1889.] Geography and Travel. 143 
whites, French customs prevail, but the Chulos or Mestizos 
still wear the dresses they wore when they were Spanish 
subjects. 
Europe.— Geological Work in Spain. — The two first 
volumes of the Commission of the Geological map of 
Spain treat of the geology and mineralogy of the province 
of Huelva, and will be followed by two other volumes 
treating of the petrography of the same province. The 
same Commmission has also published the fourteenth vol- 
ume of its bulletin, which is almost exclusively occupied 
by a description of the lower cretaceous formation of, by 
Sr. L. Mallado, forming part of a Palaeontological Synopsis of 
Spain, which commenced with the ninth issue of the same 
bulletin. The general geological map of Spain, consisting of 
thirteen sheets, is also almost complete. The Commission of 
Mining Statistics has also published a map of the peninsula 
showing the areas conceded in each province for the exploita- 
tion of various minerals. The Hydrographical Commission 
has not only published the plans of various parts of the Medi- 
terranean coast, but is at work upon those of the Philippines. 
Engineering Works in Europe. — Among engineering 
works of geographical importance now being carried on in 
Europe, are the canal across Schleswig from the North Sea 
to the Baltic, commenced in June, 1887, and likely to be fin- 
ished next year; and the construction of a railway from Bel- 
grade to Salonica. In Italy a project is on foot to convert 
Rome into a sea-port by forming a canal from the south-east 
part of the city to the coast. As the Tiber, at the highest 
point of the canal, is but twelve metres above the level of the 
sea, the project does not involve any very great difficulty. 
A new port for the city of Bilboa is also projected. Bel- 
gium is commencing a series of fortifications upon the river 
Meuse to protect the territory in case of a new Franco-Ger- 
Sardinia.— From the fourteenth to the sixteenth century, 
during the time that Sardinia belonged to Aragon, the official 
language of the island was that of Catalonia, but this was 
superseded by the Castilian tongue after the union of 
Aragon and Castile. Nevertheless the Catalan language is 
still spoken at the northern end of the island, where, at the 
foot of Nurra, the Catalan Sr. Toda, found himself perfectly 
