where their incursions have a very serious effect upon the labourmarket, and their habits incite a considerably amount of enmity. If, as seems probable, this huge kingdom should fall to pieces from its own inherent want of cohesion, it may become a matter of importance to us who succeeds to the various portions of the ruins of the mighty fabric. The neighbouring and closely allied kingdom of Japan is in like manner undergoing convulsions, both social and political, about the nature of which it is difficult to judge. The old aversion to foreigners and to intercourse with other nations seems to have left the middle and lower classes of the nation, who are making their influence felt by the governing class, and the presence of a troop of jugglers or tumblers among us has a deeper significance than might at first sight appear. It is a more trustworthy earnest of future intercourse than the appearance of their ambassadors at our international shows, or even treaties with rulers who cannot divert popular feeling. The internal evidence of the same change is to be seen in revolutions and in the attack upon our ambassador so satisfactorily punished by the Mikado, whom he now visits in place of the Tycoon who received our former attentions.

Two expeditions into Central Australia are spoken of. The one by Captain Cadell is nearly completed, after having traversed the country from the northern boundary of Southern Australia to the northern coast of the continent. Three rivers and a large harbour have been discovered. The other is the proposal of Dr. Neumayer, director of the Observatory at Melbourne, who is anxious to carry his line from east to west, from Port Denison to Swan River. Dr. Neumayer is anxious to have more attention paid to science in the new exploration than has been the case before; and in his opinion the expense ought to be defrayed partly by the colonies and partly by the mother-country.

The country, so long marked on maps as Russian America, but which on its acquisition by the Government of the United States required a new name, has been called from its principal peninsula Aliaska or Alaska. In Yankee parlance it is sometimes Walrussia. But little is known of this region, which is said to be of no great value on any account, and was only bought by the Americans through jealousy of British influence on their continent. An artist, Mr. Frederick Whymper, who spent a considerable time in that region, has traversed a large portion of the course of its principal river, the Yukon or Kwichpak, and has at length returned to England with the results of his stay, and we may expect shortly to hear something of his discoveries. He describes the climate as extreme, and the inhabitants vary in character from the Eskimo to the Red Indians. A series of sketches and a collection of characteristic articles made by the natives were exhibited by Mr. Whymper at the evening reception given by the President of the Royal

Geographical Society. The Red Indians are, like so many unfortunate natives of other lands, being driven out by our colonies of Vancouver Island and Columbia from their old hunting grounds through the forcible purchase of their land, which the Indians would willingly keep if they were allowed. It is the old story, the European makes use of the power that civilization gives him to act as an uncivilized savage would be ashamed to act, and then it is said that no barbarous nation can exist where educated man touches upon his borders. One rather awkward-looking fact accompanies the advance of the European. The price of wives increases as one nears the white settlements, and a regular slave trade is known to exist. A strong desire has been exhibited by the colony of British Columbia to be admitted into the confederacy with Canada and the other settlements of British America, provided only that a means of communication with these latter colonies be made from Lake Superior over the Rocky Mountains. The other parties to the confederacy seem willing to meet their wishes, and it is to be hoped that a strong alliance may be found to resist any attempts to alienate or seduce any of these our dependencies, or to sow discord where unity is so essential. The new territories of the United States are each in their turn explored by Government officials, and the various productions, mineral and vegetable, are described and catalogued. Nebraska has in this way been rendered accessible, and expeditions are still in progress in Colorado and Dakotah. Lignite has been found over a large extent of country in the former territory, and iron ore is in abundance in the same neighbourhood. Unlike the adjoining British colony, the Americans of California are not content with a mere road, but have already made lines of railway where no European would dream of laying a tramway, but one of the most extraordinary of these undertakings, and a very successful one too, is the Central Pacific Railway, which commencing in California passes the Sierra Nevada through a tunnel, and is descending into the plain of the great Salt Lake city to Utah. The rails are being laid at the rate of a mile a day. When this is finished there will be no more occasion for those trying journeys across the prairies so well described in Hepworth Dixon's New America, nor for the scarcely less unpleasant journey round by Central America. But little seems to be known about this latter country, to judge from a late correspondence in which it is contended by one of the opposing parties that there is a water communication between the Lakes Managua and Nicaragua, whilst the other denies this. The explanation seems to be that some years ago the dry seasons lowered the former lake to such an extent that there was no overflow of water along the channel which has since been navigated by one of the correspondents. The Panama railroad, however, has its historian and guide, Dr. F. N. Otis, and around books of the

character which he has written, there is soon accumulated an amount of fact which, without some nucleus of crystalization, is apt to flow away in a state of solution.

The German expedition to the North Pole has started from Bergen, and Professor A. E. Nordenskiöld has announced to the Royal Society that the Swedish Government has granted a steamer, provisioned for one year for the purpose of Arctic exploration, and that some private gentlemen have contributed towards fitting out the expedition.

Earthquakes are recorded in the Sandwich Islands (near the volcano, Mauna Loa, which was in violent eruption) at Tachkent (?) and about Vesuvius. The latter mountain is being watched not only by Palmieri and several Italian savans, but also by Professor Phillips of Oxford. Very valuable records of the lengthy disturbances will have been made by these and other scientific observers of the changes that have taken place, and it is to be hoped that the theory of volcanoes will receive some enlightenment.

We have to regret the death of Mr. John Crawfurd, whose face must be well known to all frequenters of our learned societies. His fame was won originally in the Malay peninsula, of which he wrote a history as well as a dictionary and grammar of the language, but he did not confine himself to matters connected only with that part of the world, but on most subjects, geographical and ethnological, he held, and frequently expressed, opinions of his own. He died at an advanced age in a sudden and peaceful manner.

PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY.

The safety of Dr. Livingstone having been doubted by some members of the Society in spite of the opinion constantly expressed by Sir R. Murchison, letters from that traveller which were read at the tenth meeting excited some considerable interest. The news in these, however, did not reach to a very late period, the doctor's own letter being dated Bemba (lat. 10° 10′ S.), 2nd February, 1867, whilst that from Dr. Kirk contains news of him up to October last. The traveller, who had with him only the African boys educated at Nassick, Bombay, had remained at the town of Mataka, a chief whose dominions stretched from the watershed between Lake Nyassa and the sea to the lake itself, a distance of fifty miles. Hence the journey seems to have been continued westwards, but whether round or across the lake does not appear. The next points made seem to have been some of the tributaries on the left bank of the Zambesi, viz. the Chambese and the Loangwa, the watershed between which streams the doctor thought he had gained at Bemba. At the time he wrote he was making for Casembes, and thence he was to go to

the lake of Taganyika, which Dr. Kirk says he reached in October last at Ujiji, at the point where stores awaited him. These letters were sent down by Arabs travelling to Ragamoyo, a place on the coast near Zanzibar. Letters, maps, and stores would meet the doctor at Ujiji, being forwarded from Zanzibar.

The Rev. F. W. Holland, during the last winter, has made a third visit to the Sinaitic peninsula. The results of his journey were given in a paper read on the 11th May. Starting from Suez on foot, he reached the monastery at the foot of the Jebel Musa (Mount Sinai), his head-quarters, whilst he explored the whole country in that neighbourhood for four months. Letting himself down from the wall of the convent, he daily traversed some mountain path, assisted by Arabic ibex hunters. Occasionally he took an Arab to carry his blanket and bag of provisions when he intended to camp out for three or four nights. He was thus enabled to take heights of mountains, and to measure and map out valleys hitherto incorrectly given. He found more vegetation than previous information had led him to suppose, and two or three springs were to be discovered on every mountain. Jebel Um Alowee (possibly a corrup tion of Elohim), north-east of Jebel Musa, is a fresh discovery of Mr. Holland's, and he puts it forward as a possible rival to the latter mountain as the true Sinai. The wilderness of Sin he would identify with the plains of Es Seyh; and he adds his protest to that of many others against the theory that the Sinaitic inscriptions are to be esteemed the work of the Israelites on their journey out of Egypt. The next paper was by Commissioner Chimmo on the north-east coast of Labrador.

At the anniversary meeting, on Monday, 25th of May, the Founder's Medal was awarded to Dr. Augustus Petermann, the well-known geographical writer, the originator of the German expedition to the North Pole, the editor of the 'Geographische Mittheilungen; and at the same time the Patron's or Queen's Medal was assigned to M. Gerhard Rholfs, on account of his journeys into the interior of Africa from the northern coast, from which, on one occasion, he penetrated as far as the Guinea coast. A gold watch also was awarded as an extra distinction to the pundit, whose name has not yet appeared, but who was employed by Captain Montgomery to survey in Thibet. The report of the Council, recommending the presentation of two gold and two bronze medals to the successful candidates at an annual examination in physical and political geography, was afterwards received and approved. The Chief Commissioner of Crown Lands has promised the Society a site for building facing the Thames Embankment, where the maps and books of reference of the Society might be readily accessible to the public. The President, in his address, enumerated those works that had been added to this library during the last year, amongst which may

be mentioned Keith Johnson's New Atlases, and Major's 'Life of Prince Henry.' The obituary of the year included the names of the late President, Mr. William John Hamilton, Lord Rosse, Lord Colchester, the Right Hon. Sir George Clark, Captain James Mangles, R.N., Mr. Ashurst Majendie, the Rev. Pierce Butler, Sir Charles Lemon, &c., and as we have mentioned before, Mr. John Crawfurd. After a brief sketch of the additions to our geographical knowledge, as they have from time to time appeared in these Chronicles, Sir R. Murchison dwelt at some length upon the progress of Dr. Livingstone, and the success of the expedition sent in search of him. He then pointed out the three routes which were open to the traveller on his return, showing that, according to his own calculation Dr. Livingstone might return to England by August next, whereas according to Sir Samuel Baker he possibly might arrive at Gondokoro next April, but not before, and he scarcely could with probability be expected until a much later date. The President referred to the appointment by the Government of Mr. Clements Markham, as geographer to the Abyssinian expedition. One positive gain to the Society, resulting from this appointment, was the desire of Sir Robert Napier to become a member of that body. The memoirs of Mr. Markham might be looked forward to as one of the most worthy parts of the Journal of the Society.

8. GEOLOGY AND PALEONTOLOGY.

(Including the Proceedings of the Geological Society.) "THE unique specimen of Archaeopteryx lithographica (von Meyer) which at present adorns the collection of fossils in the British Museum, is undoubtedly one of the most interesting relics of the extinct fauna of long-past ages; and the correct interpretation of the fossil is of proportional importance." With these words, Professor Huxley commences a paper, read before the Royal Society on January 30th, the object of which is to show that Professor Owen has mistaken the dorsal face of most of the bones for the ventral; the left femur, left tibia, and bones of the left foot for the "right femur, tibia, and bones of the foot," and so forth. Professor Huxley concedes that the furculum (if it be such) turns its ventral surface to the eye, and he suggests "that it is the bouleversement of this bone which has led to that reversal of the proper nomenclature of the other bones, which, could it be sustained, would leave Archæopteryx without a parallel in the vertebrate sub-kingdom." By the light of his correction, however, he considers that many points of