GEOGRAPHIC NOTES 
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A movement has been inaugurated for celebrating at Bristol, in June, 
1897, the 400th anniversarj’ of the discovery of North America by John 
and Sebastian Cabot, who sailed from Bristol. 
Franck. A monument to Lagree, the explorer, was unveiled at Grenoble 
on August 16. 
The population of France, according to the recent census, has been 
officially declared to be 38,228,969, an increase of only 133,819 in live 
years. The population is, in fact, practically stationary, there being but 
one birth in each year to 1,500 inhabitants. 
GER^rANv. In the hope of increasing the traffic through the Baltic 
canal, it has been decided to reduce the tolls, the change to come into 
effect September 1. 
Four first-class ironclads, with a draught of 24 feet 7 inches, and thirty- 
five other ships of war, all belonging to the German navy, recently passed 
safely through the Baltic canal. 
The foreign trade of the German empire is steadily increasing. The 
total imports during the half year ending June 30, 1896, were 16,175,232 
tons and the total exports 11,957,563 tons, as compared with 14,096,330 
tons and 10,930,648 tons, respectively, during the corresponding period 
of 1895. The values of both exports and imports likewise show a large 
increase. 
ASIA 
SiBKRiA. The Ku-ssian government has finalh^ decided to make Vladi- 
vostok a commercial port. 
Burma. The Burma State Railway system, with nearly 1,000 miles of 
line in operation, has been sold to a syndicate for £6,000,000. 
China. The four sections of the commercial mission sent to China last 
year by the Lyons Chamber of Commerce are expected to unite in Yun- 
nan in November. 
The coast at Hai-chau, in the northeast of the Chinese province of 
Kiang-su, was visited by an earthquake wave on July 26. Several vil- 
lages were destroyed, and it is estimated that 4,000 of the inhabitants 
perished. 
Turkestan. The Swedish traveler, M. Sven Iledin, reports the dis- 
covery of a whole grouj) of hitherto unknown lake.s, to the east of the 
Yarkand Tarim, at 40i° north latitude. Between the Khotan Daria and 
the Kiria Daria he discovered two ancient cities, and further north he 
met with large herds of wild camels. i\I. Iledin followed the Kiria Daria 
as far as the jJace where it loses itself in the sands. 
AFRICA 
The first rail of the Uganda railway has been laid at Kilindini with 
imposing ceremonies. 
Work wilt begin immediately upon the construction of the third section 
of the Beira railway, establishing communication between Fort Salisbury 
ami the east coiust. 
A journey in many resj>ects remarkable, but in none more than in its 
rapidity, has just been complete<l by M. Versepuy, Baron de Romans, 
