TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION E. 861 
. . . . 
_ the geographical advantages exist. Many Chinese travellers and students of China 
have recognised the excessive reverence for ancestors in that country as one great 
_ hindrance in the way of turning the advantages of the country to account. 
5. The various Boundary Lines between British Guiana and Venezuela 
attributed to Sir Robert H. Schomburgk. By Ratpu RicHarpson, 
FRS.E., Hon. Sec., RS.GS., FSA. Scot. 
As a Geographical curiosity, if nothing else, the Protean forms assumed by the 
celebrated ‘ Schomburgk Line’ are worth noticing. Let us tabulate them as laid 
down by various eminent authorities in the course of their discussion of the ques- 
tion of the Western boundary of British Guiana: 
1. The Schomburgk Line 1841-42 of the Map in the British Government's 
Blue Book, March, 1896.—Commencing at the mouth of the River Amacura, this 
line runs along that river’s eastern bank, including as British territory the whole 
basin of the River Barima, and then proceeds S.E. to the River Acarabisi, after 
which it follows the course of the River Cuyuni, and passes S.E. to the summit of 
Mount Roraima, where it stops. It may be noticed that, whilst this Line was 
drawn in 1841-42, Schomburgk’'s surveys were not completed till 1844. 
2. The ‘ Historic’ Schomburgk Line of Dr. Emil Reich. ‘ Times, March 14, 
1896 —Dr. Reich considers that the ‘Schomburgk Line, if drawn from the mouth 
of the River Wainy, is borne out by irrefragable historic arguments.’ No map, 
however, shows a Schomburgk Line drawn from the mouth of the river Waini. 
3. The ‘Legal’ Schomburgk Line of Dr. Emil Reich. ‘ Times, March 14, 
1896.—Dr. Reich holds that the Schomburgk Line, ‘if drawn from the mouth of 
the Barima, may be defended successfully by legal arguments.’ He states that 
the line so appears ‘in all current maps’; but current maps belonging to the 
R.S.G.S. represent the Schomburgk line as drawn not from the mouth of the 
Barima, but of the Amacura. 
4. The ‘ Reliable’ Schomburgk Line of Mr. John Bolton, F.R.G.S. ‘ Nineteenth 
Century,’ February, 1896.—Mr. Bolton says the Schomburgk Line first appeared 
on a crude sketch map, lithographed by Arrowsmith in 1840, and presented to 
Parliament, and that it was not till 1841 that Schomburgk surveyed the country 
_ north of the River Cuyuni, the original drawing of this survey being sent to the 
~ Colonial Secretary in 1841. It has never heen reproduced, but this, the only 
reliable Schomburgk Line, begins at the Amacura mouth, includes as British 
territory the whole basin of the Barima, and stops at the junction of the Acarabisi 
and Cuyuni rivers. The ‘Blue Book, published by the British Government in 
August, 1896, contains a facsimile of Schomburgk's Map of 1841, showing that his 
1841 Line did not stop at the Acarabisi, but was continued along the upper course 
of the Cuyuni. 
5. The ‘ Provisional’ Schomburgk Line of Mr. George G. Dixon. ‘ The Geo- 
graphical Journal, April 1895.—This line corresponds to No. 1, but is derived 
from a map published in 1875 attributed to Sir Robert H. Schomburgk, who died 
in 1865. The 1875 map in Proceedings R.G.S. 1880 contradicts this one. 
6. The ‘ Modified’ Schomburgk Line of ‘The Statesman's Year-Book,’ 1896, 
corresponds to Nos. 1 and 5. The ‘ original’ Schomburgk Line is, however, also 
_ given, and is stated to have been drawn in 1840, 
7. The ‘Venezuelan Government's’ Schomburgk Line. Mapa de la Parte 
Oriental de Venezuela, published with Government authority ct Caracas, 1887.— 
Generally speaking, this Line is similar to the ‘original’ Schomburgk Line, 
although the former gives Venezuela both banks of the Amacura and Otomonga 
rivers, whereas the ‘ original’ line gives Venezuela only their western banks. 
__. 8. The ‘ Original’ Schomburgk Line. Reisen in Britisch-Guiana von Richard 
chomburgk. Mit Abbildungen und einer Karte von Britisch-Guiana aufgenommen 
von Sir Robert Schomburgk. 2 vols, Leipzig: J. J. Weber. 1847.—Three years 
_ after Sir Robt. H. Schomburgk had completed his surveys, his brother and fellow- 
; traveller, Richard, published this important work, to which, with the authority of 
