720 EEPORT— 1886. 



knowledge, and a full grasp of the geogi'aphical conditions ' with regard to some or 

 the leadhig countries of the world, ' will enable a person studying their history to 

 make the history more intelligible and real.' In strict conformity with this 

 opinion, and in the conviction that the want of geographical knowledge and ' full 

 grasp ' of geographical conditions will betray men in power to commit dangerous 

 mistakes, calculated to injure the national prestige and credit, and men out of 

 power to become their upholders in error, I would express the hope that, in any 

 future arrangements which maybe perfected for the better education of our country- 

 men, while physical and scientitic geography are invested with a degree of prominence 

 and honour to which they have hitherto never attained, that branch of study which 

 we have been accustomed to call political will be reconsidered and, if necessary, 

 newly defined by competent men. The conclusion at which I have myself arrived 

 — one which I am quite ready to abandon before the arguments of sounder reason — 

 is that we have here something which belongs mainly to history, and, in such lisrht, 

 its scientific should be separated from its uou-scientific elements. A partition 

 should be made which would equally suit the mind of the student whose tendencies 

 are rather towards metaphysics than mathematics, as of him who is a votary of 

 practical science only. I do not presume to touch upon the action of Universities^ 

 except to say that I can conceive no better example could be afforded that the in- 

 tellect of England had due regard for the material interests of England than by 

 the creation of a chair for scientific geography and the relegation of that which is 

 non-scientific to the chair of history. I now turn to the third, or illustrative 

 portion of the subject under discussion. 



To illustrate, by instances of modern travel and research, the urgency of geo- 

 graphical study to young Englishmen, especially those who fi-om adventitious 

 position, ambition, or ability are likely to hold the helm in any department of 

 State, I see no fitter way than, by a retrospect of the work done, to come to the 

 conclusion whether we, as a nation, would have participated more directly in that 

 work, or derived more legitimate benefit from it, had we been better instructed. 

 Now this is a delicate question to put, if applied to particular cases, because it involves 

 matters of policy, and belongs to the domain of pure politics rather than to any 

 form of political geography ; but I shall not presume to ask whether we could, or 

 could not, have acted more wisely in this or that diplomatic difficulty, only whether 

 the solution of such a difficulty does not, in point of fact, depend upon a geogra- 

 phical experience which we do not always possess, and cannot always command 

 from others. Having explained upon what particular instances of progress in the 

 field of exploration or discovery I should dwell, at this stage of my address, I 

 will now speak more definitely. Though my own personal experience of travel 

 has been obtained, more or less, in the four quarters of the globe, I cannot but feel 

 that Europe is more familiar to me in its chief cities and highways, and more 

 popular social haunts, for the geography of which there is no demand — notwith- 

 standing abundant and choice material — than as a subject for scientific description. 

 So also with the United States. New York and Philadelphia, and the Hudson 

 River, with all their recommendations, have certainly no gloss of novelty, and my 

 personal knowledge is unfortunately restricted to these points. In Asia, I have a 

 wider field — from the Canton River to the Bosphorus— but for obvious reasons a 

 corner of this will suffice for present purposes. In Africa I have made quite recent 

 acquaintance with the Congo — that great river whose introduction into our maps in 

 its entirety is one of the most notable of geographical feats of modern times. My ex- 

 perience of it was brief and confined to its lower section, but the two months 

 passed at Vivi and between Banana and Isanghila were not without instructive 

 use. Plainly, then, after a retrospect of work lately achieved by travellers and ex- 

 plorers, I will limit such comments as I may have to ofter to the Congo for Africa, 

 and Eastern Persia for Asia. 



Of the out-door operations of the past year those specially mentioned by the 

 President of the Royal Geographical Society in London, in his address of May 24, 

 are : — Prejevalsky's journey from Lob Nor to the populated districts of Eastern 

 Turkistan, and from Khotan back to Russian territory via Aksu and the Tian-shan ; 

 Mr. Needham's expedition to the Za ul-chu ; Colonel Woodthorpe's examination of 



