492 TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION E. 



(2) A discussion of geographical factors affecting the economic and political 

 development of North China, Manchuria, and Korea, with special reference to : 



(a) The railway situation. 



(6) The relations of China to Russia and Japan. 



(c) China's interest in the European war. 



(rf) The work of the Japanese in Korea. 



4. Sjnisbergen before the War. By E. N. Rudmose Brown, D.Sc. 



Last summer Dr. W. S. Bruce led an expedition to Spitsbergen which was 

 supported by a grant from the British Association. Owing to abnormal ice 

 conditions the projected work ori the east — in Wybe Jansz Water — could not be 

 carried out, while difficulties arising out of the war curtailed the work on the 

 west. Dr. Brace's absence in the Seychelles has prevented his presence at this 

 meeting to give an account of his voyage, but the present paper embodies some 

 of his work. Spitsbergen remains a No Man's Land despite the many acquisi- 

 tions of land by subjects of more than one nation. Insecurity of tenure and 

 considerable lawlessness are the result of this lack of control, and the economic 

 development of the country is hindered. Among the minerals which occur in 

 Spitsbergen are large quantities of coal, magnetite, and gypsum. Valuable 

 marble is also found. Almost all the mineral-bearing territories on the west' 

 have been claimed by different companies, chiefly British; the east is less 

 accessible, but several British claims occur there also. Altogether British sub- 

 jects claim about 7,000 square miles of territory, on which several mines and 

 quarries have been opened. Americans have the most valuable coal-mines, 

 exporting annually large quantities to the north of Norway. It is tertiary coal, 

 but of excellent steam quality. Russian enterprise in Spitsbergen ceased over 

 fifty years ago when Russian trappers stopped frequenting the land. Lately 

 there have been some small attempts on the part of Russians to acquire 

 mining claims. Swedish activity has always been chiefly centred in exploration, 

 particularly of a geological nature. Norway has a few unimportant mining 

 claims, and a few years ago erected a powerful wireless installation. German 

 claims were never of importance. 



Hunting fur-bearing animals is a dying activity, due to the approaching ex- 

 termination of the game by ruthless hunters. On the west game is now very scarce. 



The proximity of Spitsbergen to the British Isles and the mainland of 

 Europe is generally overlooked owing to the use of Mercator maps. From 

 Norway it is only 400 miles, and it is within fifty hours' steaming by a fast 

 cruiser from our shores. The west coast is remarkably free from ice, even in 

 midwinter, and the winter chmate does not preclude the continuance of mining 

 throughout the year. In winter a number of miners are at work on British and 

 American mines. 



FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10. 



The following Report and Papers were read : — 



1. Report on Atlas, Textual and Wall Maps jor School and University 



Use. — See Eeports, p. 150. 



2. The Distribuiion of Population in the District around Leek. 

 By Eaymond Curtis. 



Leek is situated at the southern extremity of the Pennine uplands in an agri- 

 cultural region with some industrial development. 



The type of agriculture (depending upon the relief and soil) and the indus- 

 trial development, past and present, largely explain the relative density of 

 population in different parts of the area. 



In the agricultural development of the district it is possible to distinguish 



