New-York tribune., 1876-02-28
A YEARS EXPLORATIONS.


IlER RACEs-ExPLoRATIONs AND DISCOVERIES
IN OTHER QUARTERS OF TIE WORLD
Chief Justice Charles =. DAILY, President Oh
tho American Geographical Society delivered 'ne
address before that body Saturday evening a' N'-
ertng Hall Col +. A. Conklng presided oh lhe lat
hrn were Professors Theodore ". Dwight H. d. ditch
rock and sterry Hunt, ex-Judge H. E Daves' 'AJudge
Peabody, DIR. Calhoun of Syria, Dr schan W. kemsen'
E,ial F. Hall James F. Gardner, Harlow ". Hoyt, sam
ael b Ruggles, the Rev. DR. VIM ADAM, W. H. honeh'
Geo Cabot Ward, and the Rev Father BerrlnG' col-
,iderabe addition the membersmp OF the society WIS
made Judge DAILY presented comprehensive state
mnnt of the Explorations, DISCOVERIES, ana "eograph-
,cal work of the world il 1872! Of which the following
h summary
The first quarter OF the latter hall OF the nineteenth
nv activity in eveIy branch scientific inquiry, hut
particularly in geographical eAloauon anu % tSe
1reat ave of maritime discovery that began early in the
fifteenth ccn:ary with the exploration Of the western
sircumna OF the globe by Magellan Inc revived
suterest geographical exploration may be SAID 10 nave
dated from the establishment Of the Paris. Berlin, ana
london (RoyaD Geographical Societies IN ISL ls-o anu
The geographical explorations and abOrs in the United
States during the year consisted chiefly OF the cOhnu
OF when IaNe prctiI9V t tsen srveyf an the United
States Corps OF Englneers-the smithsonian
sDd the explorations and surveys under the vi
he Navy Department and of the department OF te IN
ttrior Mr Win H. Dali who, in connection with the
oast Survey has been engaged Ia abors upon the norn
west coast OF America, has, alter careful observations
determined the hight of Mount 81. Elas the highest
mountain in the United States to be 1900 ieet, win
the possible Of 500 feet Mount Fairweather l15OO
and Mount CrillOn 15,9OO, and asceralned approx
matiyely nights of Mounts Cook Vancouver and La
Perouse OF opinion that these mountains are
volcanic origin has been heretofore supposed
hundredt6 meridian have been carried on over
southern and Southwestern Colorado and Northwest
rock have extremely favorable impressions of the dis
tict It is well tmbered the soil is suited to vegetable
au1la
water can be cultivated by system OF tanks, The
region IS now no more unpTomlsihS thh was Ieatne
found abundant traces of former population upon the
EOeeue plateau of Northwestern New Mexico On one
town was found called Crstone The wall at first
appeared quite inaccessible, but by ehnolhg rounu
the eastern face Of the precipee, IT was dscoN,
stSSes ssSS .nS' number Of 8SeS wefS si position
In the Moqus villages of Arizona. descrioed by Ives
ana NewberTy towns were perched on high erninences
for the purpose OF defense but placed near some stream
Whleh SndOieu tne hutDl'as Z 70 49, st VI ,Iasa
ruDe is very remarkable There were no indica-
tions that the inhabitants these great eeya
plOyed Pottery was found distributed on the denuded
hills for many miles, with every indication that tns now
unpeOped region OF the Gaiinas was formerly as IOp
ous are now the more densely populated Eastern or
Middle states; the number 0l uuuun-s 10 IN, tno
square mile being equal TO II not greater , tnan
the number now existing in the rural districts
Of New-Jersey and Pennsy yanl9 Ihe e1faolM-
nary fact in connection with these ruined towns
u them from water many being distance OF 20 miles
from the nearest source OF supply Inc 7 exist
know nothing of the people who formerly inhaolted II.
