424 GEOGRAPHIC MISCELLANEA 



In The Scottish Geographical Magazine for September Francis H. Skrine 

 presents a strong article, " From London to Karachi (India) in a Week," 

 urging the construction of a branch connecting the English railway sys- 

 tem in India with the Russian system in Turkestan. At present the 

 British line ends at Chaman, on the southern border of Afghanistan, 

 only 430 miles distant from the terminus of an offshoot from the main 

 Russian line through Afghanistan. Mr Skrine asserts that the connect- 

 ing link, including the necessary rolling stock, can be constructed for' 

 $15,000,000, as the route presents no great engineering difficulties. In 

 the same issue of the magazine Alexander Begg describes " Vancouver 

 Island, B. C. ;" R. Blake White publishes some " Brief Notes on the 

 Glacial Phenomena of Columbia (S. A.)," and A. D. Milne contributes a 

 few "Notes from the Equatorial Province." 



Major Ronald Ross, the leader of the expedition sent to Sierra Leone 

 by the Liverpool School of Tropical Diseases to investigate the possibility 

 of exterminating the malaria-bearing mosquito, has sent to Liverpool the 

 following cablegram: "Malarial mosquito found. Ask government to 

 send at once men." Nature states: "Major Ross' observations in India 

 indicated that the malaria parasite is borne by the spotted-winged mos^ 

 quitoes, and not by the common brindled or gray mosquitoes ; and his 

 message announces that he has found that malaria on the west coast of 

 Africa is produced under the same conditions as in India. There is evi- 

 dence that the malaria-bearing species only breeds in small isolated col- 

 lections of water which can be easily dissipated, but the expedition has 

 not yet had time to verify this point." In response to the request of 

 Major Ross asking that workers should be sent out to join him at Sierra 

 Leone, the school has dispatched, as an assistant to him, Dr R. Fielding 

 Ould, of the Liverpool School of Pathology, who has had special experi- 

 ence in private bacteriological research. 



A preliminary prospectus has been issued of the "Physical Atlas," 

 in course of preparation by J. G. Bartholomew, F. R. S. E., F. R. G. S., 

 under the patronage of the Royal Geographical Society. The Atlas, com- 

 prising seven volumes, consists of a series of maps illustrating the natural 

 phenomena of the earth, being based to some extent upon the Berghaus 

 Atlas, but comprehending much new and original material. Explana- 

 tory text accompanies the maps, and for each section of the work there is 

 also a general introductory article, a critical bibliography, and an index. 

 The work, which has been in progress for over ten years and is now ap- 

 proaching completion, is revised and edited by: Sir Archibald Geikie, 

 geology ; Sir John Murray, oceanography ; James Geikie, orography ; 

 Alexander Buchan, meteorology, and a number of other distinguished 

 scientists. The publishers, Messrs Archibald Constable & Co., of Lon- 

 don, claim apparently with justice that the atlas is the most comprehen- 

 sive publication of its kind ever attempted. The cost of production alone 

 will, it is estimated, exceed $100,000. The meteorology section, with over 

 400 maps, will be issued during the autumn of 1899, the zoology, ethnog- 

 raphy and demography, geology, botany, and other sections following 

 in rapid succession. The price of each volume or section is $13. 



