THE

ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY

OF LONDON,

15, WHITEHALL PLACE.

PATRON, THE QUEEN.

ORIGIN, OBJECTS, AND PROGRESS.

THE Royal Geographical Society was founded in the year 1830, and shortly afterwards the African and Palestine Associations* were incorporated into it.

The objects of the Society were at an early period stated to be1. To collect, register, digest, and print, in a cheap and convenient form, such useful and interesting facts and discoveries as the Society might from time to time acquire.

2. To collect a Library of Geographical Works, ancient and modern; Voyages and Travels; Instruments; Maps and Charts; as well as such Documents and Materials as might convey the readiest information to persons intending to visit Foreign Countries, and who might again in their turn there deposit the results of their observations for the benefit of the Public.

3. To prepare brief instructions for such as are setting out on their travels, pointing out the parts most desirable to be visited; the best and most practical means of proceeding thither; the researches most essential to make; phenomena to be observed; the subjects of Natural History most desirable to be procured; and to obtain all such information as might tend to the extension of our Geographical Knowledge.

4. To Correspond with similar Societies in different parts of the world, with foreign individuals engaged in Geographical pursuits, and with intelligent British subjects in the various Settlements of the Empire.

5. To reward with a Medal, or otherwise, such individuals as in the opinion of the Council had of late contributed most towards the advance of Geographical Science and Discovery.

In order to show, at a glance, the various inquiries which it was proposed to encourage, the leading divisions of the science were thus arranged :

*The former established in 1788; the latter in 1805.

Geography

(Of the mass and form of the globe.
Absolute Motions and intrinsic properties of the globe.
Of effects from celestial causes.

(Natural divisions and geological features of the world.
Mountains, places, deserts, mines, and minerals.
Particulars of the animal and vegetable kingdoms.

Physical Seas, lakes, rivers, and springs.

Special

Political

Currents, tides, hydrographical data.
Climate, winds, weather, and seasons.

(Volcanoes, earthquakes, and other phenomena.

(Ancient and modern history of the earth.
The distribution of races and languages.

Names, derivations, and revolutions of states and cities.
Latitudes and longitudes, astronomical and geodesical.
The variation, dip, and other magnetic phenomena.
Determination of heights and distances.

(Relative magnitudes of all countries and nations.

(Population, division of the people, general statistics.
Artificial divisions of lands, agriculture, produce.
Commerce, manufactures, fisheries.

Government, manners, customs, laws, policy.
Canals, roads, mills, bridges, markets.
Religion, education, forces, arts.

A.-JOURNAL.

In the pursuit of these objects, the Society has published an Annual Journal of Transactions, comprising a large number of interesting Memoirs, and prepared with great care. The Journal, now extending to twenty-four volumes (to the first twenty of which a "General Index" has been published), contains the most important original papers read before the Society, illustrated by numerous costly Maps and Diagrams, by our best practical geographers, such as Arrowsmith, Walker, Findlay, Hughes, &c.

These volumes comprise nearly 500 original papers, of which 15 are on Europe, 130 on Asia, 78 on Africa, 83 on America, 44 on Australia and the Islands, 26 on General Geography, besides 120 Analyses of Works and Miscellaneous Articles. The Illustrations consist of 185 Maps and Charts, besides 59 Views, Cuts, and Diagrams, which have greatly contributed to the improvement of the maps prepared for the public by geographers.

Among the names of the authors of the above papers may be mentioned those of

Abich, Ainsworth, Allen, Back, Baer, Baines, Barker, Barrow, Barth, Beke, Bethune, Bollaert, Brierly, Brown, Brunner, Buist, Burnes, Burton, Butakoff, Carless, Carter, Chaix, Chesney,