1886.] Geography and Travels. 797 
GENERAL NOTES. 
GEOGRAPHY AND TRAVELS.! 
AMERICA.— American News.—Col. F ontana, Governor of Chubut 
(the northern part of Patagonia), has followed the River Chubut 
to its sources in the Andes, about 42° S. lat., and has thence 
crossed prairie and forest to the 46th parallel. He found three 
passes into Chili, laid down accurately the courses of several 
rivers, found the source of the Senger (an affluent of the Chubut), 
verified the positions of Lakes Colne and Musters, and deter- 
mined the positions of the spots at which the Senger and Chico 
debouch into the lake. The June issue of the Proceedings 
of the Royal Geographical Society contains a sketch of the physi- 
cal geography of Brazil, by James W. Wells, accompanied by a 
map showing the forest, grass, and arid regions of the country. 
many interesting details about the present state of the population, 
railways which, diverging from Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, 
and other matters. A tolerably full account of the superficies, 
soil, climate, people, commerce and industries of Venezuela, by M. 
P. Druyckler, may be found in the Bulletin of the Antwerp Royal 
Geographical Society, 1886, 5th fascicule. Guatemala had, on 
January 1st, 1886, a population of 1,322,544, showing an increase 
of 37,940 over that of the first day of 1885, or nearly three per 
as per annum. The births in 1885 were 63,687, the deaths 
1/47. 
Asia.—Persia—Mr. J. A. Rees describes, in notes published 
ast year at Madras, a journey from Kasvin to 
Plains, covered with corn (grain), vineyards and orchards, while 
b © alls give a fair return of wheat without irrigation. r. Rees 
clieves that the population of Persia is much under-estimated. 
ersian notions about Francistan and Inglestan, the division of 
arangistan, and of the country of the “ Ooroos” (Russia) are 
er amusing. 
Exploration on the Lena.—Dr. Bunge and Baron von Toll, who 
are charged by the Russian Geographical Society with the ex- 
hole region of the Yana with its mountains, obtaining rich 
Paleontological collections, four hundred kinds of plants, and a 
According to information received September 5, 1885, 
1 k 
This department is edited by W. Å. LOCKINGTON, Philadelphia. 
