140 REPORT — 1877. 



abounding in the necessaries of life, with a population bordering on 2,000,000, of 

 whom some 300,000 are reported to be under civilized influence and instruction ; 

 they are spoken of as a kindly, gentle, and capable race, ruled over by a Queen who 

 is herself a Christian and a devoted friend to the missionaries. 



But of all the wonderful changes effected by the mind of man and engineering 

 skill has been the separation of the connecting link between Asia and Africa, under 

 the genius and perseverance of Lesseps, in the construction of the Suez Canal. 

 Egypt lias ever been the land of wonders, and this mighty achievement bears com- 

 parison with the colossal works of the Pharaohs. The Suez Canal has a length of 

 i)9 miles, and was fully opened for traffic in 1869 ; in the first eight months of last 

 year 1009 vessels passed through the Canal, and the revenue dues amounted to 

 £811,000. The Mediterranean is no longer separated from the Red Sea by a neck 

 of land 72 miles wide, as the geography of our youth taught us. 



The late survey of the eastern end of New Guinea is an instance, among many 

 others, of countries lying contiguous to civilization which have never been surveyed 

 until recent date ; it is scarcely creditable to a great maritime nation to remain so 

 long ignorant of a coast within 80 miles of her own territories, and in the midst of 

 a region traversed in all directions by her commerce. New Guinea was first dis- 

 covered in 1526, by Don Jorge de Menezes ; it was partially examined by Dampier 

 and Cook, but the most important survey has been made by H.M.S. ' Basilisk,' 

 under Captain Moresby, from the eastern extremity of the island for 278 miles to 

 that part of the coast where D'Entrecasteaux's observations began. Captain Price 

 Blackwood and Owen Stanley gave some valuable information of the country within 

 range of the south portion of the coast which they surveyed. Missionaries and ex- 

 peditions of a commercial character from Australia have attempted to establish 

 settlements, but without success: the climate is pestilential, the interior impene- 

 trable, and the natives, who are of a degraded and barbarous condition, avoid 

 intercourse with us. 



A word on nomenclature. It is much to be regretted that voyagers and travellers 

 do not attempt to attach the native name to a locality wherever it can be obtained, 

 instead of fixing familiar names of our language in profusion over our new surveys. 



The rapid progress and development of America, since 1841, arising from the 

 discovery of auriferous deposits, the extension of the United States to the shores of 

 the Pacific, the peopling of California, with its agricultural wealth, have brought so 

 many discoveries from " Nature's mighty workshop " which it is impossible to enter 

 upon now. The colonization of Vancouver's Island has connected more firmly our 

 continuous dominion in the north from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The railway 

 constructed across the Isthmus of Panama, from Colon to Panama, defines a line of 

 demarcation between the two continents ; the railway was opened for traffic in 

 1855, and has been the means of avoiding the horrors of the old voyage round 

 Cape Horn, and brought the Pacific within a few days' voyage from Europe. 



The empire of Japan was, in 1841, a land of exclusion : a reversal of ideas has 

 pervaded this intelligent race, who now aspire to emidate Europeans in arts, 

 commerce, and civilization. 



Amongst the most instructive works which any traveller has ever produced upon 

 China should be specially cited " The Scientific Researches of the Baron Richt- 

 hofen "*, the important feature being the large extent of coal-field found by him 

 in the interior, which may be developed at some future day, and effect a wonderful 

 revolution in the habits, commerce, and intercourse of that singular and shrewd race 

 with the whole world. 



I cannot conclude without recognizing the marvellous services which the growth 

 of steam navigation has rendered to geographical science. About three years pre- 

 vious to the meeting of the British Association here in 1841, the first great achieve- 

 ment of ocean voyaging by steam was when the ' Great Western,' a ship of 1400 

 tons, steamed all the way from Bristol to New York in 15 days. In 1850, the screw 

 steamship ' Argo,' of 1850 tons, circiunnavigated the globe in 124 days ; in 1852, 

 the ' Australian ' steamed from Plymouth to Melbourne in 76 days. The levia- 



* President of the Geographical Society of Berlin. 



