Geographical Journal (Journal of the Royal Geographical Society): Volume VIII, No. 5 [‎59v] (121/154)

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THE MONTHLY RECORD.
higher on the slopes of the volcano, despite its more southerly and insular position,
which may be partly explained by the dryness of Sicily during the warm months.
The beautiful map which accompanies Dr. Hupfer’s paper shows that the dis
tribution of trees is neither so high nor so extensive as it was seventy years ago.
GENERAL.
Population Maps. —In the second volume of the scientific publications of the
Leipzig Vtrein fur Erdkunde there are two papers on the distribution of population,
one on the kingdom of Saxony, by Dr. Richard Buschick, and the other on West
Central Africa, by Dr. Vierkandt. The former is of especial interest from the map,
which shows the distribution of the people by using various symbols for small
settlements, and various combinations of thin and thick lines which follow the
boundaries of the settlements, whose areas are large enough to be traced. The map
is fairly effective, and gives more precise information than that constructed on the
usual plan of colouring the chosen political region according to the average number
of inhabitants per unit area. In the case of a large-scaled map, such as that given
for the Zwickau district, the white space is actually uninhabited. The value of
these maps would be enhanced if the space inside the lines bounding an area
of settlement were shaded or coloured to show the average density of the popula
tion per unit area, as well as the approximate number of inhabitants within these
lines. The large number of villages with between twenty and two hundred in
habitants, and their regular distribution on the lower lands, is in marked contrast
to the relatively much greater number of single settlements and larger villages in
the mountains. It is interesting to compare these maps with that constructed by
Mr. Bosse for the Royal Scottish Geographical Society’s beautiful Atlas of Scotland,
recently prepared and published by Mr. Bartholomew. In this map the country
without any permanent inhabitants has been outlined and left white, and the
density of population below this line calculated for each parish and indicated in
the usual way. In addition, the number of inhabitants in each town has been
indicated by special signs. This makes the map exceptionally graphic and precise
in the way it presents population statistics. On comparing this with a contour
map, it is seen that comparatively few inhabitants live permanently above 500 feet
in Scotland. Dr. Yierkandt’s population maps of West Central Africa are con
structed in the usual way. The data, however, are very defective, and the author
has usually to rely on the qualitative estimates of travellers. These differ according
to the ideas of their authors, which are usually affected by the nature of the
country previously traversed. The explorer coming from the desert is likely to
term a region thickly inhabited that another, after passing through the populous
parts round the lower Niger, would call thinly settled. The result of a critical
discussion of the available information leads Dr. Yierkandt to conclude that
ordinary estimates of the population of West Central Africa are too high, and he
reduced Prof. Supan’s total of nearly 37 millions to nearly 24 millions. With
this alteration he points out that the total number of inhabitants in Africa, as
estimated by Prof. Supan, is about 150 millions.
Place-Names.* —Besides a glossary of 26G pages, containing compact and
interesting explanations of a number of well-selected names from all parts of the
world, this new work by Canon Taylor contains a prologue of 35 pages, discussing and
expounding many points of interest with reference to place-names, and an appendix
* ‘ Names and their Histories, alphabetically arranged as a Handbook of Historical
Geography and Topographical Nomenclature.’ By Isaac Taylor, m.a., etc., Canon of
York. London: Rivington, Percival & Co. 1890.