GKOaRAI'IlIC SICJUALS 25 



hostile tribes of wild Tuaregs wore visited and friendly inteivonrse 

 established (this was due mainly to Father Hacciuard) ; not a man, white 

 or black, has been killed; in fact, not a shot was fired (this is ciiaracter- 

 istic of French explorations anyhow), and the live men returned safe 

 and sound. The maps whicli they bring will soon be published. Tiie 

 l)arty, in three boats, descended the Niger from Timbuktu to its mouth, 

 in spite of the rapids of Bussa, always declared imi)awsable by the English 

 Koyal Niger Company. One of the boats was of aluminum and the other 

 two were dug-outs. 



An interesting and amusing incident of the trip is tolil as follows: 

 When the celebrated Barth visited that pait of the Sudan he was ac- 

 companied by a Tuareg interpreter called Backhay, who saved Baith's 

 life. When the great traveler left, Backhay prophesied that a son of 

 Barth would some day visit the Sudan. Accordingly when Ilourst aj)- 

 peared he was asked whether he was not Barth's son, and the lieutenant, 

 not knowing just what that meant, said that he was I'arth's nephew. 

 When the history of the western Sudan is written up tlie Ilourst expe- 

 dition will certainly receive more than a passing notice. 



Eknkst de S.\SSKVII,I-K. 



GEOGRAPHIC SERIALS 



Tlie GeograpIiU'iil Journal for November contains a valuable i)ai)er by 

 ISIajor Leonard Darwin on Railways in Africa, in which the author sug- 

 gests the railway system necessary to supplement the facilities afforded 

 by the rivers for commerce. It contains also the narrative of a Journey 

 around Siam, by J. S. Black, of a Journey in the Valley of tiie Tpiier 

 Euphrates, hj' Vincent W. Yorke, and from Teheran towards the Caspian, 

 by Lieut. Col. Henry L. Wells. Tliere is also a review of De ^lorgan's 

 ^lission Scientifique to Persia, by >hijor General Sir Frederick J. Cold- 

 smid. The Decend)er number is a notable one. It begins with the presi- 

 dential address of Sir Clements 3Iarkham. .\rthur Montetiore Brice con- 

 tributes a long and extremely interesting article snnnnarizing the work 

 done by the Jacksou-Harmsworth Polar Expedition during the last year. 

 It is accomi)anied by a map summarizing the discoveries maile by this 

 exj)edition. Prince Henri d'Orleaus gives the narrative of his jouniey 

 from Tonkin to .Assam. Commander IL E. Purey-C'ust de.'-'cribes the 

 Eruption of Ambrym Island in the New Hebrides in 18!)4. This article 

 is accompanied by maps and illustrations. Other articles are "An -At- 

 tempt to Reconstruct the Maps Used by Herodotus" and "The Surface 

 of the Sea and the Weather." 



The Scottish Geographical Magazhte for November contains notes on tlie 

 Yukon country, and particularly that part of it which adjoins tlie bound- 

 ary between Canada and Alaska, inchuling the Forty Mile district, and 

 the region about Juneau, by Alexander Begg. The subject of geogra|)li- 

 ical education is continued by Prof. A. J. Herbertson. Much prominence 

 has been given to this subject by the Scottish Magazine in its recent 



