A YEAR OF GEOGRAPHICAL WORK. 737 



other route from Grey town, by San Juan River and Lake. Prof. 

 James Orton, of Vassar College, just returned from South America, 

 has added a great deal of valuable knowledge of the geography and 

 zoology of Amazonia. Hurlbut has crossed the Cordilleras from Lima 

 to Lake Titicaca, while Captain Musters has journeyed through Pata- 

 gonia. A narrative of the valuable explorations of Senor Raimondi 

 in the little-known portions of Peru, to the west of the Andes, is to 

 be published by the Peruvian Government. 



The main geographical work of Europe has been the carrying out 

 of those valuable national topographical surveys on which, as the re- 

 cent Franco-Prussian War shows, the fate of nations may depend. 

 The agreement of the Meteorological Congress, held at Vienna, was 

 unanimous as to the great importance of synchronous meteorological 

 observations all over the world. The scientific results of the Challen- 

 ger's voyage, and of Prof. Mohn's deep-sea investigations to the north 

 of Europe, were next alluded to. 



Asia has been the scene of considerable activity in geographical 

 exploration. Elias has traveled, almost alone, from Peking to St. Pe- 

 tersburg, across Chinese Tartary. The Russian capture of Khiva will 

 produce important geographical and political results. Among the 

 most important of recent geographical expeditions is that of Mr. Jacob 

 Halevy, through Yemen, in the Arabian Peninsula. 



Both the English and the American societies have been surveying 

 and exploring in Palestine, the labors of the former being nearly ended, 

 those of the latter only entered upon. The English expedition, under 

 Captain Warren, employed chiefly in exploring Jerusalem, with branch 

 expeditions to the plain of Philistia, and the comparatively unknown 

 regions east of the Jordan and Mount Lebanon, has settled disputed 

 questions, determined astronomically the position of many places, aided 

 in elucidating ancient history, and also added much to our knowledge 

 of local topography. The British Ordnance Survey of the Peninsula 

 of Sinai has, among other things, remarkably corroborated the truth- 

 fulness and accuracy of Biblical history, as did also the examination 

 of the desert of the Exodus by Prof. Palmer and Mr. Drake. By 

 arrangement with the English society, the country lying to the east of 

 the Jordan and Dead Sea has been undertaken by the American Pales- 

 tine Exploring Society, under Lieutenant Steever, U. S. A. This em- 

 braces the lands of Moab and Edom, where the celebrated Moabite 

 Stone was found, which illustrated so fully the origin and history of 

 our alphabet, and the art of writing. The surveys for the various 

 railroad routes between London and India were then briefly alluded to. 



The geographical intelligence from Africa is varied, but not so in- 

 teresting as during the previous year. It embraces Nachtigall's jour- 

 ney in the Wadai country ; that of Rohlfs from North Africa to Lagos ; 

 the Livingstone relief expedition of Cameron ; Sir S. Baker's efforts 

 to suppress the slave-trade in the Upper Nile region ; Miani's travels 



VOL. IV. — 47 



