84 Russian Geographical Operations in Asia. [No. 2, 
? 
that have already appeared, a report of the astronomical and magnetic 
operations is being actually printed. - 
In speaking of the favourable results that have been obtained by the 
activity of our Society, we have not had the least intention to attribute 
it to one more than to another of its functionaries. Among us, 
individuals change and succeed each other so rapidly, that we cannot 
say the progress and strength of our institutions rest with them. It 
is the general conditions of our activity, and the liberal spirit by 
which they are pervaded, that unite and attract a constant succession 
of individual labourers. Besides the actual operations of the Society 
during the past 20 years, a vast amount of labour has been undertaken 
voluntarily, and without remuneration, by members of the Society, 
as well as by strangers, in private and in official capacities. Such 
are the public lectures, which many of our colleagues have delivered 
without any remuneration, and which haye attracted large audiences 
to our reception Halls. We need not mention, in this place, the 
number of persons who, during the past and many preceding years, 
have disinterestedly brought accounts of their labours to the Society. 
It is doubtless through the liberal spirit which unites and animates 
all our members and constitutes our strength, that this great amount 
of work has been accomplished. MReligiously to preserve this spirit 
should be our first duty, and our most sacred obligation. 
TRANSLATION OF A PORTION OF THE JOURNAL OF THE Russian Guo- 
GRAPHICAL Society, Vou. rv. 1864. 
At a meeting of the Society on the 2nd and 14th December, 1864, 
Rear Admiral Boutakof read a paper on the subject of his last explora- 
tion on the Syr-Daria, between Fort Perovski and Baildyr-Tugai 
(a locality in the Tashkened territory). In 1863 Rear Admiral 
Boutakof steamed 538 miles up the Syr-Daria, from Fort Perovski. 
This officer has now explored, determined astronomically, and mapped 
1005 miles of that river’s course, beginning from its mouth. He 
expresses his conviction that the river is navigable still higher up, 
although, for want of fuel, he could not this time proceed further, The 
general ascending direction of the river from Fort Perovski is towards 
the south-east as far as the parallel of 43° of latitude; thence it is 
directly to the south. Throughout the whole distamce of 538 miles, 
