Decembek 13, 1895.] 



SCIENCE. 



821 



Mr. Corthell spoke of the efforts which have 

 been made for centuries to find a passageway 

 between North and South America, leading 

 into the Pacific Ocean. Cortez was struck with 

 the small obstacle to crossing the isthmus which 

 he found at Tehuantepec, and obtained a grant 

 of land where he thought the route of commerce 

 would eventually lie. These are the very lands 

 upon which the Tehuantepec Railroad has been 

 built, and they are still held by Cortez's de- 

 scendants. 



The climatic and nautical conditions of Te- 

 huantepec are favorable, and the country is 

 healthful and approachable for sailing as well 

 as steam vessels. The terminus on the Atlantic 

 side is very near to the United States, while on 

 the west it is naturally protected by rocky 

 headlands. One of the most important geo- 

 graphical facts connected with this question is 

 shown by drawing the shortest great circle be- 

 tween Panama and Yokohama. This line passes 

 «ast of San Francisco, showing that all com- 

 merce by way of Panama, not only for San 

 Francisco, but for China and Japan, must pass 

 ■directly by the terminus of the Tehuantepec 

 Railroad. A comparison will show that the 

 Tehuantepec route has an advantage over all 

 ■others of an aggregate of over 125,000 miles. 



' Alaska and Her Boundary ' was the subject 

 of an address delivered before the National 

 Geographic Society in the Cosmas Club hall, at 

 Washington, on the evening of November 29th, 

 by Mr. Marcus Baker, of Washington. 



By means of Canadian, American and Eng- 

 lish maps the situation of that part of Alaska's 

 boundary line which is now receiving so much 

 attention in the newspapers, in interviews, in 

 -Congress and by three governments was made 

 <;lear. The eastern boundary of Alaska was 

 first laid down by the convention between Great 

 Britain and Russia in 1825. The speaker traced 

 the history of the region in question from its 

 :first discovery by Bering in 1725 down to the 

 <3onvention of 1825, pointing out the three great 

 steps of geographic progress during that century. 

 First, the map published by the St. Petersburg 

 Academy as the result of Bering's second ex- 

 pedition ; second, the map resulting from Cook's 



explorations of 1778, and lastly, the maps re- 

 sulting from Vancouver's work in 1792-4. Mr. 

 Baker discussed the history of these maps and 

 pointed out their merits and demerits, dwelling 

 on the map of Vancouver, which, he said, was 

 remarkable for accuracy and trustworthiness. 



When the Russian and English diplomatists, 

 said Mr. Baker, agreed upon and described 

 what is now Alaska's eastern boundary line, all 

 the interior of Alaska was a blank on the maps. 

 Whether Alaska and Greenland were united or 

 separated, no man knew, and the boundary line 

 passed almost absolutely through territory un- 

 visited by white men. The southeastern part 

 of Alaska may conveniently be called the Pan 

 Handle. On Vancouver's map, which was used 

 by the diplomatists, a well-defined range of 

 mountains is shown, stretching in a general way 

 parallel to the continental shore. The diplo- 

 matists took this range of mountains for the 

 boundary, but provided that in case this sup- 

 posed range should extend more than 35 miles 

 inland, then the boundary should be a line 

 parallel to the mnding of the coast and 10 

 marine leagues, equivalent to 35 miles, there- 

 from. 



The Alaskan boundary question resolves itself 

 therefore into this : The supposed mountain 

 range does not exist. It is therefore needful to 

 fall back upon the alternative line, that is, a 

 line parallel to the winding of the coast, and, 

 further, it is necessary to determine what, with- 

 in the meaning of the treaty, constitutes a coast 

 line. Is the line to follow the high-water mark 

 of salt water, or is it to be carried from head- 

 land across narrow inlets ? This is one of the 

 questions to be adjudicated. 



As to the extreme southern part of the Pan 

 Handle, Gen. R. D. Cameron, of British Co- 

 lumbia, some years ago in an official document 

 gave a novel and startling interpretation of the 

 treaty. It was clearly provided in the treaty 

 that the boundary line should start from the 

 southernmost part of Prince of Wales Island, 

 and proceed northward up Portland Canal. 

 General Cameron, finding that it was necessary 

 to go some distance east along the parallel of 

 54° 40' to reach the mouth of Portland Canal, 

 said the words ' Portland Canal ' are palpably 

 erroneous. Let us therefore omit them and 



