256 Chronicles of Science. [April? 



Tardieu, Sub-librarian, and Thoulin, the Librarian of the Institute, 

 who have published one volume of the work. The Geography of 

 Ptolemaeus is also being reproduced in photo-lithography, from a 

 MS. belonging to the Vatogedi Convent on Mount Athos, which has 

 some remarkable old maps. 



In England the Palestine Exploration Fund represents what 

 we are doing for Ancient Geography. It is intended to form a 

 museum of objects collected. Unfortunately South Kensington has 

 been chosen as the site, otherwise the design is a most excellent 

 one. The objects are to be classed into Sacred, Domestic, and 

 Political Antiquities, with Geography and Natural History, and they 

 are to consist of sculpture, casts, models, coins, photographs, pictures, 

 plans, maps, and collections of animal, vegetable, and mineral pro- 

 ducts. In the meantime excavations are to be carried on this year 

 to determine the site of the Temple and Holy Sepulchre. The pro- 

 ceedings of the Exploration Fund lead to discussion of many points, 

 and the production of information from many others besides those 

 immediately employed. 



The exactitude of longitudes is a matter of great importance. 

 M. Mouchez has drawn the attention to the fact that there is a 

 difference of 30 seconds between the longitudes of Eio Janeiro as 

 given by different authorities. The distance of Yalentia from 

 Heart's Content in Newfoundland has been determined lately at 2h. 

 51m. 56* 5sec. For this we are of course indebted to the telegraph. 

 A proposition has been started in New York to extend the line 

 which is to run across Behring Straits down the coast below the 

 Amoor to the Chinese cities, thus to connect New York with Pekin. 

 The Australian Governments have commenced a line northwards to 

 the Gulf of Carpentaria, and are willing to contribute a share 

 towards the communication with the East Indian lines, but the 

 Indian Government are not inclined to risk anything on submarine 

 lines without assistance from home, owing to their experience of 

 the Eed Sea route. 



The Leichhardt expedition has met with many repulses — it lost 

 its leader, it has suffered great privations ; but it is said that the skull 

 of a European supposed to be that of the great traveller has been 

 found. A later mail gives an account of the murder of Europeans 

 by natives many years since, so that little doubt remains of the 

 fate of the explorer. The question of the boundaries of the various 

 colonies of Australia is again cropping up. A portion of the dis- 

 trict on the Murray is 180 miles from Melbourne, across level 

 country, but is 420 miles from its capital, Sydney, across the Blue 

 Mountains and other ranges ; the consequence is that judges and 

 other officials visit this district by way of Melbourne. 



Considerable attention has been turned, by a discussion to which 

 we alluded in a previous number, to the capabilities of Khotan. 



