712 REPORT — 1894. 



capital, lies in one of the mountaia basins. In July 1893 the Montenegrins cele- 

 brated there the 400th anniversary of the establishment of the earliest Slavonic 

 printing press, ?et up not far from Cetinje in 1493. 



In the new Montenegro to the north and vrest the geographical characteristics 

 are quite distinct. Grassy downs, dense forests, and innumerable mountain streams 

 are found, and there is excellent pasture for sheep. The two highest mountains 

 are Kom and Durmitor, which are slightly under 9,000 feet high. 



The Montenegrins are divided into clans and communes, and possess an elabo- 

 rate system of local government. At present Montenegro is emerging from an 

 Homeric state of society, and its future depends on the ability of its people to 

 adapt themselves to less warlike pursuits. 



FRIDAY, AUGUST 10. 



The following Papers were read : — 



1. On the Bathymetrical Survey of the French Lakes. 

 By E. Delebecque. 



As the result of the author's soundings in most of the French lakes, he has 

 produced a series of sheets, published in 1892 and 1893 by the Ministere des 

 Travaux Publics, under the title ' Atlas des Lacs Fran^ais.' The soundings were 

 in erery case made by means of a steel wire mounted on a graduated drum, the 

 revolutions of which indicated the amount of wire payed out. The form of appa- 

 ratus at first used was that of the Swiss Bureau Topographique, subsequently that 

 of Belloc was employed, but finally one designed by the author and only weighing 

 4 kilogrammes was adopted. The position of each sounding was determined, either 

 from angular measurements of the graduated mast of the boat taken from the 

 shore, or by sextant bearings of objects on shore taken from the boat. A number 

 of lakes have been sounded more roughly than those laid down in the atlas, and 

 many observations of temperature and of the chemical composition of the water 

 have been made. 



Ihe atlas, which will be completed by the addition of maps of several lakes 

 i a the Jura and the Pyrenees, is only a part of a comprehensive work about to he 

 published by the author. The lakes already mapped in the atlas are arranged as 

 follows : — 



PI. 1. Lake of Geneva (the Swiss part sounded by M. Hornliman, of the 

 Bureau Topographique FiJderal) on the scale y^j^nTj- 



PI. 2. Lake of Bourget, scale ^s^xj^- 



PI. 3. Lake of Annecy, scale sijiijiy. 



PI. 4. Lake of Aiguebelette (Savoy), scale x^J^xj. 



PI. 5. Lake of Paladru (Isere), scale xrriTnr- 



PI. 6. Lakes of Brenets, St. Point, Romoray, and Mfilpas (Doubs), scale ixtoutt* 



PI. 7. Lakes of Nantua, Sylans, and Geniu (Ain), scale xnuWTT- 



PI. 8. Lakes of Chalain, Dessus, Dessous, Marlay, La Motte, Grand Maclu, and 

 Petit Maclu (Jura), scale xTrJirTr- 



PI. 9. Lakes of Saffrey and Petit Chat (Isere) and of La Girotte (Savoy), 

 scale xxriiTTr- 



PI. 10. Lakes of lasarl^s (Ardeche), Bouchet (Haute-Loire), Pavin, Chauvet, 

 Godivelle, and Tazanat (Puy-de-D6me), scale xhStjit- 



In all cases the configuration of the lakes is expressed by contour lines at 

 intervals of 5 or 10 metres, and the position of each sounding is shown by a dot. 

 It was impossible to add the land contours on the same scale, as the French stafl- 

 maps do not show them with sufficient exactness. 



