THE EXPLORING WORK OF THE YEAR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 9271, 5 August 1893, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE EXPLORING WORK OF THE YEAR.

Ix his review of the exploring work of the year, the president of the Royal Geographical Society mentioned first the region round the poles. It was hoped that Lieutenant Peary would have come to England about this date and given us an account of his interesting expedition to the north coast of Greenland, from M'Cormic Bay, by land. Unfortunately he hud to give up his visit to Europe. His journey over the ice of the interor revealed somewhat the same conditions as were seen ay himself on his former journey into the interior, and by Hansen when he crossed the ice-bound land. Lieutenant Peary reached the north coast to tho south east of the furthest point attained by Beaumont, and had thus confirmed the conjecture that the coast trends to the south-east. Lieutenant Peary contemplated another expedition to the same coast, partly with a view of further exploring it, and partly for the purpose of making it the point of departure for an attempt to push northwards. No precise date, however, seemed to have been fixed for his departure. Mr. Frederick Jackson, a young Englishman, fired by the example of ansen and Peary, had brought before the public a scheme for pushing on to tho polo by Fran/, Joseph Land. Lieutenant Ryder's expedition to East Greenland, which returned to Denmark during the year, made important additions to our knowledge of that inhospitable coast, on which he discovered a magnificent series of fjords. An interesting attempt, partly supported by the society and by Mr. Leigh Smith, was made in the past year to add to our knowledge of the Antarctic. As in past years, Africa continued to bulk more largely than any other continent in the summary of tho year's exploring work. In the summer of fast year an expedition left England for East Africa, of which much was expected. It was under the leadership of Mr. Astoc ('hauler, a wealthy young American, who, while fond of sport, had a real interest in exploration. He was accompanied by an Austrian officer, Lieutenant Von Hohnel, who had already done good service in the region to the east and north-east of Lake Victoria. From information which had readied us, the expedition had already done valuable work in the region to the east, of Mount Kcnia, watered by the Tana River, and was now probably pushing its way into the region lying to the north of Kenw.