September 24, 1908] 



NATURE 



513 



tnnple, situated on the bank of the Somathangpo, the 

 largest river in Tibet, without outlet to the ocean. 

 Crossing a range 20,000 feet high, he reached Khala, 

 shown on the maps as a great peak, but really a 

 pass in a high range running from the main system. 

 He then came to Ghalaringtso, which is described in 

 the maps as containing a monastery on an island. 

 Its real name is Ngnanglaringtso, and there are five 

 islands. The shape given in the maps is reported to 

 be wrong, as it runs east and west and is intersected 

 bv three rivers. The explorer again crossed the Great 

 Range, and reached ^lansorawar on July 26, and 

 thence bv known roads made his way to Simla. 



Dr. Sven Hedin sums up the results of his explora- 

 tions as follows : — 



" First, the true sources of the Brahmaputra and 

 Indus, and the genetic source of the Sutlej east of 

 Mansorawar Lake. 



" Secondly, the exploration of Bongba, whicn I 

 traversed twice by different routes. 



" But the greatest of all is the discovery of that 

 continuous mountain chain which, taken as a whole, 

 is the most mSssive range on the crust of the earth, 

 its average height above sea level being greater than 

 that of the Himalayas. Its peaks are 4000 feet to 

 5000 feet lower than Everest, but its passes average 

 3000 feet higher than the Hi?nal;iyan passes. The 

 eastern and western parts were known before, but 

 the central and highest part is in Bongba, which was 

 previously unexplored. Not a tree or a bush covers 

 it ; there are no deep-cut valleys, as in the Himalayas, 

 for rain is scanty. The absolute heights remain to 

 be calculated from observations made on the ten 

 passes which I crossed." 



It is stated that the new map of Tibet will be in 

 qoo sheets, and that all the heights of the passes, the 

 river crossings, and the encampments are recorded ; 

 a hundred astronomical points have been fixed, and 

 several thousand panoramas have been taken, with 

 compass bearings and names, while many photo- 

 graphs, pencil drawings and water colours have been 

 brought back, together with meteorological observa- 

 tions and a collection of geological specimens, with 

 the dip and fall of the rocks, from 1200 different 

 points. The total length of Dr. Hedin's journeys is 

 estimated at 4000 miles. 



NOTES. 



AccoRDiN'G to Reuter's Agency, the negotiations which 

 have been in progress for some time between Great Britain 

 and Germany for the conclusion of the agreement to 

 combat sleeping sickness in the African possessions of the 

 two countries are now practically complete. It is thought 

 that the new regulations will become operative on 

 November i. The convention, which is for a period of 

 three years, provides that British and German doctors and 

 the officials in charge of the concentration camps shall 

 keep in touch with one another to compare the result of 

 their various researches. Segregation camps will be 

 established on either side of the international boundary, 

 while infected natives will be prevented from passing into 

 uninfected districts, such persons being detained and segre- 

 gated. The convention also provides for the notification to 

 the officials of both Governments of all infected areas, and 

 for taking effective measures for dealing with crocodiles 

 or other animals which may be found to be the food of 

 the fly which carries the disease. 



The death is announced, at the age of eighty-nine years, 



of Prof. J. G. Hjalmar Kinberg, of Stockholm, well 



known as a medical practitioner and as a zoologist ; also 



NO. 2030, VOL. 





(at the age of sixty-two years) of Prince Ivan R. Tarkanoff, 

 until 1S95 professor of physiology in the Military .Academy 

 of St. Petersburg, and since that date privtit-doccnt on 

 biology and physiology. 



The death is annoimced, at the age of sixty-one years, 

 of Mr. George Nicliulson, fornierb- curator of the Royal 

 (hardens, Kew. 



.\ COMMITTEE has been formed, under the chairmanship 

 of ex-President Loubet, for the purpose of erecting a 

 monument to the memory of the late Prof. Cornil at his 

 birthplace, Cusset, near Vichy, France, and a public sub- 

 scription list for the object in \'iew has been opened. 



Some time ago a subcommittee of the Royal Society of 

 Victoria was appointed to consider the question of 

 establishing a memorial of the late Dr. A. W. Howitt. 

 We learn from the Victorian Natitralist that it has now 

 been decided to raise a fund of at least 100/. to found a 

 " llowitt " medal, to be awarded from time to time to the 

 author of distinguished work dealing specially with the 

 natural science of Australia. 



We have to record with regret that a serious accident, 

 attended with a fatal result, happened to the aeroplane of 

 Mr. Orville \\'right on September 17. The machine, after 

 successfully making several evolutions, suddenly fell to 

 the ground, in consequence, it is stated, of the breaking 

 off of a blade of one of the propellers, and thus disturbing 

 tile balance. Mr. Wright sustained a fractured leg, and 

 Lieut. Selfridge, who accompanied him as a passenger, 

 has died from the effects of his injuries. 



Mr. WiLRrR Wright made a successful flight in his 

 aeroplane at Le Mans on Monday last. The flight lasted 

 ih. 31m. 25s., in which time he covered 66 kilometres 

 600 metres, thus surpassing all previous performances both 

 as to distance and time. 



Dr. Sven Hedin has accepted the invitation to lecture 

 before the German Geographical Society at Berlin on the 

 results of his recent explorations. 



.'\ccoRDiNG to the Stockholm correspondent of the Globe, 

 the expedition under Prof. Baron Gerard de Geer, of the 

 Stockholm University, which has been exploring the Spits- 

 bergen group of islands, has just returned. The results 

 (in geography, geology, biology, and hydrography) are re- 

 ported to be rriost interesting. They will be submitted to 

 the International Congress of Geology which is to be 

 held at Stockholm in 19 10. 



According to the Times of Monday last, the Royal 

 Geographical Society has received information (dated from 

 Khotan, July 15) from Dr. M. A. Stein respecting that 

 explorer's latest archaeological and geographical investiga- 

 tions in Central Asia. March and the early part of April 

 were spent in archaeological labours along the desert belt 

 adjoining the oasis from Domoko to Khotan. Amongst 

 the ruins newly traced there are the remains of a large 

 Buddhist temple, decorated with elaborate frescoes, now 

 completely buried by high dunes in the desert strip between 

 the Yurung-kash and the Kara-kash rivers. On the curious 

 desert hill of Mazar-tagh, which flanks the Khotan river 

 on the west, some six marches below the Khotan oasis. 

 Dr. Stein discovered the ruins of a fortified watch station 

 once guarding the river route, and from great masses of 

 refuse recovered numerous documents on wood and paper, 

 in a variety of scripts, mainly Indian, Chinese, and 

 Tibetan, and none apparently later than the eighth and 

 ninth centuries a.d., many of which are stated closely to 



