Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1884-10-18
GEOGRiPHtclL NorEs.


thteHU from The london 4DfhrBWnu.
News have been received at Rangoon Of the
arrival at Bangkok OF the Holt Ilallett ex-
ploring party, which started in January last
from Moulmein, the journey having lasted
| five months aud a half After leaving Moul.
mein the route taken was through the north
Of Siam, region hitherto little known. The
party were well received by the tribes through.
out, but they suiieredm much from fever, dysent
cry, and small poS. Survey operations will
be resumed when the rainy season is over.
Up to the present nearly 1000 miles Of country
have been surveyed Important observations
| of the natural features have been taken, and
as TO the aboriginal people OF the northern
tracts and the histories Of the several Shan
states.
| The naturalist NJ. Regal, who has recently
been exploring the country lying between Sam
nrcand and Merv, furnishes few notes upon
that region TO the Tutkistan Gazette. al
quilted Samarcand, he writes, "on April Sth.
and crossed the frontier of nokharaon the NOR.
row. The border lands in the vicinity Of Zatdns
and Kermina offered little OF interest. The
flora is not remarkable. Agriculture is deeli
ming in consequence Of the scarcity Of water
The mountain ridge which extends along the
left bank Of the Zarayshan and terminates on
thewest bank Of kermina are situate almost in
the same meridian with the southern extremity
of the kuuatagtim or Nooratim mountains
They are ,reeless and barren" The flora Of
the steppe between Kerminn and the oasis of the
town of Bokhara is one of great interest.
3okharn itself though of considablc extent
and well populated, has but little ground
under culture. The oases of Karakoul, form.
erly known for its fertility, is now in state Of
decndence. owing to the drying up of the Zar.
iavshan. The sands which stretch for breadth
Of thirty versts from this oasis TO the Amou
Darya are accounted impossible to vehicular
traffic.
I'm recent paper read at Sydney before the
Geographical Society of Australasia, Mr.
Robert Drew described his exploration of what
is still, perhaps the least known part of the
New Guinea coast, viz, westward from Torres
Straits TO and beyond Prince Frederick Henry
Island, which, according to this explorer, diff
fers considerably from what is usually sup.
posed. He first ascended to distance of
twenty to twenty. five miles river which he
named the Chester, thirty miles west of the
Mai Kassa river, and running through a
similar county. Here, it may be noted, the
traveller tells the story told by Others, but as
yet unexplained, Of gigantic grazing animal,
unseen, but heard at night by all the party,
and traced in the morning by its droppings and
tracks through the broken trees. Ninety
miles north west from Deliverance Island he
passed floating and apparently solid island,
some three acres in extent, composed of tress
and aeb,iS, testiiying TO the force and volume
of the rivers and mudbanks compac,cd by
similar materials are met along this coast.
Some twenty miles further west the coast be
comes higher and bolder, the mangrove
swamps are replaced by vast cocoanut forests,
behind which, inland, extend open plains
studded with cocoanut and other fruit trees,
and we'll adapted for sugar and cotton and also
for cattle raising. The coast retains this
character as far as and beyond Prince Freder.
ick Henry Island. Some 1870 to I4o miles
west from Deliverance Island, in about g. 10
S. lat, is an inabitated isand named by Mr.
Drew Discovery Island. 1t forms with the
adjacent coast good natural harbor, giving
additional value to the distric, for settling pur.
poses the natives OF this south coast, too, are,
according TO his experience, well disposed, and
very different from the Solomon Islanders
Throughout the voyage he found the seas
swarming with dugong and sharks, and
abounding in pearl she'll