TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION E. 717 



4. On Bhutan and the Himalayas east of Darjiling. 

 By Col. H. Godwin- Austen, F.R.S. 



5. On the best Method of Aiininq at Uniformity in the Spellinq of 

 Place-names. By G. G. Chisiiolm, M.A., B.Sc. 



The purpose of tbis paper is to show in the first place that the indispensable 

 preliminary requirement with a view to the end stated is to have an adequate 

 scheme of ortbof.'raphy, not adequate in the sense of providinjj; a separate sio^n for 

 all articulate sounds, but through making- up for the deficiency of such signs by 

 clear rules to be followed with respect to the sounds for which signs are lacking. 

 To leave it to the individual judgment to decide what is the nearest sound repre- 

 sented in the scheme to one for which no express provision is made is bound to 

 lead to confusion. The inadequacy of the latest version of the Royal Geographical 

 Society's scheme from this point of view is tben pointed out, and suggestions of 

 remedies are made. It is contended that the recognition of customary spellings 

 under Rules 2 and 7 of that scheme, reasonable and indeed inevitable as such 

 recognition is, imperatively demands the drawing up of schedules of such recog- 

 nised spellings as supplements to the scheme. The addition of some subordinate 

 rules likely to promote the efficiency with which the scheme is carried out is next 

 recommended. Attention is drawn to special difficulties in connection with 

 Russian and Greek names, and reasons are given for entertaining the hope that, 

 with the aid of Oriental scholars, special rules might usefully be framed with re- 

 gard to the spelling of Chinese and Indo-Chinese names. Finally, it is urged 

 that, once an adequate scheme adequately expounded is adopted, it would be of 

 great importance to make special arrangements to secure the co-operation of all 

 contributors to the ' Geographical Journal ' and other geographical periodicals, of 

 publishers and authors, and, above all, of the newspaper Press, towards getting the 

 scheme carried out. 



TUESDAY, AUGUST 14. 

 The following Papers and Reports were read : — 



1. On Researches hy the Prince of Monaco in the North Atlantic and 

 Mediterranean during the Summ.er of 1894. By J. Y. Buchanan, F.B.S.^ 



2. Beport of the Committee on Observations in South Georgia or other 

 Antarctic Island. — See Reports, p. 358. 



3. On the Jackson- Harmsworth Arctic Expedition. 



By A. MONTEFIORE. 



4. On the Geographical and Bathymetrical Distribution of Marine 

 Organisms. By John Murray, LL.D. 



5. Report of the Committee on the Exploration of Hadramout. 

 See Reports, p. 354. 



' GeograpMcalJournal, 1894, p. 368. 



