Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1879-04-04
The PArAeoNIAN yxpEDIrIor

'~@-H Va mas iAAS ~ ehN hSdll VI 4AlIlCd
endeayoring to solve the problem Of
the source Of the Nile, which had
puzzled the world from before the
days of HerOdotus, the father of his
tory. Stanley succeeded him and fin
lshed the great work, crossed the con
tinent, descending the Congo and
3lprOving it to be identical with the
Lualaba, which Livingstone thought
was a tributary of the Nile. He is
making engagements to 60 back with
an expedition to the field of his two
former great exploits. James Gordon
Bennett, who bore his expenses the
first time, and shared them equally
with the London Telegraph the sec
Ond time, is about to dispatch the
Jeannette on an Arctic expedition
with view to settle the question of
an open Polar sea and an accessible
route to the North Pole. Lieu
tenant Cameron crossed the continent
of Africa before Stanley, but
this wonderful feat did not settle any
great geographical question. A party
of three French explorers who have
\ been buried from the world in euuato-
rial Africa have lately emerged from
the shades of that almost unknown
region, and give remarkable accounts
OF their surveys and discoveries. A
Norwegian vessel, attempting to solve
the question of passage between the
Atlantic and Pacific by a northern
route, is now locked up somewhere
north of Behring's Straits, and may
possibly be relieved by the Jeanette.
We could go on and enumerate many
daring undertakings in various parts
of the world These, if successful,
would soon leave but little else to be
discovered, and the student of geogra-
ply could obtain all useful informa-
tiOn about the external structure of
our globe from smaller globe or
from maps and charts. This being
done the spirit of scientific inquiry or
idle curiosity would no doubt soon in
wade the bswels of the earth and at
tempt, by building tubular tower of
Babel downward, to find out whether
it is hot at the center Of the earth and
how man would feel in the center
of gravity when there is no such thing
as up or down. 1t would seem that
there is little else to be accomplished
in the way of discoveries in great
physical exploits, but in the Northern
cities the people are wild over walk
ing matches. Paul Boyton, who
swan half around Europe in his float
ing apparatus, is on his way from
Pittsburg to the mouth of the Missis-
sippi river to show that there is some
thing new under the sun; and now
comes the Patagonian expedition,
which started on horseback from New
York at midnight, on the 18th of
February last, for Patagonia, the ex-
IRENE southern portion of South
America. The party, which consists
now of Col. Henry st. Patrick Tudor,
q former officer of the English army,
the founder and commander of the ex-
cursion; Dr. Louis Henry Ayme, of
New York, surgeon and scientist and
Mr. Jas. Neil Hamilton, adjutant, ar
rived in Knoxville last Saturday, and
receiving very hospitable reception,
remained over two days. They make
twenty-five miles a day, and always
rest on Sunday. They have already
travelled over 1000 miles Of their long
and perilous journey. The colonel en-
forces the strictest military discipline,
and observes regular camp rules, as
they never sleep in a bed. A sulky
driven by the doctor contains their
tent, cooking utensils, etc. The colonel
takes notes, as he travels along, of the
country and furnishes letters for Eng
lish journals. This Unique expedition
will pass through Memphis in a week
or two, and will no doubt receive much
attention. 1t will leave the United
States at Brownsville, Texas, and by
that time will be joined by other mem
bers, mostly ex-Confederate and ex-
Union soldiers, until the party num-
bers about twenty-five While there
is novelty and excitement about this
remarkable expedition, the real object
is to see the country and to inyesti-
gate the vast reported resources of
Patagonia, especially its mines of tin,
with view of forming company to
work them. Colonel Tudor expects
to ride into New York on the same
horse with which he started, and to
receive callers at the Fifth Avenue
Hotel on tic first of january, 1881.
That is long look ahead
--------
Mr.. HoUK, new Republican mem.