TRANSACTIONS OF THE SECTIONS. 211 



■which the subject had been investigated. They showed the extent of man's 

 powers in influencing climate. He could so far modify the surface as to extinguish 

 torrents ; but the great general phenomena of the atmosphere, and the cxu'reuts of 

 air which determine the climate of a country, are beyond his reach. 



Extracts from the Official Despatches of Dr. Livinr/sione. 



The geographical information communicated in these despatches is contained 

 chiefly in that to Lord Clarendon, dated the Ist of November, 1871. In this 

 letter Dr. Livingstone states that he had ascertained that the watershed of the 

 Nile was a broad upland between 10^ and 12^ S. lat., and lying from 4000 to 5000 

 feet above the sea-level. It is 703 miles in length from east and west, and from 

 it flow innumerable streams, which further north unite to form two main lines of 

 drainage — large " lacustrine " rivers, the exploration of one of which, called the 

 central line, had occupied all the traveller's time and means down to the date of 

 his despatch. The geographical results are stated to be chiefly as follow : — " The 

 great river, Webb's Lualaba, in the centre of the Nile valley, makes a great bend 

 to the west, soon after leaving Lake Moero, of at least 180 miles ; then, turning to 

 the north for some distance, it makes another large sweep west of about 120 miles, 

 in the course of which about 30 miles of southing are made ; it then draws round 

 to north-east, receives the Lomame, or Loeki, a large river which flows tlirough 

 Lake Lincoln. After the union, a large lake is formed, with many inhabited islands 

 in it ; but this has still to be explored. It is the fourth large lake in the central 

 line of drainage, and cannot be Lake Albert ; for assuming Speke's longitude of 

 Ujiji to be pretty correct, and my reckoning not enormously wrong, the great cen- 

 tral lacustrine river is about five degrees west of Upper and Lower Tanganyika. The 

 mean of many barometric and boiling-point observations made Upper Tanganyika 

 2880 feet high ; . . . but I have more confidence in the barometers than in the 

 boiling-points, and they make Tanganyika over 3000 feet, and the lower part of 

 the Central Lualaba 1 inch lower, or about the altitude ascribed to Gondokoro 

 [nearly 2000 feet]." The furthest point he reached to the north was stated to be 

 lat. 4° S. 



On the Pantliays of Yunnan. By "W. F. Maters. 



On the Topography of Yecldo. By A. Mossmak-. 



On Polar Exphratlon. By Capt. Sheeaed Osboen, C.B., E.N. 



■ The author wished to draw the attention of the Association to Polar discovery, 

 and to ask for sympathy and support in the efforts made by the Royal Geographi- 

 cal Society, in combination with other learned bodies, to bring about a renewal of 

 Arctic discovery by British seamen and explorers. Since the return of Sir Leopold 

 M'Clintock, in "September 1859, from his memorable voyage in the 'Fox,' and foot 

 journey round King William's Land, no British exploring-expedition had passed 

 within the limits of the Arctic zone, and it appeared as if English geographical 

 enterprise in the North had for a while become exhausted by the exertions made 

 to rescue or learn the fate of Franklin's expedition. These exertions, which com- 

 menced in 1848 and ended in 1859, yielded a rich harvest of geographical explo- 

 ration, as a comparison of the Admiralty charts would plainly show. From Baffin's 

 Bay to Behring's Straits, through 90° of longitude and 8° of latitude, the whole 

 Dwrthern shores of the American continent and the great archipelago to the north 

 was not only explored, but almost every foot of coast-line was searched .by ship, 

 boat, or sledge parties. This great task was accomplished by much self-sacrifice, 

 much labour, and considerable sufiering, but without any casualties of a serious 

 character. But thougii British Arctic enterprise rested from 1859, it was not so 

 with other countries. The seamen and geographers of America (with that dogged 



