The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1897-12-13

unknown country, an area larger by
one-half than the total area Of the
United States. is waiting the scientists
visit to Africa.
Strange tales come 10 Us at intervals
OF race of white people living in the
far interior. No civilized man has ever
reached their country, which Is SAID TO
be on the skirts Of desert extremely
dangerous TO cross. Efforts made from
time to time to reach these people have
been repulsed by the fierce tribes sur
rounding them. A Mahometan priest
named AL Hadji saw one of the tribe
some years since while on pilgrimage
to Mecca al Hadji described the man
as being as white as any European he
had ever met, with light hair and blue
eyes. Who will find these people?
Australia is another great field for
the explorer. Developments as strange
and important as those attending the
efforts of the African heroes may await
the traveller ON the continent OF the
Pacific. More than 100000 square
miles of unmapped and unknown coun-
try awaits the venturesome individual
who shall endeavor TO penetrate its
wilderness.
South America is also entitled to con-
sideration. There are parts of it that
are less known than any other in the
world, not even excepting Africa or
Australia. For some reason travellers
have neglected the Southern Hemis-
phere. 1t is thought the unhealthy CHI
mates of the southern zone are respon-
sible, but this scarcely explains the
lack of knowledge concerning districts
in the higher attitudes.
The result of DR.. Won Steinens trip
up the Xingu tributary of the Amazon,
! the discoveries of new tribes and GU
rious remains of earlier occupation,
were sufficient to stimulate further
energy in this direction. Not the least
interesting would be particulars con-
corning the tribes of negroes, descend
ants of the Spanish slaves who escaped
to the wilderness to found tribes more
i barbarous even than those from which
they were taken in Africa.
The head waters of the Amazon, the
interior of Brazil and Ecuador and even
F, the OrinOco, are awaiting investigation.
Results extremely important to man
1 Ii in no
alton of these districts. It has only
been a few years since we learned that
| Western Patagonia offers great oppor-
tunities to the cattle raiser, and that
Land of Fire. is also adapted to sheep
| farming and other kinds of stock rails
ing.
Even the sea is not without it's OPP
portunities. 1t is belived that many
/ islands of the Pacific and lower Allan
| tic have never been visited by white
men. This statement may be hard to
believe, but there are many evidences
of it's truth. Within the last few years
group of islands hitherto unknown
i has been placed on the map to the
northward of New Guinea. Two ISL
ands have also been added to those
comprising the Bismarck Archipelago,
and dozens of others in isolated posi-
tons are the revelations of recent DAYS.
GeOgraphers estimate that at least $780,
900 square miles of island territory re-
main to be explored, and when the
matter is given thought the theory
seems possible enough
! Take the interesting land of New
/ Guinea as an example. Half as large
as Alaska, and with a climate more
conducive to successful exploration. it
is still but little known, excepting
along the principal water courses. New
Guinea would be veritable paradise
for the explorer with a fondness for
natural history. It's flora is among the
most wonderfully diversified in the
word, and it is as richly endowed with
peculiar forms of animal, insect and
bird life. The obstacle which has stood
in the way Of exploration in New
Guinea has been it's savage inhabitants.
| Though there are some peaceful tribes.
many are still cannibals, who fiercely
resent the encroachment of the
stranger
| British America and Alaska are both
| largely unmapped. Any recent chart
of either territory will present large
| spaces which, if not marked 'unexplor-
| ed show by the absence of natural
features that they are unknown to
imapmakers.
| In addition, there still remain the
great Arctic and Antarctic fields. They
are mentioned last because the fact of
these icy regions of the north and
south poles being unknown is patent to
the school boy with his first geography.
The advances Of science in recent years
make it possible that some of us NAV
yet be pretty we'll informed regarding
the physical peculiarities Of these dis
tricts. Nevertheless, the obstacles are
so great-they have defeated the most
determined efforts for centuries-that
there is no certainty of when or how
the secrets of the polar regions NAV he