1865.] Geography and Ethnology. 751 



tion, which are not simply to go to the Pole and hack, hut to explore, 

 in the interests of various branches of science, the unknown area that 

 surrounds the Pole. This could be done only by well-organized 

 sledge parties, supported by two vessels stationed at a distance apart 

 from each other. All the scientific societies of London which were 

 invited by the Royal Geographical Society to co-operate with them in 

 endeavouring to obtain the despatch of an expedition, were stated to 

 have returned answers expressive of the great advantages to their 

 respective sciences which would accrue. Mr. Markham adduced 

 various known facts to prove that a sea voyage to the Pole, between 

 Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla, as advocated by many, would be 

 impracticable, and in this he was supported, in the discussion which 

 followed the reading of the papers, by Mr. Alfred Newton, who had 

 recently been in Spitzbergen, and stated that the Norwegian walrus- 

 hunters had sighted land at various points between the two groups of 

 islands, and had proved that they were connected besides by an 

 impassable barrier of ice. The arguments in favour of the adoption 

 of the Spitzbergen route by an English expedition had now lost much 

 of their force, as a German expedition was being organized at the 

 invitation of Dr. Petermann. A pioneer vessel despatched from 

 Hamburg a few weeks ago had broken down soon after leaving port, 

 but it was intended to renew the attempt next year. It behoved 

 English geographers therefore, as the Spitzbergen route was now 

 pre-occupied, to concentrate their endeavours on the obtaining of an 

 expedition to penetrate via Smith Smith. 



A short paper, " On Explorations in the Interior of Vancouver's 

 Island," by Mr. Eobert Brown, narrated the various journeys performed 

 by an expedition despatched by the Vancouver's Island Exploration 

 Committee, under the leadership of the author. Numerous rivers, lakes, 

 chains of mountains, coal beds, and gold diggings were discovered, but 

 the interior of the whole southern half of the island was found to contain 

 very little land adapted for pasture or agriculture. Travelling south- 

 ward, along the continent of America, the next paper was one by Dr. 

 Cullen, " On the Isthmus of Panama and Interoceanic Ship and Canal 

 Routes ; " who also contributed an Ethnological paper, " On the Darien 

 Indians." The Panama paper described all the various routes which 

 had been proposed for a ship canal from ocean to ocean across the 

 narrower parts of America, ending by advocating the Darien route, or 

 that between Caledonia Harbour, on the side of the Atlantic, and the 

 Gulf of San Miguel, on that of the Pacific. The last Geographical 

 paper to be named was " On the Ascent of the River Purus," by Mr. 

 William Chandless. This was stated by the President to be, in a 

 geographical point of view, the most important one which had come 

 before the Section ; but owing to its length, and the shortness of the time 

 for the Sectional business, only a few extracts could be read. He said, 

 however, that it would form the subject of one of the evening meetings of 

 the Geographical Society in the ensuing session. Mr. Chandless appears 

 to be an English gentleman travelling for pleasure in South America, 

 who, hearing of the failure of a Brazilian expedition to ascend this 



