276 National Geographic Magazine. 
The great sea between Northeastern Asia and Northwestern 
America, at one time known as the Sea of Kamchatka, and now 
known as Bering Sea, has been variously written Bhering Sea, 
Behring Sea, Beering Sea, Bering Sea, as well as all these forms 
with the addition of the apostrophe “s.” I will not ask what is 
the correct name, as the question in this form seems to imply that 
there is a correct form, and all other forms are erroneous. The 
question should rather be, what form is it advisable to adopt with 
the view, let us hope, of securing its general adoption ? 
And this leads up to the question of possessives generally im 
specific geographic names. Many specific geographic names have 
the possessive form, while many others do not. Is it advisable to 
attempt to secure uniformity of usage in this regard? I will 
frankly avow my own conviction which has resulted from more 
or less consideration and study of the matter to be, that the use of 
the possessive form should be discouraged and abandoned as far as 
practicable. While it seems tome unwise to lay down a hard and 
fast rule, yet there are a very large number of cases in which the 
possessive form may be dropped to advantage and without, I 
think, arousing any general opposition to the practice. When 
the theory held that the King owned all, and geographic features 
were named for the royal family or for the nobility, the possessive 
form was very frequently used indicating possession or ownership, 
and this in cases where such possessive form has now disappeared 
from the maps... Why should not the possessive form be used to 
denote possession only? A pond, a hill, a swamp, lying on 
Smith’s land may be properly designated as it often is, as Smith’s 
pond, Smith’s hill, ete. But nobody would think of saying Mad- 
ison’s Place, or Washington’s Monument. There appears to be a, 
certain principle involved. Those particular features which are 
of a public character, such as states, counties, towns, streets, 
parks, ete., which are named for individuals are almost universally 
named without the possessive form. And this commends itself 
as a reasonable practice. Without, therefore, cutting off posses- 
sives from all names where usage has now fixed them with consid- 
erable firmness, there yet remains a considerable body of geo- 
graphic names in which the possessive form remains, but which 
are not strongly intrenched in public usage. In such cases it 
seems to me we may advantageously drop the possessive form. 
Let us say Donner Lake, not Donner’s Lake, Hudson Bay, not 
Hudson’s Bay, James Bay, not James’ Bay, Baffin Bay, not 
Baffin’s Bay, etc., ete. 
