April 15, 1887.] 



SCIE^^CE, 



357 



which is everywhere covered with an efflorescence 

 of salt, there are many settlenaents of the Uzbegs, 

 w^hich are situated on the rich alluvial ground at 

 the bends of the river or on its islands. They 

 followed the Amu-Darya, and, after having made 

 some excavations at Termez, crossed it at Chushka 

 Guzar into Afghanistan. Here they were made 

 prisoners, and, after being detained for twenty- 

 five days, sent back across the frontier. They re- 

 solved to return to France, but, on learning that 

 caravans starting from Kashgar go sometimes in 

 w^inter to Ladak or Le, they decided to take this 

 route. They intend to cross the Pamir, starting 

 from Gulcha. After having reached the Kara- 

 Kul, they will follow the river Akbaital, and en- 

 deavor to reach Kunjut. Though the passage of 

 these deserts — which are at an elevation of from 

 thirteen to sixteen thousand feet — in winter is 

 very difl&cult, they will at this season avoid being- 

 hindered in their progress by the inhabitants. 



Africa. 



Rev. George Grenfell, the successful explorer of 

 the Kongo basin, has ascended the Kwango in the 

 Baptist missionary steamer Peace, and reached 

 Kikunji Falls, the place where von Mechow, who 

 came from the south, was obliged to turn back. 

 About six miles from the junction of the Kasai 

 with the Kwango he found another large tributary, 

 the Juma, entering the river from the east, which 

 presented so large a volume of water that it was 

 a, matter of uncertainty which was the larger 

 stream. Probably this river is identical with the 

 Kuilu of the maps. He ascended the great bend 

 of the Kwango, which comes back to its northerly 

 ■course at latitude 4*^ 30' south. The Kikunji Falls 

 are about three feet high, and, though insurmount- 

 able for the Peace, are said by Mr. Grenfell to be 

 no obstacle to communication by canoes and small 

 craft (Proc. Boy. geogr. soc, April, 1887). 



The last number of the Antananarivo annual 

 and Madagascar magazine (Christmas, 1886) con- 

 sists, besides a reprint of Mr. A. R. Wallace's 

 chapter on the fauna of Madagascar, mainly of 

 papers on linguistic topics and on Malagasy folk- 

 lore. M. Grandidier's paper on the channels and 

 lagoons of the east coast of the island is trans- 

 lated, with some interesting remarks by Mr. 

 Sibree appended. Mr, Sibree points out that it 

 would only require about thirty miles of canals to 

 connect all these lagoons, and so create a safe and 

 extensive internal water-way of the greatest com- 

 mercial value. The Rev, W, Montgomery con- 

 tributes a paper on the Malagasy game of ' fane- 

 rana,' in many respects resembling chess (Nature, 

 March 24). 



America. 



The field-work of the geological survey of New- 

 foundland in the year 1886 included a survey of 

 the Bay of Exploits, which was made by James 

 P. Howley. Of late years the services of the sur- 

 vey have been devoted chiefly to blocking off land 

 for agricultural purposes. Most of its geographi- 

 cal work is still in manuscript, and has never 

 been published at all. It includes surveys of 

 Notre Dame, St. George's, and Port a Port bays, 

 surveys of all the principal rivers of the islands, 

 and triangulations of the larger lakes. 



Fontana has published a report on his expedi- 

 tion in eastern Patagonia. Soon after his appoint- 

 ment as governor of the territory of Chubut, the 

 Welsh colony in the lower valley of the Chubut 

 River, invited by reports of the fertility and gold- 

 mines of the Andes, organized an expedition for 

 exploring the valleys of the Andes, and offered 

 the leadership to Fontana. The party ascended 

 the river Chubut, which flows through the deso- 

 late plains of eastern Patagonia, As its upper 

 course runs almost parallel with the Andes, they 

 ascended the Charmate, one of its tributaries, 

 and then struck west. After a ride of a few days 

 they reached the fertile valleys of the Andes, and 

 came to the Rio Corcovado, which runs west to 

 the Pacific Ocean. As the confluence of the Chu- 

 but and Charmate is only 1,800 feet above sea- 

 level, and the point where they reached the valley 

 of the Corcovado 1,600 feet, it is evident that the 

 Andes do not form a continuous chain of moun- 

 tains, but that they are intersected by deep valleys. 

 Farther south the Strait of Magellan, the Rio 

 Santa Cruz, Rio de los Huemules, and Rio Aysen 

 indicate vaUeys that cut across the whole width 

 of the mountains. As the land was so heavily 

 timbered as to hinder the progress of the party, 

 they returned to the Charmate, From here they 

 went south, and passed the watershed between the 

 Senguel and the Chubut, After having reached 

 the Senguel, they ascended it, and it is here that 

 Fontana made his most important discovery. In 

 latitude 45'=' south, close to the source of the Rio 

 Aysen, he found a large lake, through which the 

 Senguel flows. He was prevented from following 

 its upper course, as the woods were too dense. 

 He therefore returned, following the Senguel, 

 which flows through a swampy valley, bordered 

 on its southern side by desolate hills, on its north- 

 ern side by volcanic mountains, the colors of 

 which are as manifold and glaring as those of the 

 Painted Desert. This expedition will probably 

 lead to the establishment of a colony on the Cor- 

 covado, or Lake Fontana, as the newly discovered 

 lake has been called, by the enterprising Welsh 



