't 1, ^ ' 



WM 



806 REPORT— 1884. 



4. iloiinf Eoraima in Guiana. Bij Eykhard F. im Tiiurx, M.A. 



Tlie author described a project wliicli lie has formed with a view to explore mid 

 if possible ascend Mount Koraiiua, an extraordinary table-mountain, the niuM 

 remarkable of a very remarkable group, all of somewhat .similar character, wliich 

 stand in the sandstone refrion of (luiaiia in latitude .0" !)' 40" N. and lonjritudM 

 60° 48' AV. Tlie varimis attempts that have been made to accpiire detiuite 

 information concerninji' IJoraima by a few enterprising- travellers were enunn'ratfii, 

 tofiether with the obstacles they encountered. Althouprli the district coiitaiih 

 many streams, it is traversed 1)y no Imye rivers such as would alllird an e:i5v 

 waterway for the boats of travellers who seek to penetrate it ; while its many and 

 abrti]it mountains, and the scantiness of its population, render it no easy matter to 

 traverse the district on foot. To sum up, it apjjcars that the mouiUain has bwn 

 examined at its southern and south-eastern points, and also at its ^astern side; its 

 nortliern end has been viewed from a distance ; and alonp: its western side a 

 glimpse has been o))tained from a point far to the south-west. The ijfeneral, but 

 not uidversal, ojiinion of those who have seen lloraima is that it is inaccossiblf, 

 unless perhaps in a balloon. The author, however, doubts whether any travelk 

 has yet had sufficient experience of the mountain to pronounce an authoritative 

 decl-ion, and the chief oi)ject of the ])rojected journey is to ac(jnire the necessr.!- 

 data from which tn judire vhether it is accessil)le or not. lie proposes to examin« 

 the mountain as closel}' as ])ossil)le on every side, and to make the ascent should 

 circumstances permit. He will further examine and collect the tlora and fauna, 

 and investigate the condition of tlie little-known Arecooua Indian.-, in •whi).«>' 

 district lloraima lies. Such are the objects for the attainment of which theiiutliur 

 has received the supjiort of tlie Koyal Society and the Itoy.il (Jeographieal Society, 

 and for which he now .«(>eks the sujtport of the Jlritish Association. Tin- route Ijy 

 which he will endeavonr to reach lloraiuni is to follow the course of the Potaro, a 

 new and as yet untried river, which rises at a ])oint not very far distant from the 

 mountain, and forms tlie famous Kaieteur Fall. Judging by the expc" -ice <;ained 

 during two visits to the fall, the author concludes that thercfjui.xite 1. iggage imisi 

 he carried by boat as far as the Kaieteur, and up to the higher level from which 

 the river there falls. Thence he proposes to reach Ohineljowie, a missinn-stationat 

 a di.'^tance of one and a half day's journey, and proceed in l)oats to a point .some two 

 days further on, where, the Indians .say, the Potiiro forms another fall, as yi't 

 xmseen by white nu'ii, but wiiicli lie hopes to ])ass in tlie same manner as Kaietciir, 

 and proceed to the head of the I'otan. From that ])oint, he is assured, a path 

 leads to the head waters of the Cofinga river, where there are Indian .settlemt'Uti 

 close under the shadow of IJoraima. 



5. Object Lessons in Geogmj^hi/. Bij E. G. Ravkn.stT'UN, F.U.G.S. 



The author stated that the times wlun teach(>rs of geography confined theni- 

 S(dves to making their pupils ac(|UiM!ited with barren li.sts of places were happilv 

 behind us, as far as concerned the leading schotd.s. Nevertheless much remained 

 to be done until the teaching of that sulyect could be said to be carried on in a 

 manner thoroughly satisfactiu'v. 



lie conceived it to l)e tlie object of our elementary schools to make the pupils 

 thoroughly acquainted with the locality in which they lived, and advocated the 

 extensive use of object lessons hi order to attain that object. 



,S\ f 77 It I). 1 j; . f UG U8T 30. 



The Secfion did not meet. 