DR. Loew explored runs OF the same character In New
Mexico In Azau of the ruins found were fortified
structures, having as many as 900 rooms over tc SUI
rounding plain solitary round buildings were pl0ilsey
scattered and all of these ruins are fifteen miles distant
nom any water But in respect 10 these particular runs
the explorers were told by Indian guide that there
cisrDs upon the in which the rain had been
eaught Upon the narrow ridge Of one OF the mesas be
tween colossal walls of sandstone close TO tLe ishi
preeimee of the cnons, the runs OF town were found
Of 80 houses partly in parallel TS@s PIIE tHd
Nearly every house had story aud two rooms
broken pottery. charrcd and primitive instruments
for grinding were found. The position appeared
the Spuars took IT, and that the despair OF the people
was SO great at ITS capture that they the" themselves
headiong into the iIightiu abyss below.
froi Jenny spent i've months with party IN in, the the
from an ocean OF grass and treecovered plains The
climate healthy, wenteth Of the land arabic, and
te hlsde nj for grazing The gold fields are not Ilch
vey occupied in the Colorado Mountains from June
TO November surveying %1OOO square m!es I'D thc sOut,
western corner Of the Territory over 5000 gold and
silver claims have been recorded here within three
and roads have penetrated to the widest districts The
party which has been exploring the Colorado now
cal -dIyey of the Territories, which Is under the charge
Prof \. Il. Thompson During the last year the
kdv L,;pS an area of ahont 600 s0uare miles com.
posed almost wholly Of volcanic rocks and presenting
the volcanic phenomena upon great scale highly varied
and complex.
The memoir of the late Prof j. wyman upon the shell
heap mounds and prehistoric remains the ST. Johns
published curing the year by the Peabody Academy OF
Sciences The shcll-heap mounds the ST. Johns River
are the remains OF people who were neither Ils4lrr-
sis hunters but wuO lived upon shellish. This Is
evident OI The quantity OF the shell mounds and the
rude state Of the arts among these people VINO are sup
posed been OF the Carib Fragments OF pot
terry found, although not III the oldest mounds, aud
also fCpCts ana Tools anu implements OF stone, D0He,
shell. stone implements, however, being rare HUI
bones were found but SO broken ana distributed as
10 make that they had not been deposited in
graves but the remains u canniOal easts. The
these mounds can be liked ouy approximately Trees
growing over teIu ana oJher Indications snow that lhey
existed least two OF three years before the discovery Of
Tie important Arctic event Of the year has been the
dispatch of expedition by the British Government for
tho discovery the Pole under the command OF Capt
Hos When last heard from, the expedition had safely
entered Smiths sound and great hopes are entertained
OF by siedgng number OF Otler e4Iedu0ns nave Deen
sent BY the Russian Cove nmen and also several by
private parties 4 Swedish Arctic Expedition, under
Prof NOTdensiOd, dispatched last Summer in the
Proven tue expense OF single individual O. Dickson
Nova Zembla ana the NorI and 60 as far as the
mouth Of tie OBI and tic Ycnsse, which, 1t sup
In prehistoric remains Ihey Penetrated az Tar a. 10 10
North lat. when they sailed for the Ycnissei The
NORTHEAST Island and found the mouths Of the Obi and
Tor fhe establishment Of trade between Europe and
siberia which VIII enable the rich products OF Siberia TO
Gnl m ouflet along her great rivers Tie explorers W re
sui nOrtn limits Of the polar circle, which might
be supposed 10 be region covered with ice aud snow
but on the contrary they found the vegetation most
luxurlant and beautiful.
About the year lsls Capt J. Q. symnes officer OF
the gular army vi The United States advanced Tie
theory TO the propagation OF which he devoted tie fe
ma nder Of hisbfe that the ear was hollow, and IN
hatited within, win opening at the poie when be-
Hole" HIS son, now an old m0I has revived II, ana
advocating IT, as his fatner dd, by delivering puOe le'
fures Tie fathers theory Opening
In the Arctic about l9OO miles In diameter, ana
somewhat wider az the Antarctic; and now ulat We nave
reached within 800 miles of the pole about nall Of the
asumed diameter OF the supposed hole, without sDy IN
acsuOn OF It's existence, the believes tnat II
wod have found evidence Of the truth OF the theory
There Is comparatively htto 70 state IN respect ~
In l.ttla hR IRAN a.