382 General Notes. [ April, 
smaller, their noses less stunted, small and pointed. Their eyes 
are small, placed in a line, and have a bright black luster. Quiet 
though they are now, history shows that they struggled manfully 
against the Chinese. The Lolos of Sze-Chuan are allied to the 
Burmese, and seem to form a nation. Both they and the Hsi- 
Fans belong to the Eastern Himalaic, while the rest of the abo- 
riginal tribes in Western China and in the southern provinces, 
whether Miao, Rao or Tung, seem to belong to the Eastern Him- 
alaic, the branch to which belong the Siamese, Shans, Laos, the Li 
of Hainan, the Cambodians and the Anamese.——- Dr. Grishimailo’s 
travels in Ferghana and the Altai have resulted in large geologi- 
cal and entomological collections, as well as in much anthropo- 
logical matter. Many evidences of the existence of a glacial 
epoch in Central Asia were met with, amongst them the presence 
in Thian-shan of forms which have hitherto only been found in 
Labrador, Greenland, Lapland and the Swiss Alps. M. Ed. 
Cotteau has ascended several of the Javan volcanoes, viz., Mt. 
Cheda, 9844 feet; Mt. Merapi, 9459 feet; Mt. Bromo, 8203 feet, 
and still active; and Mt.Smeru, 12,469 feet high, the culminating 
peak of Java. M. Cotteau states that to one accustomed to Swiss 
mountain-climbing the ascent of these volcanoes is child’s play. 
AFrica.—A/rican Notes—M. Dolisie, a member of the Brazza 
mission, has traveled from Loango to Brazzaville. The “ king” of 
the country gave to the traveler an excellent piece of ground at 
the confluence of the Ludima with the Kuilu, and had signed a 
treaty placing all the country between the Ludima and the- Niari 
under the protectorate of France. This prince and all his chiefs 
also signed a solemn declaration that they had never ceded any 
of their rights to the International Society, which did not even 
own the land on which their stations were built. The route was 
preferable to that of the Congo and even to that of the Ogowé. 
th the entrances of this route on the coast of Loango and its 
termination at Brazzaville are in the hands of France. M. 
Giraud has again been unsuccessful in his attempt to continue his 
explorations, having been abandoned by his porters and his 
escort——The French have the command of the Niger from 
Bourré to Boussa, some 700 leagues of watercourse. From 
the north of Africa a French railway runs from Arzen to Méche- 
ria, and ina few years will be extended to Imsalah, which is al- 
ready connected with Timbuctoo by caravan routes. The latter 
will become more important under French protection. The 
French will certainly also push from Porto Novo on the Gulf of 
Guinea to Boussa on the Niger, and thus complete their commu- 
nication between the Mediterranean and the Gulf of Guinea. 
age of the French navy, has recently explored the valley 
of the Faléme, one of the most considerable affluents of the Sene- 
gal. The river, though it cannot be considered navigable, can 
— | be made so by removing a few rocks which obstruct its pas- 
