266 National Geograghic Magazine. 
the British, French and Germans have had time to apply the 
rules in their publications, and particularly in the construction of 
new and in the correction of old charts. Noreform of this nature 
can be carried through by the stroke of a pen, but a generation’s 
life-time will be required to accomplish it. 
The adopted rules which lay down a general phonetic principle 
only require, of course, perfection in details, so as to furnish an 
unerring guide in the treatment of names belonging to special 
languages. 
If we compare the British, French and German systems, we 
can clearly see a gravitation towards uniformity in the spelling 
of foreign geographic names that are not originally written in 
the Roman alphabet. Each of the three systems contains 1mpor- 
tant concessions to the others ; the British, by adopting the con- 
tinental vowel system, and the French and German, by represent- 
ing certain phonetic values differently from the old way, so as 
to approach the British system. In the French system, this is 
particularly the case in regard to the letters ow, ¢, ch, g, q, th, 
tch, w and y, and in the German system in regard to the letters 
Cg, Ch, shy and a. 
There is very little doubt that English and French geographers 
will readily adopt the systems set up by their foremost geographic 
societies; but whether scientific Germany will be willing to follow 
in the wake of its Hydrographic Office, we will probably learn 
after the next meeting of the German Geographic Congress. 
If we compare the British, French and German systems further, 
we find also a perfect agreement in the treatment of the geo- 
graphic names of those nations that use the Roman alphabet in 
their literature, they differmg only as to exceptions from the 
rules of old forms of names, which, through long usage, are held 
almost sacred. The spirit of conservatism tends to retard every 
reform, and this one makes no exception from the rule. It is, 
however, to be regretted that neither the British, nor the French, 
nor the Germans have set any fixed limit to permissible excep- 
tions, leaving, apparently, everybody to decide for himself what 
is meant by “long usage.” 
If a radical departure from past usage is perhaps too objection- 
able to many, this much could be done at present to greatly 
reduce the list of exceptions, leaving it to the future to smooth 
over the remaining cases: let all names which are now written 
but slightly different from their national form and which are easily 
recognized in the latter form, be corrected, and extirpate all gross 
