The Sun.
London, England, 1865-05-23 00:00:00

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STAMPED sd.

Royal Geographical Society.

-T

Yesterday, at one o'clock, the anniversary meeting of
this society, which has flourished for the last 35 years, was
held at Burlington-house, Sir Roderick Murchison, K.C.8.,
the President, occupying the chair. There was a full
muster of the Council on the ocoasion, and the Fellows and
members were well represented.
There were present, among others, the Earl of Sheffield,
Sir David Dundas, Sir Henry Rawlinson, Lord Milton,
Mr. Walpole, M.P., Mr. John Craufurd, Admiral Sir Geo
Back, Mr. A. G. Findlay, Lord Colchester, Mr. Addington,
Major-General Sir Andrew Scott' Waugh, Mr. Alderman
Gibbons, Admiral Colliuson, Mr. Hamilton, Mr. Cyril
Graham; Colonel Sykes, M.P., Colonel Rigby, Mr. Spottis-
woode, Mr. John Arrowsmith, Mr. M'Queen, Sir Eardley
•Eardley, Dr. Livingstone, Mr. Francis Galton, Captain
Grant, Sir Thomas Fremantle, Colonel. G. Balfour, Mr.
Macdowell Stuart, *Mr. Manockjee CUrsetjee, Mr. Hogg,
Dr. J. Kirk, Dr. A. Keith-Johnston, Mr. Edward Stan-
ford, Dr. Wollick, Sir Charles Nicholson, Mr. James Fer-
guson, Colonel Baker, Mr. Barrington d'Almeida„ Dr. Rae,
Professor Tennant, M.,Vambery, Captain Brine.
The gold medals " for the Encouragement of Geogra-
phical Science and Discovery" wore then awarded. The
founder's modal was presented to Captain Montgomery,
R.E., for his great trigonometrical survey from the Plains
of the Punjab to the Karakoram Range, embracing an area
of 56,000 square miles. The patron's medal was next
awarded to Mr. Samuel Baker, for his vigorous explora-
tions, entirely at his own cost, in the interior of Africa.

Sir RODERICK MURCHISON, the President, then pro-
ceeded to deliver the annual address on the progress of
geography. It was a very elaborate, and in many respects
an interesting document, occupying about two hours in
the delivery, and here a summary of it is all that can be
expected. Ho commenced , with short sketches of the
lives of the deceased Fellows during the year, noticing
especially those of the Duke of Northumberland,
Admiral Fitzroy, and the' lamented Spoke. He then re-
viewed at great length the condition of geographical science
and discovery when the society was established, and dwelt
on the extent to which the range of geographical knowledge
had been augmented in the 35 years of its existence. With
the progress of exploration (said Sir Roderick) nearly two-
thirds of Australia had now been either settled or partially
explored, while the population, which in the year 1830
amounted only to about 50,000, has risen to near 1,500,000
of inhabitants. With establishments at Cape York, Van
Diemen's Gulf, and I hope also soon to add, at the mouth
of the Northern Victoria River, and, thanks to our admir-
able naval surveyors, with a secure passage laid down for
all vessels navigating northwards within the barrier reefs
of the east coast, by Queensland to Torres Straits, this gene-
ration will not pass away before a brisk intercourse will be
established between Australia and our East Indian posses-
sions, China, and Japan. I now see rapidly approaching
that consummation which some of my less sanguine friends
looked upon as a dream, when in a former address I said,
" I have little doubt that the time will soon come when al
minor difficulties will disappear before the energy of Bri-
tish colonists, in their endeavours to connect their Austra-
lian possessions with the rich marts of the eastern hemi-
sphere." Having adverted to many of the leading geogra-
phical advances made by our countrymen since the origin of
this society, let me say that great as these steps have been
they still leave countless unexplored fields for the labours
of ourselves and successors. Although a very large portion
of Australia has in comparatively few years been more or
less explored, yet we know that the spaces which lie between
the routes taken by various travellers in the interior of that
continent are of vast width, that an enormous region en-
tirely unvisited separates the colonies of South and West
Australia, while a large portion of the north coast, with its
fine bays and headland, has still to be surveyed in detail.
In America much stout work remains to occupy for many a
year the most ardent explorers. For, although much has
been done by the enterprising travellers and geographers of
the United States, and the great territory of the Hudson
Bay Company has been so much and so well examined since
the days of Mackenzie, we have recently seen how an =-
assisted young English nobleman and his companion could
bring to us fresh knowledge respecting the western side of
the Rocky Mountains and a portion of British Columbia.
As to South America, we obtained proofs at our last meet-
ing but one of the imperfect acquaintance we possess with
important parts of New Granada, now styled the United
Republics of Columbia. Mr. Oliphant, indeed, recalled our
attention to the often-disputed question as to the best
and most feasible passage for ships or by rail across the
Central American Isthmus, and made us regret that in the
very parallel where the Atlantic and Pacific approach
nearest each other there—i.e., between the River Bayanos
and Mindinga Bay—no European had traversed the inter-
vening short space of 15 miles. If we turn to Asia—the
cradle of the human race—even that continent presents to
the eye of the geographer as many terra: incognital as Aus-
tralia, Africa, and America. In the huge empire of China
and its dependencies what numerous journeys must yet be
made to test the value of the recitals of Klaproth and other
Chinese scholars respecting regions not visited by Europeans
since the days of Marco Polo, except in certain linos by
Huc and Gabet, whose works, however interesting in other
respects, have failed in affording us sound geographical
knowledge. Among the =described tracts dependent upon
China is, for example, the great peninsula of the Korea lying
between China proper and Japan. Twice conquered by the
Japanese, the Koreans are now tributary to China ; ingots,
furs, and other articles, being annually sent as tribute to
Pekin, with which capital they also keep up a trade in carts,
which travel round the head of the groat gulf of Leotung.
With regard to other parts of Asia, I may first point to New
Guinea, and here express my thanks to Sir Charles Nichol-
son for having specially called our attention to the impor-
tance of extending a survey of the accessible parts of this
vast but little-known land, lying within a few hours' sail
of the eastern promontory of Australia. The next ne-
glected country to which I would call your attention is the
small group of the Philippines, consisting, according to
Spanish estimate, of 400 inhabited islands, one of which is
one-half larger than Ireland, and the whole containing (ex-
clusive of mountain negroes) a population of the Malayan
race, amounting to 5,000,000, very tolerably civilized and
converted to Christianity. Concerning this mighty archi-
pelago of the Philippines, which is within a couple of days'
steaming of China, of five days' steaming of our own settle-
ments,'and with which, exclusive of the Indian trade, we
carry on a direct commerce of the annual value of above
£2,500,000 there is not a single paper in our records.
Finally, the empire of Japan remains for exploration, with
its computed 30,000,000 of people, the most ingenious and
industrious of all the nations of Asia next to the Chinese.
Our direct commerce with Japan is already of the value of
£1,500,000, the Japanese exports consisting chiefly of tea
and silk—commodities which the Japanese never exported
before, and which must, therefore, be considered as the
offspring of their newly-stimulated industry. The perusal
of the excellent volume which Livingstone is just about to
issue, with the assistance of his brother Charles, and the
natural history details and descriptions of Dr. Kirk, and
the geology of poor young Thornton, will show you that
there aro still great unknown regions in Southern Africa.
What we have now to hope for is that the vigorous and
devoted Samuel Baker shall have been enabled to work out

