The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-04-01
A new :. COUNTRY |. D
is BADLY WANTED
Dr.. Rivers, Explorer, Says the People
Have Outsrownt the Earth's Hab-
table Area.

! A fresh impetus has been given to
! work of explorers in the Arctics and lii
unknown lands by the recently-pub-
lished statement OF the English explor-
er, Dr.. Rivers, that the population Of
the earth has outgrown its present acco-
mmoda tons and that newer and larger
oua rters must be found for its inhabi-
tauts Republics must be formed and
lands must be found for them.
Where will the next republic be To-
Gated?
The Burg1leEs settled the subject years
ago when tiGoy migrated to South Afri-
ca and formed their republic. They elected
rulers, made laws, built up the country
and prospered.
Are all portions CT the earcil so filled
u2 now that future settlements are i'm
possible; will those who want TO get
away in the overflow of any country
find it Impossible to select a spot which
SHALL be comfortable and fertile?
Hardly!
There are explorers out all the time
looking for such a land. and any hour
may bring tidings of their success. Said
Dr. Rivers on the subject:
with an uneNplored area equal to
one-ffth of all the known land on this
globe, it can scarcely be claimed that
the work of the explorer is finished. !,
Even in America-North and South
there are two millions of square miles
of which we know absolutely nothing
In Australia there is an equal tract OF
mnexplored territory. In Africa there
are ever six millions of square miles or
unknown land to attract the adventur-
Gus traveller, and in the polar regions
there remain between nine anu ten Hli-
lions still ,lnmapped.
'.Surroundine the southern axis Of the
Garth. we are warranted In drawing the
coast-line of Il vast unknown continent.
covering the greater part OF the territory
lying within the Antarctic circle. Such
lands are as now cfarted have been
sighted at great distance. and the
mapping is greatly in need of authenti-
fication. No one or at least no one in
modern times, has passed whole year
in the Antarctic, and such observations
as have been made have been cortlned
to the short summer months.
$50 little is known OF this vast terri
tory that speculation suggests that this
unknown, and. in many places. unap-
proa enable, land, may prove to be
continent, which, with the outlying Is
lands, covers a region OF eight million
square miles, an area equal to one-sixth
of the entire land surface of the globe
a continent as large as North Ameri-
ca.
africa will soon be an open book, If
expora tons in the future keeps pace
with what has been accomplished In the
past A great part of the work has been
by what might be called amateur ex-
plorers-people who travel for amuse-
ment and to add strange and fierce Wild
beasts to the game scores
"Frederick Jackson. in command OF the
expedition fitted out in England by A. Z.
FarTnswortf to seek the North Pole by
way of Franz Josef Land. was long at
work on this polar problem; Nansen also
aimed for the same poiHt by his own
way, which was to drift there in d spec
ially-desi@ned Ship and Robert Stein. of
the United States Geological Survey. went
to establish 4 new route bE the way
Of the west coast of Illesmere land and
Jones Sound.
'.For the exploration of the south
polar regions DR.. Frederick A Good. OF
Brooklyn, who was surgeon of PeaTy's
first and most successful expedition. de-
voted himself to raising the funds ne
cessarv to fit out two vessels to. proceed
there, one Of which remained during an
entire winter.