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SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



tangled swamps, and affords an infinite variety of 

 charming and romantic scenes. Nothing is calcu- 

 lated to make a more solemn and indelible impres- 

 sion on the mind, than to rest at the close of day on 

 the shores of one of the many beautiful lakes lying 

 concealed in this great silent forest. The sun is 

 majestically sinking to rest amidst the grandeur of 

 a brilliant and cloudless sky, its expiring beams 

 gilding the summits of the lofty pines which clothe 

 the distant hills ; and as we watch the deepening 

 shadows creeping upward from the calm unruffled 

 bosom of the lake, a melancholy sigh tells of the 

 passing zephyr breathing gently over the mighty 

 green woodland surrounding us. The cry of the 

 owl, the monotonous song of the frogs issuing from 

 the neighbouring swamps, the hoarse croaking of 

 the bull-frog as he rears his head from the waters 

 at our feet, the occasional rustle of the under- 

 growth as some wild animal rouses from its 

 slumbers and goes forth in search of its evening 

 meal ; all these but deepen the feeling of perfect 

 peace and emphasise the solemn silence — the holy 

 calm pervading the vast primeval forest. 



The name given to the reservation is intended 

 to perpetuate the memory of one of the greatest 

 Indian nations that inhabited the North American 

 continent. At the time of the discovery of America 

 the Algonquin Indians were lords of the greater 

 part of what was formerly known as Canada, and 

 principally inhabited the great basins of the St. 

 Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers. After their defeat, 

 in the St. Lawrence Valley, by the Iroquois, they 

 abandoned that district and joined their kindred 

 north and west. History finds them early in the 

 sixteenth century scattered about the shores of 

 Lakes Huron, Michigan and Superior. They were 

 divided into numerous bands bearing generally 

 some local name, but differing very slightly in 

 language, features, manners or customs. They 

 numbered about forty different tribes, and included 

 the Nipissings, Ottawas, Delawares, Wyandots, 

 e'c. The Nipissings, who are deemed the true 

 Algonquins by archaeologists, lived by Lake 

 Nipissing. There are still the remains of an 

 old burial ground on the lonely shores of the Great 

 Opeongo Lake, and as this locality abounded in 

 game, it was doubtless a favourite hunting-ground 

 of the roving tribes. Perhaps, also, it was the 

 scene of many a sanguinary conflict between bands 

 of contending warriors, ascending the Petewawa 

 and Madawaska on the east, and the Muskoka and 

 Maganetawan on the west. It is fitting, therefore, 

 that the name of a once great and powerful people, 

 who in their savage manner held sway over this 

 territory centuries ago, should bequeath their name 

 to a part of it which will now be maintained, as 

 nearly as possible, in the condition in which it was 

 when they fished in its waters and hunted and 

 fought in its forests. 



Every precaution has been taken by the Provincial 

 Government of Ontario, for the conservation of this 

 national reserve. Rangers' accommodation has 

 been provided for at intervals of a few miles 

 throughout the district, with the object of 

 preventing poaching or other abuse of the public 

 property. It is intended to provide accommoda- 

 tion for visitors. Botanists and naturalists 

 generally, will thus have splendid opportunities 

 for studying, under as nearly as possible natural 

 conditions, the objects in which they are interested. 



Much might be said of the new reservation as 

 a health resort, and as a great educational medium, 

 but it will suffice to remark that its value in these 

 directions can scarcely be over estimated. It will 

 ever be regarded as one of Canada's most valuable 

 possessions and be treasured by future generations 

 as a splendid inheritance, a lasting and glorious 

 monument to the wisdom and forethought of the 

 men of our time. 



53, Glen Eldon Road, Streatham, S.W. ; August, 1895. 



THE GEOGRAPHICAL CONGRESS. 



T*HE International Geographical Congress held 

 ■*■ its sixth session in London, from July 26th to 

 the 3rd of August. As a whole the meeting may 

 be set down as a success, though there was not the 

 full attendance of British geographers which had 

 been expected. The two foremost subjects of 

 the day in exploration, of course occupied the 

 chief attention of the Congress, perhaps next to gar- 

 den parties and other social fetes. These were polar 

 expeditions and Central Africa. Admiral Markham, 

 General Greely, Professor Neumayer, Mons. E. 

 Payart and Herr S. A. Andree read papers on 

 the prospects or improbabilities in results from 

 expeditions to the ice caps of the earth, whether in 

 ships or by balloons. One interesting paper on 

 an Antarctic voyage commanded much attention, 

 especially as it made frequent reference to the 

 comparatively abundant life of varied character 

 met with during the expedition. 



Much picturesqueness was added to the African 

 section by the presence of Slatin Pasha, who still 

 wore the deep bronze of his long captivity among 

 the Soudanese Arabs. Mr. H. M. Stanley, M.P., 

 spoke with emphasis on some points, especially in 

 defence of his friends, the Central African natives, 

 and the climate. He and Slatin Pasha had on 

 their side at least the authority of residence among 

 these people, and Mr. Stanley by no means missed 

 its value in his trenchant remarks. One paper 

 was as much geological as geographical, being 

 on the French glaciers, by Prince Rowland 

 Buonaparte. Considering the easy access of the 

 Dauphine region of France, it is surprising to find 

 how little the public know about its glaciers and 

 mountains 



