Hope, 

 an<l the United Kingdom. -After the private reception, the 

 Duke of \'ork welcomed the whole Congress in the name of the 

 (,>ueen and the Prince of Wales, and the President made a brief 

 address of welcome on behalf of the Royal Geographical 

 Society, the other British Geographical .Societies, and the 

 (tcographers of the United Kingihim. The Ibui. Chief Justice 

 Daly, of the New \'ork Geographical Society, the oldest Pre- 

 sident of a Geographical Society living, replied on behalf of the 

 foreign members and delegates, and the meeting .adjourned, the 

 remainder of the evening being ,s|K"nt in the gardens of the 

 Institute, where music was discoursed by .Strauss' orchestra. 



On .Saturday (July 27) the Congress assembled .at 10 a.m. to 

 hear the President s opening address, which paid a gracefiil 

 tribute to the geographical work of the nations whose delegates 

 and representatives he conlially welcomed, and gave a forecast 

 of the work about to be midertaken by the Congress. A vole of 

 th.anks was proposed by Prince Rolaml Bonaparte, and seconded 

 by Prof von den .Sleinen. At ni>on two sections were formed. 

 In Section B, which was prcsiiled over by Mr. Markliam, 

 sup|)orted by Chiel Justice I 'aly ami Prof, von den .Sleinen, 

 Prof. Lev.isseur read a paper on geography in schools and 

 universities, which outlined a system of geographical education 

 extending through |)riinary, secondary, and higher stiigcs. 

 Seizor Torres Campos supported the views expressed by Prof 

 Lcvasseur, and discussion was continued by M. Ludovic 

 Drapcyron. The importance of a university training for 

 leacners of geograpiiy was urged by Dr. R. Lelimaim in 

 the .second paper, an<l the needs of gcograjihy in secondar)' 

 education were set forth by Mr. .\. I. llerlierlson in the 

 Ihiril. Thereafter Dr. W. Ilenkel 'allowed a paper on 

 geography and history in schools, standing in his name, 

 to be held as read, in order to allow time for discussion. 

 Mr. IL J. M.ickinder advocated the establishmenl of 

 a central .school of geography in London, in order to place 

 geogr.-tphical teaching in this country on a |iroper footing. Mr. 



NO. 1344. VOL. 52] 



