24 RETURN OF IHE HOURST NIGER EXPEDITION 



beach;" from mekw(a), "red;" amk, "beach;" -es, diiiiinutive 

 ending, " small, little," and 'k, -uk, locative case sufRx, " at, on." 



Schoodic or Skudik, " a^the clearings," is a topographicterm given to 

 the ydioodic or Grand lake, on headwaters of St Croix river; also to 

 the St Croix river itself, and to the town of Calais,- built on its lower 

 course. That these clearings were effected bj' burning down the 

 timber appears from the tei*m itself; for skWut, skut means fire, and 

 the name really means " at the fire." Another SkiidiJc lake lies in the 

 southeastern corner of Piscataquis county, Maine. . 



St Croix river, in Indian Skudik sip, " the river of clearings ;" from the 

 clearings on its shores or on the Skudik lake, where the river takes its 

 origin. For a long distance it forms the frontier between Maine 

 (Washington county) and New Brunswick. The' French name, " Holy 

 Cross," came frohi a cross erected by early French explorers. 



St Francis river, in Canada, Ontario province, upon which Indians 

 cognate to the Penobscots of Maine are living, is called by them 

 Lesigantuk, a contraction of Ulastigan-tuk. The same name is given 

 to their village and to the natives themselves. 



St George and St George river, emptying into the northeast end of 

 Passamaquoddy bay, are just as well known bj' their Indian name, 

 Megigadewik, "many eels having ; " from megi, ??iaHy; gat Or kat, 

 eel; -wi, adjectival ending; -k, locative case suffix. 



St John river, running near the western border of New Brunswick and 

 its large tributary, the Aroostook, are both called in Penobscot and 

 in I'assamaquodd}', Ulastiik, "good river," meaning river of easy 

 navigation, without cascades, falls, or rapids; from ula, wiili, good; 

 -tuk, tidal river and waters driven in waves. 



- RETURN OF THE HOURST NIGER EXPEDITION 



The great geographical event in France just now is the return of the 

 Hourst Niger expedition. Tiie object of the mission was to survey the 

 Niger, especially that part of the river which flows through French ter- 

 ritory. As will be remembered, the Anglo-French agreement of 1890 

 made the boundary between the French- and English " spheres of in- 

 fluence" a line starting from Say and running eastward to lake Chad. 

 The upper Niger being unknown, the French- government decided to send 

 an expedition, and the occupation of Timbuktu by the French made it 

 imperative. Accordingly the expedition was organized and placed under 

 the command of Lieut. Hourst of the navy, his companions being Father 

 Hacquard, a man of imposing appearance and well versed in Arabic and 

 especially Tuareg dialects ; Beaudry, senior midshipman ; Bluzet, a lieu- 

 tenant of marines, and Dr Taburet ; in all five young men whose combined 

 ages would hardly make 140 years. 



The party started in August, 1895, and has just returned. The expedi- 

 tion was a complete success. The river has been duly studied and sur- 

 veyed by competent men ; about 45 meters of maps were brought back ; 



