Evening star., 1897-01-30
Explorations That We're Made Dur
ing the Past Year..
DARING FEAT BY LAND AND Sci
Late Conquests in Remote Quar-
tiers of the Globe.
W 81 AT STILL RE AIMS

written Tor Ihe Evening Star.
In briefly surveying the work that has
been accomplished by travellers during the
past twelve or eighteen months and the
field Of exploration that is left unfinished
by these labors, 1t is made manifest that
the planet which we inhabit is not yet fully
conquered. 1t Is true that the sources Of
the Nile have no longer to be searched
after, and that the northwest and north
east passages. even if their discovery has
not led to that commercial success which
the ventures of a hundred years ago pos
sibly anticipated. find their records Of
achievement in past history; but enough
remains to add luster to the title of an ex-
plorer which need not be dimmed by the
recollection of the triumph of a Ross,
Kane, DUrville, Livingstone, Burton,
Barth, Speke, Baker or Stanley. Africa
still has its terra incognita, and SO have
Asia, Australia and South America theirs.
and If these unknown lands" are rapidly
rapher. they yet hold up service to the
scientist who follows in the path of the
geographer, and to whom the world is to-
day looking for the highest Gloss of infor-
nation that Is to be obtained.
The most brilliant piece of recent ex-
ploration Is unquestionably Nansen's heroic
effort to reach the "farthest north;" II he
has failed to reach the ultima thule of the
explorer, to plant his flag upon the much
coveted north pole. he has at least sue
ceeded in arriving nearer to it by some
200 miles than any previous voyager of the
arctic seas. How long the record of 81 de-
grees Il minutes will stand cannot be fore
told, but there is reason to hope and to
believe. with the advances that have latter
ly been made in polar work and knowledge
and the activity which Is being manifested
in this field of inquiry. that it will be chal-
lenged and passed before many years.
Nansen's greatest contribution to geo
graphical knowledge is not the attaining of
his high northern position, but the determi-
nation of the existence Of profo indy
deep sea (of some 1900 to 1900 feet in
the far north, for it had been almost uni
versally assumed by geographers that the
arctic basin was a comparatively shallow
one.
A Problem Solved.
In the continent of Africa the hand of the
| explorer has not been idle; another of its
main features has been sketched out and
| the problem of the Niger solved.
1t is just one hundred years ago that
Mungo Park, one of the most intrepid of
modern travellers, then in his twenty fifth
year, set out to explore the course of what
| at that time was assumed to be the second
| river of Africa. Little or nothing was then
| known Of the Congo. and scarcely more,
except in the immediate region Of its null
| titudinCus mouths, of the Niger itself.
| Whether this river had a main course from
| the east, or one from the west was still tC
| be determined. After traversing various
Kingdoms. and undergoing numerous hard
ships and tOrments, not the least of which
was enforced captivity with the native
| tribes, Park succeeded in reaching portion
| OF the upper course of this great African
| river to which he was directing his explo-
| raticns. Nine years later, in command OF
| a second expedition. he penetrated to the
important commercial town Of Bammako
| hut the full measure of his researches was
| cut short by an untimely death by drown.
| n ~ w nj in ho Iii rJcv,, o1
| Sokoto, in an effort to escape hostile pur.
| suers
From that time to this Niger geography
has been one of the problems Of African
exploration and If it has not, perhaps, at
| tracted as much attention on the part OF
travellers as did the main question of the
Nile-the discovery of its ultimate source
| 1t is because the region of exploration r
| West Africa is a much more difficult one
| Yet it Is in connection with this work thai
the names of Lander. Clapperton, Laird
| OverWeg and Barth have been rendered
famous. Every successive quarter of
century has added something to our knowl
edge of the general course of this river, but
singularly enough, UP to the present year
the work Of exploration has not been sucl
as to make continuous study. and sec
tions of the intermediate course of tn,
| river have remained as unknown as though
no work had been conducted in the regior
before.
| The announcement is now made that tn
full exploration of the river has beel
brought to successful completion by tn
French traveller, Capt. Hourst, who IL
boats descended the stream from Bam
mako and Timbuctoo to the actual mouth
| The journey was begun in January, 1896
and terminated in the early days Of Oc
| tober with the arrival at Okassa OF tn
long section between Timbuctoo and Sa,
hardly any trustworthy information ha
heretofore existed, and Barth himself kney
but scattered parts Of both banks. TIL
journey of Capt. Hourst thus makes
memorable addition to African knowledge
and 1t closes nearly the last importan
problem connected with the geography o
the dark continent" It has, moreover,
great commercial significance, since it es
tablishes the fact that. despite the presenc
here and there Of impeding rapids, the rive
is practically navigable throughout its en-
tire course.
In the Heart of Asia.
The heart Of Asia, in the remarkable ex
plorations of Mr.. st. George Littledale-
his traverse Of the Kuenlun range and @
the great eastern plateau of Tibet, the SC
called Chang-adds chapter to the travel
ers record which will stand side by sid
!; with those of Younghusband, Bonvalo
Przevalski, Pundit Krishna and Rockhil
1t is the beginning toward filling in til
great cartographical blank which begin
with the northern Himalaya chain and end
with the Altai and with which are assc
ciated the headwaters Of some of tn
I l Au6hty IlNcIS u INC SlOUe-lITdudQl, 1dUt
TIE and Mekong. This Tibetan plateau, q
, has been properly pointed out by Gel
, Walker, chief Of the trigonometrical surve
of India. is the largest protuberance Of tn
, earth's surface, and its physiographic fes
: lures are among the most unique and in
posing that this globe presents. Toward II
: exploration will doubtless be directed muc
! of the energy of travel during the ne1
quarter of q century.
In brief dispatch addressed to the go,
ernor Of Queensland. Australia, Sir Wi
I, liam MacGregor, the administrator of Bri
: ish New Guinea, announces that "witho,
g loss Of life or limb he has successful
I made the first crossing Of New Guine
9 Through this venture, therefore, anoth,
U one Of the presumably inaccessible region
Of the earth's surface has fallen submissi,
q before mans determination and darin
Various attempts to penetrate into the Il
9 terior Of New Guinea have from time
q time been made, but owing to the hosti
!. character OF the native tribes, the dem
g vegetable growth. and the comparative Il
q significance Of the water courses tending
Z make avenues Of travel, these efforts ha,
J, met with but little success, while in son
instances the determination of the perso
mel of the expedition has been the on