ae Miscellaneous Intelligence. 
ary and scientific people, and wrote numerous works on geography. 
The e means of ascertaining full topographical details, and 
they invariably represented the two rivers as falling into the Sea of 
or the Lake of Kharesm, as it was then usually called. The only reason- 
have changed, and that, instead of continuing to fall into the Caspian, 
ey became diverted into the sea of Aral, themselves, in fact forming 
that sea. Now came the most curious part of the question. From about 
the year a. p. 1300 to 1500, that is, for about 200 years, Europeans 
possessed means of becoming acquainted with the geography of Central 
Asia which had never been equalled up to the present day; for 
were at that time frequent missions sent from the courts of Europe to 
Mongolia in Central Asia, and the ambassadors so employed had for the 
most part preserved records of their journeys. Colonel Yule, an associate 
of the Geographical Society, had recently brought a general summary of 
those records before the notice of the public in a most interesting work 
(‘Cathay and the Way Thither’), of which he (the Chairman) could not 
speak too highly, and which he could not too strongly recommend to the 
notice of all lovers of geographical science. Colonel Yule’s book contained 
records of many travels across Central Asia during the 13th and 14th cen 
ch construc me! 
between the 13th and 16th centuries. One of these was called the 
alan Map; another was a map preserved in the Palatino Library at Flor 
ence; another was the Borgian Map, and the most famous of all was the 
the eastern shore of the Caspian ; and from thence they passed to Otrat, 
on the Jaxartes, the route lyin aéross the bed of the hon which, nevét- 
no 'e Instance was either mentioned in the itineraries OF 
