754 REPORT — 1895. 



Neumayer dwelt on the great scientific advantages of antarctic researcli, especi- 

 ally with regard to terrestrial magnetism. He urged international co-operation as 

 the only means for securing adequate results. In the discussion which followed, 

 he was supported by the great v/eight of the authority of Sir Joseph Hooker and 

 Dr. John Murraj', and a resolution advocating the necessity of antarctic explora- 

 tion by an expedition before the close of the present century was unanimously 

 passed by the Congress. Arctic travel was discussed, the first two papers being by 

 Admiral A. H. Markham and General Greely. Herr S. A. Andr6e's bold pro- 

 posal to reach the north pole by means of a balloon attracted most attention. His 

 scheme consists in filling a balloon at some convenient spot within the arctic circle, 

 and then waiting for a favourable wind before setting forth. Experiments made by 

 him have proved that, by the aid of drag ropes and sails, balloons can be made tO' 

 deviate from the direction of the wind as much as 27° on an average, and he 

 pointed out that the arctic regions were especially favourable for such operations 

 because of the equable temperature, the absence of gales, and the nature of the 

 surface of the ground. 



The sections which met in the afternoon were concerned with physical geo- 

 graphy and geodesy-. Papers were read on the Jlodification of the Normandy 

 Coasts, by M. S. Lennier, and on the Periodic Variations of French Glaciers, by 

 Prince Roland Bonaparte. In the geodesy section, M. Charles Lallemand gave some 

 account of the work of the French surveys, and papers were read by General J. T. 

 Walker, Colonel Holdich, Mr. de Smidt, and Dr. Gill, on the geodetic work of the 

 Indian and Cape of Good Hope Survey Departments. 



On Tuesday the general meeting of the Congress was devoted to receiving 

 reports on matters referred from the last Congress. The most important subject 

 Avas Profes.sor Penck's proposed map of the world. The report of the Commission 

 was unanimously adopted by the Congress. It stated that the production of a map 

 of the earth is exceedingly desirable ; that a scale of 1 : 1,000,000 is especially 

 suited for that purpose ; and that the meridian of Greenwich and the metre be 

 accepted for this map. Tlie last statement is of peculiar importance in having the 

 warm support of the French members of the Commission. 



Professor Rriickner presented a Report on a Scheme for an International Bibli- 

 ography of Geography, and a resolution was passed, remitting to the Bureau of 

 the Congress the study of this question. Mi-. Frank Campbell read a paper, in 

 which he proposed that each Government should annually issue a proper register 

 of the literature of that country issued during the year in a form suitable to the 

 requirements of bibliography ; and a resolution dealing with this subject was 

 passed — ' That this Congress expresses its approval of the principle of State Printed 

 Registration of Literature as the true foundation of National and International 

 Bibliography, and approves the appointment of an International Committee to 

 further the said object ; the constitution of the committee to rest with the Bureau 

 of the International Geographical Congress.' 



The sectional meetings were devoted to oceanography and geographical ortho- 

 graphy and definitions ; and a resolution was passed — ' That an International Com- 

 mittee be appointed to determine how far agreement can be arrived at as to the 

 mode of writing foreign names.' 



On Wednesday the question as to ' How far is tropical Africa suitable for de- 

 velopment by white races ? ' was raised and produced a most interesting debate. 

 Sir John Kirk commenced by reading a paper in which he distinguished between 

 areas where true colonisation might be possible, and areas where white men might 

 reside temporarily to superintend the labour of natives. After discussing fully the 

 conditions necessary to render colonisation possible, he expressed the belief that 

 there existed in tropical Africa considerable areas where the climate was such as to 

 enable Europeans to become indigenous, and where the conditions as to health were 

 probably not prohibitive, though on this latter point information was scanty. He 

 believed that tlie experiment would be first tried in British South-East Africa, 

 and also suggested Nyasaland as a possible field. A keen debate followed, in which 

 Count I'feil, Mr. II." M. Stanley, Mr. Ravenstein, Mr. Silva White, M. Lionel 

 Declo, Major Baker, Captain Hinde, M. J. Vincent, Dr. Bassaria, Captain Amaral, 



