874 REPORT—1890. 
Section H.—GHOGRAPHY. 
PRESIDENT OF THE SEcTION—Lieutenant-Colonel Sir R, Lampert PLAYFAIR,. 
. K.C.M.G., F.R.G.S. 
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4. 
The PrestDENT delivered the following Address :— 
The Mediterranean, Physical and Historical. 
Wuen the unexpected honour was proposed to me of presiding over your delibera- 
tions, I felt some embarrassment as to the subject of my address. Geography as 
a science, and the necessity of encouraging a more systematic study of it, had been 
treated in an exhaustive manner during previous meetings. The splendid discoveries 
of Stanley and the prolonged experiences of Emin have been amply illustrated by 
the personal narrative of the former. The progress of geography during the past 
year has been fully detailed in the annual address of the President of the Royal 
Geographical Society in June last; so that it would be a vain and presumptuous 
endeavour for me to compress these subjects into the limits of an opening address. 
Closely connected with them are the magnificent experiments for opening out 
Africa which are being made by our merchant princes, amongst whom the name of 
Sir William Mackinnon stands pre-eminent, and by our missionary societies of 
various churches, all acting cordially in unison, and sinking, in the dark continent, 
the differences and heartburnings which divide Christianity at home; I have 
thought it better, however, not to discuss matters so closely connected with politi- 
cal questions which have not yet passed into the realm of history. 
In my perplexity I applied for the advice of one of the most experienced geo- 
graphers of our Society, whose reply brought comfort to my mind. He reminded 
me that it was generally the custom for Presidents of Sections to select subjects 
with which they were best acquainted, and added: ‘ What more instructive and 
captivating subject could be wished than THE MEDITERRANEAN, PHYSICAL AND 
HIsToRICAL ? ’ 
For nearly a quarter of a century I have held an official position in Algeria, and 
it has been my constant delight to make myself acquainted with the islands and 
shores of the Mediterranean, in the hope of being able to facilitate the travels of my 
countrymen in that beautiful part of the world. 
I cannot pretend to throw much new light on the subject, and I have written 
so often about it already that what I have to say may strike you as a twice-told 
tale; nevertheless, if you will permit me to descend from the elevated platform 
occupied by more learhed predecessors, I should like to speak to you in a familiar 
manner of this ‘great sea,’ as it is called in sacred scripture, the Mare Internum 
of the ancients, ‘ our sea,’ Mare nostrum, of Pomponius Mela. 
Its shores include about three million square miles of the richest country on 
the earth’s surface, enjoying a climate where the extremes of temperature are 
unknown, and with every variety of scenery, but chiefly consisting of mountains 
and elevated plateaux. It is a well-defined region of many parts, all intimately 
connected with each other by their geographical character, their geological forma— 
