730 EEPOET— 1886. 



I think it is almost impossible for Europeans to do more than accommodate 

 themselves to the coast climate for a short time (two or three years), but given some 

 means of rapid transport, such as a railway, to carry them over the dangerous 

 belt of malaria on the coast, it would be quite possible for them to thrive in the 

 mountainous regions and high plateaux of Central Africa, with proper care and 

 sanitary surroundings. The climate of Central Africa is not necessarily more fatal 

 to life than that of India. We have now the advantage of greatly increased know- 

 ledge of tropical climates, so that precautious can be taken which were not dreamed 

 of when India was added to our empire. 



3. Further Explorations in the Baian Basin and the Wadi Moileh. 



By Cope "Whitehouse. 



The author exhibited maps, diagrams, and photographs showing the cartography 

 of Middle Egypt and the Fayoum, from the papyrus map of Boulaq, completed by 

 the fragments discovered by him, to the map of his expedition in February (1886), 

 accompanied by a staff of engineers detailed by the Government, and in April with 

 Gol. Ardagh, C.B., R.E., and an admirable map of the Charaq basin, prepared 

 expressly for this paper by Monsieur V. Giardini, of the Egyptian Cadastre. 

 Diagrams of the Nile floods, sections of the Bahr Jousof, and photographs of this 

 canal and the adjacent desert showed that a large volume of water {circa, a 

 milliard of cubic metres) could be annually conducted iuto the Wadi Raian. The 

 line of levels run with the aid of Mr. Stadler proves that there is a depth of from 

 100 to 250 feet below high Nile throughout an area of at least 400 square miles. 

 Photographs and ancient maps show that the ruins in Moileh — never visited, with 

 one possible exception, prior to the visits this year of Dr. Schweinforth and the 

 author — are identical with Dionysias. Thus the Wadi Raian has been identified 

 in position, shape, and depth with the Zacus Me7-ich's of the Greeks and Romans. 

 The project of its restoration is now actively occupying the attention of the proper 

 authorities. 



4. Recent Exploration in New Guinea. 

 By Captain Henry Charles Everill. 



The author of this paper commanded an expedition to New Guinea organised 

 by the Geographical Society of Australasia. The expedition left Sydney in the 

 steam launch Bonito in June 1885. The Hon. John Douglas and the Rev. S. 

 MacFarliue accompanied it to the entrance of the Fly River. For a long time 

 nothing was heard of the explorers, but towards the end of October it was 

 rumoured that they had met with a disaster, and the Rev. S. MacFarline was given 

 a circumstantial account of their massacres when he visited the Fly River to make 

 inquiries. This alarming news naturally caused much anxiety. A relief party 

 left Thursday Island three days after its receipt, and the admiral in command of 

 the station despatched well-found steam launches to the Fly River. However, 

 three days after the search party had left Thursday Island the Bonito steamed 

 quietly iuto port. 



The expedition had gone up the river Fly for some distance beyond Ellangowane 

 Island, and discovered a ]iew river, which was named the Satrickland. It ascended 

 that river as far as lat. 5° 30' S., long. 142° 22' E., a point near the boundary 

 between British and German New Guinea. The last ninety miles of this voyage 

 were made in a whale-boat, the Bonito having stranded on a shingle bank, where 

 she remained high and dry for seven weeks. The journey proved very trying, 

 owing to the strength of the current and the rapids which had to be surmounted, 

 but was accomplished without loss of life. Several thousand objects illustrating 

 the geology, botanj-, zoology, and ethnography of New Guinea were collected, and 

 after having been exhibited in Sj-dney distributed among the Australian museums. 

 Complications with the natives were avoided. Many of the party (twelve Euro- 

 peans and twelve Malays) suH'ered from fever, but only one death was recorded, 

 namely, that of a Malay, who died of lung disease. 



