154 EXPEDITION TO THE GOLD FIELDS OF CARATAL. [Feb. 8, 1858. 
the islands become exceedingly intricate, and there is a large stur- 
geon fishery. Beyond St. Cyril island, comes a broad reach, and 
next, diverging arms, and lastly, through a single and a narrowing 
channel, the Amur joins the sea.— F. Gr. 
The President. — We are so fortunate as again to have among us this 
evening a distinguished traveller in Siberia, Mr. T. W. Atkinson, and I hope 
he will give us his opinion on this memoir, the value of which is great ; 
as all the positions have been fixed by astronomical observations made by 
officers of distinction in the Russian service. 
Mr. Atkinson, f.r.g-.s. — Sir, I have visited the sources of the Amur, and if 
you will permit me at some future time, I shall be glad to send a paper to the 
Society, in which I shall be able to explain and give a much better description 
of the country I have visited, than I could do at so short a notice. 
Sixth Meeting , Monday , February 8th , 1858. 
Sir RODERICK I. MURCHISON, President, in the Chair. 
Presentations. — The Hon. W. Napier , Lieutenant A. H. Gilmore , r.n., 
and Mr. James Young were presented upon their election. 
Elections. — Lieutenant J. A. Napier Hewett ; the Rev. Anthony W. 
Thorold ; Thomas Brown ; Frederick D. Goldsmid ; and George Seymour , 
Esqrs ., were elected Fellows. 
The first Paper read was — • 
1. Report of an Expedition to explore a Route by the rivers Waini , Barama , 
and Guy uni, to the Goldfields of Carat al, and thence by Upata to the 
Orinoco. By Sir W. IT. Holmes and Mr. W. H. Campbell. 
Communicated by the Foreign Office. 
Sir W. Holmes and Mr. Campbell sailed from the river Demarara 
to the mouth of the Waini on August 27th, 1857, whence they 
made a boat excursion along the Mora Creek to the Barima River, 
in order to obtain the assistance of Indians for ascending the Waini. 
The Mora is a natural navigable canal, of 50 or 60 miles long, con- 
necting the Barima and Waini : it might be turned to good account, 
for its banks are heavily timbered, but its channel is now choked 
with stumps and fallen trees. The schooner was taken up the 
Waini as far as the mouth of the Barama River, up which the party 
proceeded in canoes on September 6th, carrying provisions and 
articles of exchange. This river was rapid and remarkably tortuous, 
and the travellers could not reach the Dowaioama cataract and portage 
till the 12th. This river, the Waini, and the Barima, run through 
forests of immense timber ; Sir R. Schomburgk never saw trees so. 
