4$6 



Progress of Geography in 1836-7. 



[APRlt 



these shores many imaginary dBngers. He rommenced a survey of 

 the Canr!ry Islan-ls, which that able and experienced officer, Captain 

 "Vidal, will c(;mpleie in tl.e intervals afforded him by the Harniattan 

 season, which periodically interrupts hi^ tryini^ and exhaufiting, but 

 highly important labours along the Gold Coast from Cape Paluias to 

 Corrisco. 



Algiers. —For the improvement of the sreography of Algiers we na* 

 turally look to France, and a map of ihe territory comprehended with- 

 in the French military operations is said to be now in a for^^ard state. 

 The surveys of tlie Bays of Algiers and Bona have been completed; 

 also the coast line, from 'he former to the fronii<^r of Marocco, under 

 MM. Berard and Dortet de Tessan, and published at the Depot de la 

 Marine. The continuation of the survey as far as Cape Spartel is 

 about to be executed. 



Tunis and Tripofi. — 'i^n positive accessions to topography have been 

 made here ; but we mav notice the maps of these countries, published 

 by the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, as the most cor- 

 rect in i)oint of orthography of any hitherto issued. 



But we cannot quit the subject of Northern Africa without bearing 

 testimony to the value of a work, bearing the unpretending title of 

 * Etudes de Geographie Critique sur une partie de I'Afrique Septt^ntrio- 

 Dale,' by M. D'Avezac, late Secretary-General to the Geographical So- 

 ciety of Paris, accompanied by a newly-constructed framewoik of a 

 map, in which the author has laid down the various itineraries furnish- 

 ed by different traveller^, and discussed their merits ; — a good exam- 

 ple in critical geoij;raphy, which we would gladly see followed for 

 other partsof the world.* M. D'Avezac has also published an ' Esqnisse 

 de l*Afrique/— a programme only, we believe, to a larger work on that 

 country. 



Esynt, — We still look anxiously for the map of this country by Mr. 

 Wilkinson, in addition to his splendid w'ork on the topography of 

 Thebes. Of the manners and customs of the modern Egyptians, we 



* In a brief notice of this work, in Volume vi. of the Journal of the Royal Geographical 

 Society, it was mentioned in a note that there appeared some omissions and inaccuracies 

 iathe map whic h accompanies it. The author has since, in a letter evincing great know- 

 ledge of the geography of Northern Africa, shown that he was fully borne out by the au- 

 thorities he had consulted in compiling his map. WTicther fresh iuformatiou procured 

 from travellers may confirm these authorities remains to be proved. 



