59Q 



NA TURE 



[April 23, 1885 



should be converted into coracles. Literature is honoured in 

 Corea as in other Eastern countries, but the monument erected 

 over the graves of the doctors of letters are at least unique. It 

 consists of the trunk of a tree painted like a barber's pole, some 

 30 feet up. The top and branches are cut off, and on the 

 summit rests a carved figure of slim proportions, 20 feet leu . and 

 with a forked tail in imitation of a Corean dragon. 1 

 head, which resembles that of an alligator, depends cords on 

 which brass 1 ells and a wooden fish are strung. The total 

 absence in even the most ancient and historical provincial towns of 

 any remains of art and culture, leads Mr. Carles to think that 

 perhaps the Corea of olden days differed but little from that of 

 the present time, and that her early civilisation has been greatly 

 overrated. Frequent evidences of mineral wealth were ob- 

 served. _ The contradictory reports on this subject are very 

 perplexing. Not long since we published a statement from a 

 traveller in Corea that there were few or no traces of mineral 

 deposits, while the general impression has been that the country 

 was very wealthy in gold, iron, and coal. Nothing but a special 

 survey will set the question at rest. No map or sketch ac- 

 companies this report. Unfortunately maps of Corea are rare. 

 An excellent one was published not long since in Pelermanris 

 Mittlnilungcn. It is compiled, with Mr. Satow's assistance, 

 and under his supervision, from the maps of the Japanese 

 general staff. A slight sketch-map of Corea would have ren- 

 dered Mr. Carles's interesting report much more intelligible than 

 it is at present. 



The last Bulletin of the American Geographical Society con- 

 tains an account of the reception of Lieut. Greeley by the 

 members of the Society, and a paper by Lieut. Schwatka de- 

 scribing his exploration on the Yukon River in 1883. A mar- 

 vellous account is given of the ravages of the mosquito pest in 

 Alaska during the warm months. Shooting on one occasion 

 was out of the question, not altogether on account of the 

 venomous attacks of these insects, but because they w 

 thick and dense that no one could have seen clearly through the 

 mass in taking aim. Native dogs are killed by them under 

 certain circumstances, and Lieut. Schwatka heard reports from 

 persons so reliable that, coupled with his own experience, 

 he never doubted them, that the great grizzly bear of these 

 regions is at times compelled to succumb. "The statement 

 seems preposterous, but the explanation is simple : the bear, in 

 trespassing on a swampy habitation of mosquitoes, instead of 

 seeking safety in flight, rears upon his hind-quarters and fights 

 them bear-fashion until his eyes are closed by their repi d 

 attacks on them, when starvation is the real cause of death. 



The German Foreign Office has made a communication to 

 the Berlin Geographical Society on the changes in the political 

 geography of South America (which were, the statement ~av-, 

 not inconsiderable) produced by the late war between Bolivia, 

 Peru, and Chili, (t) By the treaty of Ancon of October 20, 

 1SS3, Peru ceded to Chili, " permanently and unconditionally," 

 the coast province of Tarapaca, the boundaries of which were 

 declared to be " in the north the defile and River Camarones, in 

 the south the defile and River Loa." This new Chilian pro- 

 vince is, by a law of October 10, 1884, divided into two depart- 

 ments, Pisagua and Tarapaca. The latter, chief town Iquique, 

 has for boundaries "towards the territory of Antofagasta the 

 River Loa to Quillagua, and a line from the latter across the 

 volcanoes Mino and Oka to the volcano Tua." The boundary 

 between the two departments is formed by the Quebrada des 

 Aroma to Cm ana, and from there to a point on the coast two 

 Id] metres from Caleta Buena. This change in the dominion of 

 the respective States is regarded as final. 'But the two follow- 

 ing appear to be regarded as provisional only. (2) Bolivia 



agreed, in the armistice convention concluded at Valparai n 



April 4, 1SS4, and ratified on November 20 last, that Chili 

 shall hold provisionally (that is, during the armistice, the length 

 of winch is not defined) the coast of Bolivia from the 2 3rd degree 

 south latitude to the mouth of the Loa River, and eastward to 

 the boundary line "from Sapalega to the volcano Licancaur, 

 from there to the volcano Cavana, thence to the southern v. ater- 

 course of Lake Ascotan, Mount Allagu, and the 

 Tarapaca." This portion of Bolivia corresponds to the Bo 

 province of Atacama, and had not been organised by Chili at 

 the commencement of the present year. (3) Peru, by Article 3 

 of the Treaty of Ancon, has ceded to Chili until March 28, 

 1894, the provinces of Tacna and Arica. This territory "is 

 ounded on the north by the Sama River from its source in the 



chain of mountains on the frontiers of Bolivia, to its mouth, and 

 on the south by the defile and River Camarones." By a Chilian 

 law of October 31, 1884, these form a single province with the 

 departments Tacna and Arica. 



