REPORT OF THE UNITED STATES GEOGRAPHIC BOARD. 13 
oi^anized bodies of popidation whose names have been bestowed by 
formal authority. These differences have originated in nimierous 
ways. 
In the unsettled parts of the country different exploring expedi- 
tions, ignoring the work of their predecessors, have given new 
names to features already named. As elsewhere noted this difficulty 
has often occurred in Alaska, which has been visited in recent years 
by nmnerous expeditions. 
The transliteration of Indian names has everywhere been a fruit- 
ful source of differences in spelling, inasmuch as no two persons 
understand alike or render into the same English characters the 
obscure sounds of Indian names. 
It often happens in the case of the larger geographic features, 
such as extended mountain ranges, rivers, etc, that different names 
have been applied locally in various parts and these names have 
become well settled in usage. 
It frequently happens that railroads adopt names for their sta- 
tions different from those of the towns or viQages in which they are 
situated and thus divide usage. To a much greater extent, how- 
ever, than the railroads has the Post Office Department confused the 
nomenclature of the smaller towns and villages by attaching names 
to the post offices not in accordance with those in local usage. In- 
deed, an examination shows that there are in this country thou- 
sands of cases where the name of the post office does not conform to 
the local name of the place in which it is situated. These differences 
are very confusing to those using the postal service, and it seems 
desirable to reduce their number so far as practicable, at the same 
t«me recognizing the necessity of having no post office name dupli- 
cated in a state. • 
By far the greater number of differences in usage, however, have 
their origin in carelessness or ignorance on the part of those making 
use of the names. Such errors appearing in print are frequently 
perpetuated, especially m popular works, and often supplant the 
origmal name in usege. 
Originating in these diversities of spelling there is distinctly 
traceable a development of geographic nomenclature which is, on 
the whole, proceeding m a beneficial direction. Its tendency is 
toward the discarding of objectionable names and the adoption of 
pleasing ones and toward the simplification and abbreviation of 
names, particularly as shown in the dropping of sUent letters. The 
Board, recognizing this course of development, deems it to be 
■wdthin its power to guide it and even to forestall it, so far as its 
future com'se may be foreseen. 
The extent to which geographic names have been modified with- 
out being radically changed is scarcely appreciated. A large pro_ 
