England's Boundarymaker

1903

Sir Thomas Holdich leaves England on his mission to lay down the new frontier between Chile and the Argentine Republic. It is not a light task, but Sir Thomas already knows something of the Andes, and he has probably had more experience in mapping out boundaries than any man living.

Much of his work has been on the frontiers of India, which he knows as intimately as we know our London streets. He has written a book called the "Indian Borderland," and if ever he gives us his reminiscences they should be full of agreeable accounts of travel. He was serving in India nearly forty years ago as a young officer of the Royal Engineers.

The Abyssinian campaign took him to another continent, but the Afghan war took him back to the regions which he has done so much to make plain on maps. Sir Thomas is within sight of sixty, but a grand tour of mountainous South America has no terrors for him. He and his staff of engineers expect to be away several months. — London Chronicle.

Montenegro May Become Zeta

1910

"Changing the map of Europe" is a phrase that had a grim significance during the greater part of the last century.

There were people with long memories who knew that changes in the map of Europe as a rule were brought about by war. But there is a possibility of a peaceful change of the map of Europe by Prince Nicholas of Montenegro.

He proposes when his principality becomes a kingdom an event that is to be celebrated with appropriate brilliancy this month — its name shall be altered to Zeta, which is what is was called in ancient times. Map-makers will take notice.