in the interior one great feature of the geographical problem
which Spoke believed he hq,d solved. When last heard of,
Mr. Baker was at Unyoro, and wo most earnestly hope that
ho may have been enabled to settle the question as to the
southernmost origin of the waters which flow westward of
the Upper Nile of Spoke and Grant, which descends from
the elevated plateau in which the groat Lake Victoria
Nyanza lies. In the meantime, however, it has been deemed
highly desirable to endeavour to determine the real water-
shed of South Africa by an examination in the first place of
the region lying between the Lake Nyassa of Livingstone
and tho Tanganyika of Burton and Spoke, by sending a
well-considered expedition to that part of Africa. Advert-
ing next to the projected expedition to the North Pole, Sir
Roderick said—Desirous of ascertaining the opinion of
that eminent Russian circumnavigator and Arctic explorer,
Admiral Lutke, President of the Imperial Academy of
Sciences at St. Petersburg, I begged him to lay our pro-
ject before the body over which he presides. In this way
a committee of distinguished philosophers, all of them
great travellers, drew up a report, which was cordially ap-
proved by the Imperial Academy, and communicated tome
by the perpetual secretary, accompanied by a most encou-
raging letter from the president himself, who assured me
that the Imperial Geographical Society and the president,
the Grand Duke Constantine, also warmly approve the pro-
ject. The Academicians of Russia conclude by expressing
their belief in the force of the sentiment to which our
Council has given utterance, that this survey, in addition
to keeping up the spirit of adventure in our navy, will be
the best possible preparation for the future exploration of
those Antarctic lands, on which, in 1882, the transit of
Venus over the sun can alone be observed with accuracy.
Fortified by such powerful support, I have, on the part, of
the Council, appealed to the First Lord of the Admiralty
and her Majesty's Government, enumerating the advan-
tages to be derived from a North Polar expedition, and at
the same time have transmitted copies of all tho various
supporting documents from other societies, together with
the reports of our own discussions, in the earnest hope that
the numerous and powerful reasons assigned may bring
about a successful issue. But if, after all our efforts, we
should fail in obtaining our request, we shall enjoy the
satisfaction of having been sustained by the science of
Europe, and of having been opposed only by masses—alas!
too numerous in this age—who see no merit in any ad-
vancement of knowledge if it does not carry with it politi-
cal or monetary profit.

At the conclusion of the address, on the motion of Sir
H. RAWLINSON, the thanks of the meeting wore most cor-
dially voted to the President. The mooting then separated.
In the evening the members of the society and others to