62 The American Naturalist. [January, 
and given to usury; if they become rich, they recross the frontier. 
Afghans attend the markets from time to time, and some settle and 
purchase lands. ‘There are 2,000 Europeans in the Khanate, counting 
the Russian garrisons of Chardjui and Korki. 
America.—Dr. Nansen’s Journey across Greenland.—Dr. 
F. Nansen read an account of his memorable journey across the inland 
ice of Greenland, before the Royal Geographical Society, on June 24, 
1889. The result of the expedition was to prove that Greenland, at 
the point crossed (61°-64° N. lat.) is covered with a shield-shaped- 
stratum of ice, of such thickness that it fills up all irregularities in the 
surface, rising rapidly but regularly from the east coast to a height of 
9,000 to 10,000 feet, almost flat in the middle, and falling again regu- 
larly toward the west coast. Some geologists argue from this that the 
interior is a vast tableland, but Dr. Nansen believes that it is not, but 
that Nordenskjold was right in believing the internal configuration of the 
mountains comparable to that of Scandinavia. If there are deep fjords 
and lofty mountains on the coast, he argues that the ice has also exca- 
vated deep valleys in the interior. The surface of the snow-field con- 
sists of soft, loose and dry snow, readily moved by the wind, and is 
even and polished like a lake in still weather. Thin ice-crusts, the 
product of summer meltings, occur at intervals, but hard ice or snow 
cannot be found with the six-foot sticks used in s&/ or snow-shoe run- 
ning. The party had a snowfall almost every day, and as there is no 
real snow-melting in the interior, the melting of the day freezing again 
at night, it would seem that the quantity of snow is still increasing. 
Yet the flowing of the ice to the shores keeps it down, the surplus 
coming to the coast as water as well as ice. 
Geographical News.—America.—The population of British 
Guiana at the end of 1887 was 277,038, of whom 102,746 were East 
Indians. 
It is probably not generally known that the Santa Cruz Indians 
about fifty years ago drove out the Mexicans from southwest Yucatan, 
and have since retained possession. Mr. W. Miller crossed this terri- 
tory last year from Bacalar to Santa Cruz. The Indians pretend to 
be Christians, remember a few prayers, and have rude churches, but 
no priests. Near Tutum is an oracular cross, and the belief is firm 
that the voice which issues from it is that of God. In one village are 
several whites, descendants of Spaniards, but in dress, manners and 
ideas reduced to the Indian level. 




