338 The National Geographic Magazine 



absorption of adjacent territory, by an 

 alliance or consolidation of countries or 

 communities, or by the planting of colo- 

 nies which have remained subject to the 

 parent county. But the spectacle of 

 thirteen distinct communities uniting in 

 one common organization and volunta- 

 rily creating from their unoccupied area 

 other organizations of equal rank and 

 power with themselves, until the newly 

 created members of the family finally ex- 

 ceeded the original in number, in popu- 

 lation, and in political power, is an un- 

 usual feature in national history." 



' ' We scarcely realize how big we have 

 grown. We proudly compare the growth 

 of our manufacturing or exports with 

 that of the United Kingdom, for exam- 

 ple; but do not, apparently, stop to con- 

 sider that the area of England is less 

 than that of the State of Kansas, and 

 that of the entire United Kingdom less 

 than that of Kansas and Nebraska com- 

 bined. When we compare our own con- 

 ditions with those of France, we forget 

 that its area is less than that of our two 

 Territories of Arizona and New Mexico 

 combined. We look with complacency 

 upon the figures which compare our 

 growth in manufactures, commerce, and 

 population with that of Germany, but 

 overlook the fact that all of the German 

 Empire is smaller than our single State 

 of Texas. The area of the thirteen col- 

 onies, as defined by the Peace Treaty of 

 1783, was equal to that of the present 

 United Kingdom, France, Germany, 

 Norway, and Sweden, whose combined 

 population today is 143,000,000. The 

 area added by the Louisiana Purchase is 

 greater than the present area of Spain, 

 Portugal, Italy, Austria, Hungary, and 

 all of the Balkan States, with a combined 

 population of 125,000,000. The area 

 added by the Florida Purchase is more 

 than that of the present Denmark, Neth- 

 erlands, Belgium, and Switzerland, whose 

 population today is 18,000,000. The 

 combined area of the Texas, Mexican, 

 Oregon, and Alaska additions is nearly 



equal to that of all European Russia, 

 whose present population is 106,000,000. 

 Thus our present area, including Alaska, 

 may be said to practically equal that of 

 all Europe, whose population in round 

 numbers is 400,000,000 of people." 



War Map of Manchuria and Korea. 

 The War Department has issued a new 

 and revised edition of the map of the 

 seat of war in the Far East published 

 by it several months ago and repub- 

 lished as a Supplement to the National 

 Geographic Magazine for March. 

 The map has been entirely redrawn, and 

 is on a larger and hence clearer scale 

 than the first edition. As the copies 

 printed of the first edition for the use of 

 the National Geographic Society have 

 long since been exhausted, the Society 

 has arranged for a considerable number 

 of the new edition, which it will sell to 

 applicants at 25 cents per map. The 

 map is extremely useful to those follow- 

 ing the armies in the East, inasmuch as 

 it shows clearly all the roads along which 

 the armies are moving. 



A Catalogue and Index of the Publica- 

 tions of the Hay den, King, Powell, and 

 Wheeler Surveys has recently been pre- 

 pared by Mr L. F. Schmeckebier (Bull. 

 No. 222). It is a valuable reference 

 book for the student, investigator, and 

 librarian, as the publications of these 

 early government organizations consti- 

 tute a storehouse of geographic, geo- 

 logic, ethnologic, and archseologic in- 

 formation concerning the western por- 

 tion of the United States. 



A water route between the Atlantic 

 Ocean and Lake Chad has been discov- 

 ered by Captain Lenfant via the Benue 

 and Logone rivers. The journey to 

 Lake Chad via this route takes 69 days 

 as against 155 by the former route by 

 way of the Kongo, Mobongi, and Shari 

 rivers. The new route can be used 

 only during high water — August 1- 

 October 15. — Scot. Geog.Jour., April. 



