466 



I*r ogress of Geographj in 1836-7. 



[APRlt. 



Vice Admiral Krusenstern ; and he is entitled to the thanks of all na* 

 vigators forthe care with which he registers every new islet disco- 

 vered in this vast Archipelago. We learn on the authority of our most 

 recent circumnavigators that Krusenstern's charts are the only guides 

 in these seas, and we cordially join with the Admiral in his Indroduc- 

 tion to his last Supplement, in which he points out the heavy respon« 

 sibility which map-makers incur in republishing charts full of inaccura* 

 cies, when the means for improving them to a great extent are qnite 

 within their reach. 



The omission of any notice of what has been done towards the geo- 

 graphical distribution of man, animals, and plants of all works on 

 ethnography, or the classification of mankind according to languages, 

 religions, &c., on meteorology, and other important branches of strict 

 geographical inquiry, will strike the most cursory reader of this sketch,^ 

 bat time would not allow of touching on the subject. 



Having briefly mentioned what has been done, we cannot deny our" 

 selves the pleasure of noticing the expeditions from other countries 

 now in progress : — 



Captain Laplace, well known for his Voyage autour du Monde in La 

 Favorite, in 1S30-32, has again sailed on board L'Artheraise, on 

 another voyage round the world. 



At the same time. Captain Du Petit Thouars has sailed in La Venus, 

 but in a contrary direction, also on a voyage round the globe. 



Captain Dumont d'Urville, companion of Duperre, and commander 

 of the Astrolabe in her circumnavigation of the globe in 1826-29, is 

 shortly to sail from Toulon, to endeavour to follow the track of Wed- 

 dell, into the Antarctic Ocean — thence to visit the Polynesian Islands, 

 ■where he will doubtless obtain much additional information to that he 

 has already given us respecting the natives and languages of this in- 

 teresting portion of the globe. 



From the United States of America an expedition, consisting of five 

 vessels, some fitted for exploring the Frozen Ocean, and provided with 

 the best instruments that the various capitals of Europe could supply, 

 is shortly to sail on a voyage, fyom which we may confidently expect 

 some important results. 



We cannot conclude this imperfect and hasty sketch of the Progress 

 of Geography without recording our testimony to the value of the 

 labours of sister associations,— of the Geographical Society of Berlin, 

 directed by the able and zealous geographer Professor Ritter, which 

 has just held i(s fourth anniversary,— of M. Vander-Maelen, whose esta- 



