PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. 437 



portant to start with an honest classification. In the endeavour to be impartial 

 I have chosen the classification which was adopted for the last International Geo- 

 graphical Congress, i.e., that held at Geneva in 190S. This Congress was divided 

 into fourteen sections. It will serve to clear the ground if we deal first with 

 sections 12, 13, and 14; these are the Teaching of Geography, Historical Geo- 

 graphy (which was mainly concerned with the history of travel and exploration), 

 and Rules and Nomenclature. For the purpose of discovering what Geography 

 is these three sections will not be of any assistance. Every subject has its 

 educational side, its history, and its rules and nomenclature. The subject 

 proper was, therefore, divided into eleven sections. The eleven sections are 

 the following : — 



1. Mathematical and Cartographical Gerography. 



2. General Physical Geography. 

 S. Vulcanology and Seismology. 



4. Glaciers. 



5. Hydrography (Potamography and Limnology). 



6. Oceanography. 



7. Meteorology and Climatology; Terrestrial Magnetism. 



8. Biological Geography. 



9. Anthropology and Ethnography. 



10. Economic and Social Geography. 



11. Explorations. 



Before applying this classification to the work of the Geographical Society I 

 wish to call attention to the extremely frank way in which vulcanology, 

 seismology, meteorology, climatology, terrestrial magnetism, anthropology, and 

 ethnography are included in Geography. The list in fact covers ground occu- 

 pied by several Sections of the British Association. 



I have investigated the work of the Geographical Society for the five complete 

 years 1906 to 1910. The original contributions to the ' Geographical Journal ' 

 have been examined for that period, omitting from consideration contributions 

 on the subjects of teaching, the history of exploration, and rules and nomen- 

 clature. 



There are altogether 296 original papers which come under one or another 

 of the eleven headings given above. Of these papers 171, or 57 per cent., deal 

 with Explorations and Travels. There is a great drop to the next largest section, 

 General Physical Geography, which accounts for thirty papers, or about 10 per 

 cent. Adhering to the order of the Geneva Congress the complete list is as 

 follows : — 



Original Contributions to the Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society 

 during the five years 1906 to 1910. 



Subject. Percentage. 



1. Mathematical and Cartographical Geography .... 3 



2. General Physical Geography 10 



3. Vulcanology and Seismology 5 



4. Glaciers 3 



5. Hydrography (Potamography and Limnology) .... 5 



6. Oceanography 3 



7. Meteorology and Climatology; Terrestrial Magnetism . . 3 



8. Biological Geography 1 



9. Anthropology and Ethnography 3 



10. Economic and Social Geography . . . . . 7 



11. Explorations 57 



The main conclusion is obvious enough. For the principal Geographical 

 Society in the world, Geography is still mainly an affair of explorations and sur- 

 veys ; if to this item we add cartography we account for 60 per cent, of the 

 activities of the Society. 



There is another important deduction which is natural and unforced : the 

 papers on vulcanology and seismology and on glaciers could have been read with 

 perfect appropriateness before the Geological Society; those on meteorology and 



