Heb, 22, 1883] — 
NATURE 
401 
from about the year 1000 until the end of the r4th century. 
The ultimate fate of the Norse settlers in Greenland is shrouded 
in mystery, as there is no authentic record of their existence after 
the end of the fourteenth century. There has also in later days 
been great diversity of opinion where to seek for the settlements ; 
thus the Danish explorer Graah, who, in the years 1828-31, 
searched for remains of the same, sought them west of Cape 
Farewell, but without success. Baron Nordenskjold is, how- 
ever, of the opinion that the Osterbygd and the Norse settle- 
ments were situated east of the Cape, and it is here that he 
intends to search for them. It is hardly necessary to enlarge on 
the interesting and important results to science which would 
accrue from the discovery of these ‘‘dead cities” on the 
shores of the Arctic Ocean, Baron Nordenskjold will start on 
his journey early in May next, and although the general expenses 
of the expedition, no doubt, will be defrayed by King Oscar 
and Dr. Oscar Dickson, it is the intention of the latter to apply 
to the Swedish Parliament for the use of one of the vessels of 
the Navy for the voyage. 
More details have now reached us concerning the expedition 
of the African travellers, Lieut. Wissmann and Pogge. The 
travellers proceeded along the Kassai River during the autumn 
of 1881, passed through Kimbunda and reached Kidimba, the 
residence of Chingenge, the chief of the Tooshilange tribe, in 
November. Then they proceeded northwards. They reached 
the frontier of the West African savannah-forests and entered 
upon the densely populated prairies of Central Africa. In the 
middle of December they reached the Mukamba Lake. Now 
they traversed the well-populated country of the Bashilange and 
reached the Lubi, a magnificent river bordered by rich tropical 
vegetation, and which is a tributary of the Lubilash river. The 
opposite shore of the Lubi is inhabited by the Bassonge, a hand- 
some and powerful tribe, which possesses numerous clean and 
cheerful villages adorned by palm and banana trees. On January 
14, 1882, the travellers reached the capital on the left bank of 
the Lubilash, in 5° 7’ 18” lat. S. Kachich, the chief of the 
Kotto district, whose power is based upon his reputation of 
fetishero (high priest), caused many obstacles to be thrown into 
their way. At last, on January 29, the expedition crossed the 
Lubilash, which is identical with the Sankura, and which flows 
into the Congo. This was in 5°13' lat. S. Then they passed 
through well-watered prairies, inhabited by the warlike Bassonges, 
by the Beneckis, who have villages 17 kilometres in length, and 
the Kalebues, reaching and crossing the Lomami River on 
March 8. All these tribes are cannibals. Between the Lubi 
and Lake Tanganyika, Wissmann found remains of what must 
once have been the natives of these parts, viz. the Batuas, little, 
undergrown, slender, dirty, and savage-looking people, who live 
only by the chase and on wild fruit, speak a curious language, 
and whose arms and implements indicate a very low state of 
civilisation. The Lomami was crossed in 5° 42’ lat. S. The 
direction towards Nyangwe was now taken through flooded 
prairies and marshes, alternating with parts where the grass had 
grown to a perfect carpet resembling felt. The Lufubu River 
was crossed on April 2, By April 11 two canoes had been 
made, On April 16 the expedition reached the Lualaba River, 
and Nyangwe on the 17th, where they were well received by 
the Arabs. Here they resolved to separate. Pogge was to 
return to the Mukenge Station with the caravan, and Wissmann 
to the east. On May 5 Pogge left. Wissman started on June 1 
with only a few companions, and eventually reached Cassongo 
and then Lake Tanganyika. At Manyema he had gone south 
of Stanley’s and Cameron’s route, and afterwards crossed it at 
Ca=Bambarre, passing northward into the land of the Wasi- 
Malungo and Ubngwe tribes towards Uguhla. On the shores 
of Lake Tanganyika Wissmann rested for fourteen days, staying 
at the missionary station of Ruande. He made an excursion to 
the Lukuga River and crossed the lake to Ujiji. On August 9 
he left the caravan track, proceeding in a northerly direction to 
Uhha, to visit the renowned chief, Mirambo. Passing through 
many great dangers he reached Mirambo’s residence, and was 
most hospitably received. On September 3 Wissmann reached 
the French mission-station at Tabora, from whence he made an 
excursion to the German African Society’s station at Gonza, 
There he considered his geographical work as completed, inas- 
much as Dr. Kaiser had proceeded to Gonza from the east coast. 
