TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION E. 653 



Though young in years Dr. Naiisen proved himself to be a leader of men, and 

 the account of his adventures will be found to be full of interest. The results of 

 his expedition deal rather with the world of science than with commerce, as his 

 discovery proved Greenland to be nothing more or less than a continent whose 

 interior is a huge region of ice and snow. It, however, presents a most interesting 

 study to those desirous of advancing our knowledge of glaciers and the glacial 

 period. Ur. Nansen's description of this immense mass of frozen snow, forcing its 

 way coastwards from the higher plateaus of the interior, by sheer weight and 

 pressure, grinding, crushing, resistless in its slow but ever-moving power, gives on© 

 a faint idea of how the hills and valleys of the world were formed when, in remote 

 periods of time, they too were under glacial influences. 



Crossing from Greenland to North America, we still find ourselves in regions 

 where ice and snow hold undisputed sway for a considerable portion of the year. 

 The Canadian Government, with commendable activity, keep pushing forward 

 their surveys into what is known as the Old Hudson Bay Territory. The Mackenzie 

 River has been found to be a far larger body of water than formerly supposed. 

 More accurate surveys as regards the size of some of the great lakes of those 

 regions are being made, and our knowledge of the climate and the isothermal 

 variations of British North America is each year increasing. 



Petroleum has been discovered, and, as the geological surveys advance, other 

 discoveries of an important nature may reasonably be anticipated. I have been 

 told of the existence of a huge bed of porous sandstone, saturated with mineral oil, 

 which burns like coal. 



Moving southwards, we pass through the pi-airie-Iands of the North- West of 

 Canada, traversed by the Canadian Pacific Railway. These rich lands are being 

 rapidly developed, and should form a happy home for some of our surplus popula- 

 tion. Colonisation is a subject full of geographical considerations, but it demands 

 a special paper, and I have neither space nor time to introduce it into this address. 

 At the western edge of these prairie-lands are the Rocky Mountains, in whose foot- 

 hills are now being reared large herds of cattle and horses, as well as flocks of 

 sheep. Some cattle from these fertile regions were shipped last ye.ar to the English 

 market, and no doubt a regular trade will soon follow this experiment. 



Crossing the Rockies in a westward direction, you come to the Selkirk Range, 

 then to the Gold Mountains, and lastly to the Cascades, whose wooded rocky sides 

 plunge into the Pacific. Constant explorations are being carried on through these 

 mountain ranges, chiefly in researches after gold and other precious metals, and 

 our knowledge of their physiography is rapidly increasing. The Rev. Mr. Spottis- 

 wood Green, in an interesting paper concerning these regions, tells us something of 

 the configuration of the Selkirk Range, which oflers alike to the mineralogist, sports- 

 man, and Alpine explorer a field of great interest. 



Continuing southward, we pass through the fertile plains and valleys of Cali- 

 fornia, whose large industries in grape and orange culture are being fostered and 

 developed. And from California you enter into Mexico, whose wonderful mineral 

 resources are receiving a new impetus by the construction of railways, 4,700 miles 

 of which are now open to traffic. These railways will not only facilitate the 

 transport of the wealth of Mexico from the coast to the sea, but they tend also to 

 promote law and order among its restless and lawler^s population. 



As law and good government are established, so will trade and commerce and 

 the natural riches of the country be promoted and encouraged. 



Crossing over to South America, we find considerable progress in commercial 

 activity, chiefly due to the increased means of communication. 



In the smaller republics upwards of 1,500 miles of railway have been recently 

 constructed ; while in the larger states, Brazil has 0,000 miles'; Peru, ;3,000 miles ; 

 Chili, l,()-')0, and the Argentine Republic, 4,700 ; making a grand total in South 

 America of nearly 17,000 miles of railways. This allusion to railways may not be 

 considered as bearing on the science of geography ; but railways are very important 

 factors as regards the commerce and trade of the world, and by the facilities they 

 afl'ord they largely increase the power of exploration. 



The southern portion of South America has been described by those who have 