Before the Royal Colonial Institute, on April 14, Mr. 

 Justice Pinsent, of Newfoundland, read a most interesting paper 

 on this oldest of British colonies. From a geographical point of 

 view, the earlier and more antiquarian portion of the paper is 

 the most interesting. The writer describes the discoveries of 

 Sebastian Cabot and the early history of Newfoundland, a name 

 w hich was originally given to the continent and islands cu masse; 

 and which, when divers parts were given different names, came 

 to be applied only to that island which still bears the name, and 

 which long lent to those discoveries their chief importance. 



At the meeting of the Paris Geographical Society, on the 10th 

 inst., M. Venukoff communicated a letter which he received 

 from the Russian General Stebintsky, reportiug that Capt. 

 Guedenoff had completed a journey in the Trans-Caspian regions 

 with the object of determining the positions of various points in 

 the basin of the Amu-Darya. He commenced at Kizil-Arvat, 

 whence he went to Igdy, and then towards Petro-Alexandrovsk 

 by Khiva. lie ascended the Oxus to Charjni, and then returned 

 through Southern Turkomania by Merv and Askabad. He 

 travelled 1200 kilometres, and determined forty-eight points. — A 

 letter was read which General Faidherbe hael addressed to the 

 Italian Geographical Society on the subject of doubts expressed 

 in its Bulletin on the authenticity of the story of a journey by 

 M. Buonfanti to the Soudan and Timbuctoo. The General 

 reports a conversation which he held on the subject with the 

 " envoy " of Timbuctoo recently in Paris. The envoy had not 

 seen this traveller in Timbuctoo, but recollected hearing of his 

 having been there. — M, de Rivoyre described the Bay of Adulis 

 in the Red Sea, which now belongs to France. The possession 

 of this place anel of Obock, he said, gave France a position from 

 which she could watch calmly the events now proceeding in 

 Ethiopia. — M. Germain Bapst described his explorations in 

 Armenia, on the frontiers of the three empires of Turkey, 

 Russia, and Persia, and gave some interesting information on 

 the semi-barbarous populations living in these regions. 



The last number (Bd. xix. Heft 6) of the Zeitschrift der 

 Gesellschaft fur Erdltunde :u Berlin contains a translation of the 

 Report on the Russian National Survey for 1883, and the usual 

 tabulated catalogue of books, articles, maps, and plans, 

 published between November, 1SS3, and 1S84, in the domain 

 of geography. 



THE SCOTTISH METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY 

 A T the annual meeting on March 23, Dr. Arthur Mitchell, 

 -^ F.R. S.E., in the chair, it was stated in the Report of the 

 Council that since last meeting in July two new stations had 

 been established — one at Leclnathie, Kirriemuir, and the other 

 at Comrie, Perthshire. During the summer and autumn the 

 Secretary inspected twenty-six stations. In addition to the 

 ordinary work of the office he had prepared a third paper on 

 the climate of the British Islands, embracing the rainfall, which 

 would appear in next issue of the Journal. As regards the 

 Ben Nevis Observatory, the observations during the winter had 

 been carried on by Mr. Omond and his assistants every hour by 

 night and by day, without the break of a single hour, except 

 during a great storm which raged around the Observatory in 

 February, v.hen from 6 p.m. of the 21st to 7 a.m. of the fol- 

 lowing.: the violence of the wind, that for those 

 fourteen hours no light could be carried outside by which the 

 thermometers could be read. The directors had given per- 

 mission i'ii- t!io erection of a seismometer for registering earth- 

 movements at the Observatory, a grant of 200/. for its erection 

 having been obtained by Mr. George Darwin and Prof. Ewing 

 from the Government Grant Committee. The total cost of the 

 erection and maintenance of the Observatory up to January 31, 

 18S5, was 5935^1 which was 325 in excess of the subscriptions 

 and other moneys receive 1. The actual cost above what was 

 originally estimated amounted to upwards of 1600/. This excess 

 arose chiefly from the additions it was found necessary to make 

 to the buildings, the extra furnishings required for the new por- 

 tion, the great cost of making anel maintaining the road, and of 

 the transport to the top of building materials and stores. It 

 was hoped that ',1k public, to whose liberality this great national 

 observatory owed its existence, would by additional subscriptions 