Wissmann found Dr. Boehm and Reichard both in good health, 
Dr. Kaiser having left a few days before. On November 18 
Wissmann reached the east coast near Saadani. 
Ir is announced by the hon. secretaries of the Egyptian 
Exploration Fund that Sir Erasmus Wilson, LL.D., F.R.S., 
has accepted the office of President of the Society, and has 
headed the subscription list with a donation of 5007. Thus 
launched, the Society has commenced excavations at Tel-el- 
Maskhuta, in the Wady Tumilat—this mound being the supposed 
site of Raamses, one of the two cities specified in the first 
chapter of Exodus as built by the forced labour of the Hebrews. 
M. Edouard Naville, the eminent Swiss Egyptologist, in co- 
operation with Prof, Maspero, has undertaken the direction of 
the excavation on this important site, where he is now at work, 
aided by an experienced engineer, and a gang of eighty labourers. 
The results to be anticipated from discoveries at Tel-el-Maskhuta 
are inscriptions which shall enable Egyptologists to identify the 
Pharaoh of Moses, to assign a dynastic date to the period of the 
oppression, and to settle the much-disputed question regarding 
the route of the Exodus. More funds are needed for the pro- 
secution of the work already begun, and it is hoped that the 
public will liberally support the action of Sir Erasmus Wilson, 
Pending the election of a treasurer, subscriptions will be received 
by the hon. secretaries, Mr. Reginald Stuart Poole, British 
Museum, and Miss Amelia’B. Edwards, the Larches, Westbury- 
on-Trym, Bristol. 
In the March number of Petermann’s Mittheilungen the 
principal paper is an account of Herr Fr, von Schenck’s journey 
in the United States of Columbia in 1880, an important contri- 
bution to the physical geography of a country on which we have 
no very recent information. Dr. Capus gives some interesting 
information on the valley of Yagnan and its inhabitants, about 
170 versts east of Samarcand. ‘There is a brief sketch of Herr 
Schuver’s journey to the sources of the Tumat, Jabus, and 
Jal, in the region lying between the Upper Bahr-el-Azrek and 
Bahr-el-Abiad. This number contains the Necrology for 1882. 
—In Nos, 10, 11, and 12 (in one) Band xxv. of the Mzitheilungen 
of the Vienna Geographical Society is a paper, with map, by 
Dr. J. Morstadt on the mountain structure of South Tyrol. An 
important work in ten vols. on the peoples of Austria-Hungary, 
by many authors (Vienna, Prochaska), is reviewed by Dr. 
Paulitschke.—Nearly the whole of the Compte Rendu of the 
Paris Geographical Society for December 15 is occupied by M. 
Desire Charnay’s account of his explorations in Yucatan. 
ON THE PRESENT CONDITION OF THE SODA 
INDUSTRY 
AN interesting and important paper with the above title was 
read by Mr. Walter Weldon, F.R.S., at a meeting of the 
Society of Chemical Industry held at Burlington House on 
January 8. The following abstract is condensed from this paper 
as published in the Yournal of the Society :— 
A few years ago there were twenty-five alkali-works in the 
neighbourhood of Newcastle-on-Tyne; now there are only 
thirteen. Seven or eight works are standing idle in Lancashire ; 
in Belgium the manufacture of soda by the Leblanc process has 
entirely ceased. The following table represents the 
Present Soda Production of the World in tons 
Ammonia 
soda per 
Leblanc soda, Ammonia soda, Totals. cent. of 
total soda. 
Great Britain ... 380,000 ... 52,000 ... 432,000 ...  12°0 
France 70,000 ... 57,125 ... 127,125 ... 44°9 
Germany ... 56,500 ... 44,000 ... 100,500 ... 43°8 
Austria 39,000 ... 1,000... 40,000... 2°5 
Belgium ... 2.00 — 8,000 ... 8,000 ... To0"0 
United States ... _— 1,100: .... 21,100) .<. TO0%0 
Totals ... 545,500 163,225 708,725 230 
The ammonia process for making soda dates, as a practical 
manufacturing method, from 1866, in which year M. Solvay of 
Brussels established works at Couillet, near Charleroi. M. Solvay 
is now manufacturing soda by the ammonia process at the rate 
of about 75,000 tons per annum. 
The production of soda has very rapidly increased on the 
Continent within the last five years; the greater part, but not 
the whole, of this increase is due to the introduction of the 
ammonia process, The production of soda by this process in 
England is entirely in the hands of one firm—Messrs. Brunner 
and Mond: in 187§ this firm produced 2500 tons of soda, in 
