Von Richtofen 



5 1 



liberal enforcement of the law, sharp 

 business practices — such are the means 

 and methods herein recited. Painful 

 as are the facts, it is unreasonable to in- 

 culcate, as does the author, a "persist- 

 ent distruct of Congress." The volume 

 should stimulate public demand for 

 equitable treatment to which the pres- 

 ent Indian administration is fully 

 pledged. A. W. G. 



OBITUARY— VON RICHTOFEN 



IN the death of Ferdinand Freiherr 

 von Richtofen (1833-1905) geo- 

 graphical science loses one of its most 

 distinguished representatives. A stu- 

 dent of Carl Ritter, Richtofen has been 

 actively engaged in geographical in- 

 vestigation for half a century. His ac- 

 tivities have been remarkable, covering 

 the Austrian mountain ranges, Ceylon, 

 Java, Formosa, Siam, the Philippines, 

 Japan, China, and California. While 

 all his works are marked by acumen, 

 thought and clearness, his general fame 

 will rest on his great memoir on the 

 geomorphology, paleontology, geology, 

 and world relations of China and Inner 

 Asia. Unfortunately Richtofen left 

 unfinished this great study of one of 

 the richest and least known regions of 

 the world. His services at the head of 

 the Berlin Geographical Society, and as 

 President of the Seventh Geographical 

 Congress, Berlin, 1899, made him per- 

 sonally known to many of the members 

 of the National Geographic Society. 

 In his high position as Rector of the 

 University of Berlin he crowned with 

 glory a career as explorer, investigator, 

 and teacher. He was always a leader, 

 following intuitively lines of .thought 

 and research productive of definite and 

 reliable results. 



To intellectual ability were con- 

 joined in Richtofen highest qualities of 

 moral and social order. His charm of 

 manner, graciousness of character, 

 courtesv of intercourse, and consider- 



ate treatment of associates, endeared 

 him to every one favored by his ac- 

 quaintance or friendship. As a man 

 and scientist he added much to his 

 age, and leaves to the future high 

 standards for incentive and emulation. 



A. W. G. 



CORRESPONDENCE 



New York, December 14, 1905. 

 Editors National Geographic Magazine. 



Dear Sirs : Will you kindly inform me 

 where I can get data regarding Lower Cali- 

 fornia? (I refer to the Mexican territory of 

 that name.) The data that I wish is in re- 

 gard to the soil, its natural irrigation, cli- 

 mate, and such other facts as it is necessary 

 to know for colonization purposes. 



I would thank you very much to refer me 

 to any publication that will give this data, or 

 to any persons to whom I could apply who 

 might be conversant with that country. 

 Very truly yours, 



X. Y. Z. 



Lower California has no inhabitants to 

 speak of except near the United States bor- 

 der. Americans own most of the territory. 

 Proposed colonists would have to consider 

 very seriously the question of water. The 

 Colorado River, which flows through the ter- 

 ritory, was very recently diverted and almost 

 all of the water, or 90 per cent, is now flowing 

 into Salton Sea. One year ago Salton Sea 

 was a salt bed (dried-up lake) where manu- 

 facturers plowed up salt. It has now become 

 a great lake, 800 miles square, and is rising 

 at the rate of one inch a day ; the imperial 

 value of California itself is threatened. This 

 diversion of the Colorado River was due to 

 the bungling of some engineers (not govern- 

 ment engineers) who tried to divert the chan- 

 nel of the river. The river got away from 

 them and started down for Salton Sea, a 

 former lake, refusing the direction desired 

 by the engineers. They are having quite a 

 time trying to get the river to flow back to 

 the ocean, and may or may not succeed. 

 Meanwhile Lower California is cut off from 

 most of its water. 



The Colorado River bottom lands, just 

 across the Mexican territory, are wonder- 

 fully fertile; eight crops of alfalfa can be ob- 

 tained yearly. Their large value depends of 

 course on the annual inundation of the river, 

 and if this inundation is to be prevented by 

 the diversion of the Colorado, the lands be- 

 come of little value. Not much is known of 

 Lower California except in the region of the 

 Colorado River delta, where, as has been said, 



